Taxi Chronicles
Housing designer in the Johnathan Hay Centre that provided a "culturally specific living" for laborers and migrants from the countryside.
The Taxi Driver That Could
Make you an Emotional Wreck
Make you an Emotional Wreck
May 2022
The driver is sitting with his cigarette; his customer enters the car. “Where to, sister,” he says. He is a tough critic that knows everything and has every right to boss his customers around.
Armenian taxi drivers have, as Armenians call it, their “taste and smell.” They truly are special. We will be going into stereotypes, but one thing that gives them this “taste and smell” is that many are known to be moody. At times, it highly depends on your luck whether your taxi driver is going to treat you well or not. This brings us to the story of the grumpy taxi driver.
Taxi drivers in Armenia can give you a good or a bad experience, but one thing is for sure, they are one of a kind. The bad is much noticed, especially by tourists, and as I said, taxi drivers in Armenia are one of a kind. Thus, it is impossible not to notice how different they are from taxi drivers from other parts of the world.
By that time, more than 10 minutes had already passed since I ordered a taxi. I could not understand where exactly he was, so I honestly told him that I did not know how to further help him. And dear reader, let me remind you that normally, a taxi driver is supposed to follow the map towards your location. Anyhow, as a response to my words, he angrily yelled at me and told me that he did not need my help in the first place and used a few curse words to insult me. In addition, he ironically blamed me for my attitude. I was about to cry, but I held it in. But it already did not matter because the taxi driver was fed up and yelled that I have to cancel the ride on the app and hung up the phone. I stood in the middle of the road in shock. Never in my life had I been that confused and overwhelmed with negativity.
So, I ordered a taxi and within a minute one was available. I got out of my building to wait for the taxi. It was hot under the sun in the middle of the summer, but I was patient. It took two minutes, then four, then six. I started to become impatient as I was already late and the taxi was not arriving. I could see how it was standing still on the map.
Even though I became impatient, I did not want to be rude and call the driver to ask them to be quick. He then called me. He asked where exactly my home was , as he could not find it. I tried to explain what it looks like and what street it is on. He did not understand. I asked him where exactly he was , so I could tell him which way to go. He answered unclearly. He sounded like an old man and I did not want to offend him, so I continued to ask what his surroundings looked like. He was already speaking with an annoyed tone and his intonation became louder and even more irritated.
I, Biaini Sepoyan, was late for a meeting with my two friends, Maria and Maria. Not that the cafe we were going to meet at was that far, but as I was late, I wanted to make sure that I arrive at least slightly earlier than I would if I were to walk. So, I ordered a taxi through an app. The type I ordered was a regular one, which means that the driver can be anyone who signed up to be a driver. There are other options you can choose that send you trained drivers. The reason I ordered a regular taxi was because there tend to be more of them. Hence, I would find a taxi quicker than I would if I ordered a taxi with a more qualified driver.
Yes, dearest reader, such things can happen. Perhaps something terrible had just happened in that driver’s life. Who knows? Should such things happen? Absolutely not. But anyone who has seen Armenia a few years ago and now knows that it has been growing exponentially. So let us keep our hopes high and share positive taxi stories hereafter.
Biaini Sepoyan
A Ride to Remember
May 2022
As I got in the taxi, an elderly man with the brightest smile greeted me. In an attempt to smile back at him just as bright as he did, I was only able to return a hint of a smile. He thanked me a few times and I reassured him that it was no big deal. Upon glancing at my stress-stricken face, he asked me what was wrong. After a moment of silence, I explained I had a midterm that I was worried sick about. I took a moment to understand how I could do something so out of character. I usually don’t have conversations with people I don’t know, especially when there is a lot on my mind. Perhaps it was all the positivity and kindness that seemed to radiate off this man. He took a pause after hearing me out, glanced up at his rearview mirror and then said, “Well have you studied?”
Dragging my feet on a cloudy morning of one of my midterm exams, I make my way outside to order a taxi and a smile is nowhere to be found on my face. A few minutes go by and a taxi driver is on his way. I get a call from the driver asking me if I could cross the street since it’d be of more convenience for him to wait there. I agreed and made my way over.
Countering stereotypes that are associated with the taxi drivers in Armenia was a man of the most peculiar character. I’ll be referring to this taxi driver by the name of David for the protection of his identity. I have been prone to not having the best experience and so on one chilly morning, things took a pleasant turn.
The question made me laugh and I said, “I did but I don’t think it's enough”. By this point, I was at a loss for words. Instead of hoping that this would be the end of the conversation so I could sulk in my own sorrows, I felt at ease. And it became evident that I was at ease when I didn’t have the urge to creep back into my cocoon of silence.
A moment of silence goes by and he says, “I’ve had many passengers who were students just like you. And I gave them the same piece of wisdom that I’ll give to you. You know more than you think you know.” He gave me the advice to act as though I know, and the information will surely come trickling to me. As the ride continued, he began to tell me stories from his youth during which he attended university. One such story consisted of his classmate who would answer any question the professor asked, even if she knew nothing of the topic and her answer had no relevance to the question.
As he told his stories, we began laughing. During this moment, I was in disbelief. I could not remember the last time that I had genuinely laughed at something, let alone during a taxi ride. Once we reached the university and it was time to say goodbye, he left me with one last piece of advice. He said, “Remember our conversation and mark my words. You’re gonna do great, kid. Until we meet again.” Stepping out of the car, the cold air didn’t feel as cold anymore. In fact, there was this odd warmth that wrapped around me. All of a sudden, the birds began chirping and I felt at ease. The wind continued to play with my hair as I walked into the building with a smile on my face.
Arpina Melikyan
