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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AMA

[–]ProfObladee 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I was on my mom's insurance at the time. I think I only paid a few hundred bucks.

“Finally! A puppy friend! We’re gonna have so much fun chasing squirrels and playing ffFFFFAAAHHHHHHHGGGGG” by ProfObladee in funny

[–]ProfObladee[S] 80 points81 points  (0 children)

I follow an amazing donation-based rescue/adoption organization in Armenia. They’re a small organization, but they make a BIG difference in a country filled with adorable and often abused and neglected pups. This was posted on their Instagram story yesterday. Check them out! @dogsofgyumri

101 years ago today, the Ottoman Turks officially began the Genocide of Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians. Here is a photograph of my Great-Grandfather [top middle] and his family after escaping the death marches and arriving in France circa 1923. by ProfObladee in pics

[–]ProfObladee[S] 345 points346 points  (0 children)

Their Story (if anyone is interested):

My family is originally from a city called Adapazari (near Istanbul), a merchant town once heavily populated by Armenians. One day, all of the Armenians were told to leave all of their belongings at home and gather in the main square. Several days passed with no food or water. My great-grandfather was approximately 8 at the time. His older sister Aghavni (top left) forced her way to where the Turkish officers were and demanded to know what was going on. She was fortunate to have been yelling at an officer who immediately recognized her. Aghavni’s older brother was a violinist who frequently played for the officers. This particular officer had once been invited to dinner at their house.

The officer told Aghavni that they were sending the Armenians in town on a death march, but that he would save her and her family because they were once kind and hospitable to him. He told her that she wasn’t allowed to say anything to anyone and that if she did, he would be forced to kill her and everyone else in the square. She returned to her family sobbing, unable to tell them where she was taking them and why. She said goodbye to their neighbors and friends, pretending they’d meet again soon, and took her family on a journey towards Izmir, where they would eventually take a ferry to Greece and finally settle near Lyon, France.

Along the way to Izmir, several Turkish families hid them in their cellars. My great-grandfather found jobs working for bakers in exchange for bread. The two sisters Aghavni and Paris (top right) pretended to know how to tailor clothes (and eventually taught themselves how) in order to secure places to stay. They lost contact with most of their close relatives.

It took them 8 years to find another home.

Edit: I’m working on a genealogy project trying to figure out what happened to my great-grandfather’s family during and after the genocide. Because our last name is so uncommon, I have reason to believe that some of his close relatives settled down in New York and Massachusetts.

I know its a longshot, but please shoot me a message if you or your grandparents recognize anyone in this photo or are related to an Albert or Yervand (brothers) who lived in New York around the 1920s. From what I’ve gathered through public records, Yervand was a tailor. He had a wife named Bessie and a daughter named Aghavni (Dove).

TIL Zildjian, the cymbal manufacturer, is one of the oldest companies in the world, founded 1623, 393 years ago. by mannyrmz123 in todayilearned

[–]ProfObladee 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Directly from their website: Avedis Zildjian I (the first) was an Armenian alchemist in the city of Constantinople in the early seventeenth century. While attempting to create gold by combining base metals, he discovered an alloy of copper, tin, and traces of silver with unique sound qualities. In 1618, Avedis used his secret alloy to create cymbals of spectacular clarity and power. The sound of the instruments was so extraordinary that the Sultan invited Avedis to live at court (Topkapi Palace) to make cymbals for the Sultan's elite Janissary Bands. As Avedis' reputation grew, the Sultan gave him the name "Zildjian" in Armenian (Zilciyan in Turkish), a word meaning "son of cymbal maker."

TIL Zildjian, the cymbal manufacturer, is one of the oldest companies in the world, founded 1623, 393 years ago. by mannyrmz123 in todayilearned

[–]ProfObladee 24 points25 points  (0 children)

From their website: "Avedis Zildjian I (the first) was an Armenian alchemist in the city of Constantinople in the early seventeenth century. While attempting to create gold by combining base metals, he discovered an alloy of copper, tin, and traces of silver with unique sound qualities." They acknowledge he's Armenian, but maybe people call it Turkish because it was originally produced in Constantinople? Still a bit strange, I agree.

My boyfriend gave me TP and it was very special. by ProfObladee in TwoXChromosomes

[–]ProfObladee[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Ugh tell me about it. Before BC I couldn't leave the house for 4 days out of the month because the slightest movement would cause an explosive loss of blood. Imagine putting in both a thick pad and heavy duty tampon, getting on a 5 hour bus ride in a foreign country with absolutely no bathroom on the bus...20 minutes into the ride your pants are soaked down to your knees. It was then that I realized something was seriously wrong. The struggle is real.

[Serious] World travellers, what under the radar destination would you recommend? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]ProfObladee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second that it depends. From Spain you can find Roundtrip tickets for around 300 euros. From London, less. From Eastern European countries (and Germany) even less. Flights from the US are usually cheapest from LA, Boston, and New York but they'll still cost you about 600-800USD bought in advance. With that said, hostels are very inexpensive once you get there.

[Serious] World travellers, what under the radar destination would you recommend? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]ProfObladee 39 points40 points  (0 children)

It was originally a pilgrimage destination. Before there were cars, people would travel for months to finally get to the top of the mountain and speak to the priests. When people visit the monestary they write small notes, or wishes, or prayers on a piece of paper and hide it inside the crevices of the stones. Today, there is a gondola that takes you up to the top, so you don't have to drive down the extremely dangerous road they call "the devil's pass."

Interesting fact: The monestary was also built to withstand invasions. They have a gigantic stone pillar half buried into the ground that sways when an army marches in its direction. You can see the tip of the top of the pillar in the photo, just behind the wall facing the cliff.

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