Who is J-Mart?

In Part 3A of my autobiography, I recounted my experiences of moving to Moscow in 1997 when I was just 9 years old. My family had left Armenia in search of better economic prospects and ended up in Russia after a short unsuccessful stint in Ukraine first. Russia in 1997, led by Boris Yeltsin, was one year removed from the end of the First Chechen War which caused a significant influx of immigrants to Moscow. While these immigrants could have been seen as a positive addition to the labor force, filling low-paying and physically demanding jobs in sectors with labor shortages, they were instead viewed as a security threat and blamed for various societal problems, such as economic instability, political unrest, and corruption. As a result, my family and I faced discrimination and prejudice for not being ethnically Russian, even though our skin color was not all that different from the locals. 

Less than a year after we moved to Moscow, a financial crisis was brewing. I vividly recall the sudden shift in the exchange rate between the Russian ruble and US dollar. Initially, one could exchange six rubles for a single dollar, but within a short period, the rate shot up to nearly thirty rubles to a dollar. This would become known as the "Ruble Crisis'' of 1998. Although I was only 10 years old, even I could reason that those who had saved money in rubles suddenly found that their savings were worth much less than before. 

To make matters worse, there were a series of terrorist attacks in Moscow and other cities in 1998 and 1999, including bombings in a subway station, a shopping center, and an apartment building, all labelled as being perpetrated by Chechen separatists. The Russian government responded with a crackdown on all immigrants of non-Russian ethnic descent, leading to increased military operations and a visible military presence in the city. I saw military officers with assault rifles regularly patrolling the Moscow subway stations at this time.

The terrorist attacks also led to the start of the Second Chechen War in the summer of 1999, as Russian forces launched a major military campaign in the Chechnya region. A month after the start of the war, there was yet another bloody apartment bombing in Moscow, killing hundreds, which escalated the conflict and led to increased support for the war among the Russian population. There was no transparency in the bombing investigation however, leading many people to question the validity of the claim that it was done by Chechen separatists. As a kid who had never lived in anything other than apartment buildings, I remember specifically thinking about the chances of my building being bombed next rather than wondering who really did it. 

As already mentioned, Boris Yeltsin was the President of Russia through most of the 90s but on New Years Eve of 1999 he unexpectedly resigned from power citing health issues, marking the end of an era in Russian politics and paving the way for the rise of Vladimir Putin. If anyone is old enough to remember Boris Yeltsin, you probably remember him for his public displays of drunkenness. Check out the link to this nearly 4 minute compilation of Boris Yeltsin caught on camera acting really drunk during official presidential proceedings to familiarize yourself with the man. Even I, as a young boy, saw some of these clips on TV and knew this about him. So it’s not difficult to imagine that he truly was unhealthy and could not continue to act as President. On the other hand, Russia was facing high inflation, unemployment, and a sharp decline in living standards because of the Ruble Crisis in addition to a new kinetic military campaign in Chechnya, so it’s also plausible that he did not wish to face these challenges while managing conflicts with the parliament, the military, and other powerful groups in Russian society. Regardless, after nearly a decade in power he stepped down and let Prime Minister Vladimir Putin take over as acting President. Three months later in March of 2000, Putin was elected President with a majority vote. Thankfully, my family would emigrate away from Russia 7 months later in October while the country would remain at war with Chechnya under the direction of Putin till 2009, nearly a decade later. Putin himself remains in power to this day, significantly outlasting his predecessor Yeltsin by more than a decade. And of course I don’t have to remind anybody that he has also started a new military campaign in Ukraine.

So how did my family manage to escape to Canada? With the economic and geopolitical struggles of Russia in addition to the ethnic discrimination we would continue to face, my parents decided that we had to keep moving somewhere else. Fortunately Canada's immigration policy in the late 1990s was focused on attracting skilled individuals with a "Skilled Worker Points System." Applicants were assessed based on education, language skills, work experience, age, arranged employment and adaptability. Points were awarded for each of these selection factors, with a minimum score required to be eligible for immigration to Canada. Both my parents had university degrees, and they could meet the minimum number of points required for immigration if they scored high in language skills. So they went to work and started learning English like their lives depended on it. This brings me back to the end of Part 3A where I revealed that my family came across a “free” English lessons ad offered by American Mormon missionaries on their mission in Moscow, Russia. 

Looking back now, it's clear to me that what we thought were "free" English lessons were actually a clever way for the missionaries to introduce us to their faith. But at that time, my parents were desperate to learn English as we were saving up money to move to Canada. So, the price of "free" was perfect for us. The lessons turned out to be good and ultimately helped my parents improve their language skills, which was crucial for them to qualify for immigration to Canada based on the points system. As a young child, I was fortunate to be exempt from language testing, but I still went to the lessons with my parents.

After the first English lesson, the missionaries extended an invitation to anyone interested in learning more about their faith. Intrigued, my parents and I stayed behind to speak more with these young Americans who were friendly, outgoing, and had a distinctive appearance. They wore dark pants with a white shirt and tie and black plastic name tags identified them as representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They gave us a free copy of the Book of Mormon and invited us to come back for another English lesson followed by a discussion of a passage from the book. I don’t remember any other details from that first meeting but I think as a family we got the general sense that these were dedicated and hardworking young people who were committed to sharing their faith and serving others.

We continued attending the English lessons and soon enough, the missionaries were invited to visit us at our apartment. They were eager to build relationships, share information about their faith, and engage in open and respectful conversations about Christ, the Bible and the Book of Mormon. We learned that the missionaries considered the Book of Mormon to be a sacred scripture alongside the Bible, containing religious teachings, history, and prophecies of ancient inhabitants of the Americas. According to Mormon belief, the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the church, in the early 19th century. He claimed to have been visited by God and called to translate an ancient record written on gold plates, which he translated into English by the gift and power of God. 

The Mormon beliefs were presented to us in a slow and careful manner over a period of months with weekly visits from the missionaries. The slow pace of delivery of their core beliefs dampened the impact of the extreme claims such as God’s appearance to Joseph Smith or the legitimacy of the Book of Mormon. Furthermore, the extreme claims were interspersed with regular Christian values such as belief in God and Jesus Christ and a strong emphasis on family values. Mormons also observe what they call the Word of Wisdom, a health code which prohibits the use of tobacco, alcohol, coffee, and tea, and encourages healthy living practices. They encourage participation in church activities and they put an emphasis on education, personal development and doing missionary work to share their faith. These values were in line with my family’s internal value system, thus we were drawn closer to the church.

Armenians will proudly tell you that they were the first people (before the Romans!) to adopt Christianity as their ethnic religion. It’s an important part of our identity. I’m not sure why we didn’t affiliate with an Armenian church in Moscow during those years in the late 90s, perhaps there wasn’t one nearby, but the Mormon church filled an important spiritual seeking need for us that was missing after leaving Armenia. The church also provided opportunities for social connection and support with very friendly people who did not display the typical discriminatory Russian outlook we had become accustomed to. Lastly, the importance of family values, service, and personal responsibility resonated with us and inspired us to explore the Mormon faith further.

Before we knew it, the Mormon church had become a significant part of our lives. We started attending weekly Sunday worship services, and soon we were also participating in church organized Monday evening family nights, a dedicated time for families to come together for spiritual instruction, recreational activities, and quality family time. We would also get a separate visit from the missionaries one other day per week. Eventually, as a family, we all got baptized in the Mormon church. I remember wearing an all-white outfit and getting fully submerged underwater as a symbol of our commitment to the faith. 

Looking back, I often wonder how different my life would have been if we had access to the kind of information that is readily available nowadays. If we could have searched Joseph Smith's name and quickly discovered that he was a con artist, would we have stopped going to Sunday worship and severed all ties with the Mormon church? But that’s not what happened. Instead, we became more involved with the church which led to meeting interesting and kind individuals such as the first black person I ever spoke to who was a university student from an African country that I no longer remember. We also had amazing opportunities such as getting Nutcracker ballet tickets performed at the main stage of the State Kremlin Palace. 

I remember being so excited to go to the ballet even though I wasn’t sure if I would like it, because we got to cross the moat and the walls with towers of the Kremlin Fortress, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the heart of Moscow. It sits adjacent to the Red Square where my family and I would take frequent leisurely walks and go sightseeing. We would go by several important landmarks, including the GUM State department store, the Saint Basil's Cathedral with its colorful onion-shaped domes, and the Lenin Mausoleum, which houses the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin. We never actually stood in line to go inside to see the body and we also never went inside the Kremlin fortress until we had these tickets through a member of the church.

The Nutcracker ballet performance was an elaborate and grand production that left me mesmerized with its stunning costumes, elaborate sets, and world-class dancers. To this day I recollect fond memories from that time inside the Kremlin and I look forward to attending a Nutcracker ballet performance every Christmas season, a tradition I hope to pass on to my children that would not exist if not for the Mormon church. 

The church also aided with our relocation process by putting us in contact with local church leaders and members in Canada who helped us find housing. As you might imagine, moving to a foreign country with no relatives or friends on the other side can be a daunting task but the church helped us manage it by finding a Russian family who were members of the Mormon church in Brampton willing to house us for at least a few weeks till we found more permanent residence.

Some time in the spring of 2000 we got approved for permanent residency by the Canadian government allowing our family  to live and work anywhere in Canada, as well as to access social services such as healthcare and education. We were slated to fly to Canada that summer. We packed up our lives, said goodbye to our extended family and went to the airport only to find out that our escape to the West would have to wait a little longer because my brother and I no longer had valid passports. Less than a year earlier, unbeknownst to us, the Armenian government had changed laws requiring minors like my brother and I to update our passports to be the same as adult ones . Our luggage had already been checked and we were at the security gate when the airport official finally informed us of the problem. We were able to get the flight tickets partially reimbursed and bought new tickets to fly to Armenia to get new passports issued. Luckily, the detour back to Armenia was not challenging. We got the new passports issued and I got to see many many beloved relatives one last time before heading back to Moscow and ultimately retrying to immigrate to Canada. 

Finally, on October 6th 2000, a month after my twelfth birthday, our plane landed at Toronto Pearson Airport. We were greeted by the Russian church member and his little boy who was holding a sign with my dad’s name spelled incorrectly. I am eternally grateful that this day came to be because of the impact it has had on the trajectory of my life. The opportunities and prospects I have had in the last 23 years of living in Canada have been exponentially better than what I would face had we not moved away. I am also grateful that for the first 12 years I got to experience a life that is completely foreign to most Westerners. I lived in 3 different countries before moving to Canada and I learned to speak 2 other languages before learning English. I believe this upbringing has given me a broad frame of reference, the ability to adapt to new surroundings and to understand and appreciate different perspectives, values, and ways of life. I wouldn’t change it for anything. Stay tuned for the next post about how I adapted to the Canadian way of life and the struggles of middle school and high school.

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