‘No going back to the past’

Arthur Papyan, aged 50, hails from Azerbaijan, which is famously known as the ‘land of the seven mountains’. Sadly though, that is the last thing the country is famous for. Apart from being the strategic center for an important East-West oil pipeline, problems between Azerbaijan’s northern neighbors Russia and Georgia, nuclear threats from Iran in the south, and an armed conflict against Armenia, has meant that this former Soviet Union country has seemingly forever found itself in a region of civil unrest.

Papyan, who currently works at TU Delft’s 3mE faculty, studied at the Economic University in Azerbaijan and then at the Technical University in Armenia, before eventually fleeing to the Netherlands along with his family as refugees. A man of strong principles, Papyan tells us of his hardships, experiences, keys for success and the art of living.

How would you characterize your past?

“It’s a long story, and one that I am not very fond of. But to give you a short account, there was a war raging between Azerbaijan and Armenia – both former Soviet Union states. Life was dangerous. So my family – my wife and two children – and I fled to Russia first. We stayed there for a while and then moved on to Georgia before eventually settling in the Netherlands in 1998.”

Was it difficult starting life afresh in the Netherlands?

“Immediately after landing, we faced many problems. You don’t understand the language, the food is totally different, the climate… everything. But we slowly overcame all these. One of my most important desires was to blend in with the society. I did not want to live as a part of a small clan in a foreign land. I learnt Dutch and wanted to look for a job.”

How did you go about this?

“I studied in a Bachelor’s program in Management Economy at the Hogeschool in Utrecht. I was 44 at the time. It was a tough time studying at that age, having to take care of my family and at the same time working part time at a factory to financially support us. But I had a plan in life, and I think perseverance is the most important asset to achieve a goal. Graduating in 2010, I got an offer to work for a year at TU Delft through a special program organized by the Ministry of Education. Once I completed that, I applied for a long term position at the faculty.”

What is your work like at TU Delft?

“I work as the Faculty Information Coordinator at 3mE. It’s a job that involves constant communication and input from all members of the faculty, including the Dean. I deal with processing a great deal of information from inside the university, but it’s definitely more interesting than what it sounds like. The nature of the job requires me to keep up to date with technology, and I learn new stuff every day.”

Has this been what you aimed to become? Is this your dream job?

“What I’m doing now is certainly not my dream job. But that said I do not have a dream job in particular. One of my beliefs is that whatever it is that you do in life, try to be the best at it. I work hard and learn new things every day, in order to stay up to date in this current job. And I would do the same in my next job, so as to make sure I always do my job well.”

What are your goals? What would you like your next job to be?

“I would like to be the secretary of a department. I have learnt Dutch and am quite fluent in it now. I have also been learning English, as that is the international medium. Right now I’m aiming to improve my communication skills, so I can be prepared to take up the position in the future.”

You have had a very long academic life. First you studied in Azerbaijan, then in Armenia and now in the Netherlands, even after you have become a grandfather. You clearly value education.

“I have always wanted to learn and to try out different things. To put my education to use, I looked out for specific jobs, and that led me to work in a lot of different Soviet states – the Baltics, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Siberia. Every year I used to take the summer off and go to one of the countries and work in a field that I liked then and gained new experiences. I still have the same attitude. I studied again in Utrecht to gain specific knowledge for the kind of work I want to do now.”

In working in all these countries, you have gained enormous amounts of experience. You must have also come across many differences. How have you coped with that?

“Every country has its own culture, and the mentalities of the people are different. It’s important to be open-minded and accept what you get. I am Arthur, I am not Jan. When I’m in the Netherlands, I try to embrace their culture and enjoy life, instead of whining about the differences. It’s not easy, but I have learned this over time. One must take what is good for him, and at the same time give back something good as well. Life carries on like that.”



Would you like to go back to Azer-baijan someday and contribute to your society back home?

“Unfortunately, I cannot go back to my country because of the political situation. But I have accepted this fact and made it my past. I have started a new life here, and there is no going back to the past. I will contribute to this

society instead. There is nothing in origin. We are all human beings, and it is as simple as that. Everyone is the same.”

Duwo talks tough
Duwo’s director, Jan Benschop, ‘talks tough’ about the disturbances caused by students but he doesn’t do anything, charges Delft resident, Jan van der Veen, in reaction to the recent Delta article ‘Flesjes gooien ‘onacceptabel’ (Bottle throwing ‘unacceptable’). Van der Veen lives on the Hendrik Marsmanlaan and for years has had troubles with the student flat on the E. du Perronlaan. The approach Benschop outlines in the article stands in stark contrast to Van der Veen’s actual experience with Duwo.

Panic reaction
Protests against nuclear energy are on the rise, following the disaster unfolding at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant. The new nuclear reactors in the Netherlands are now under discussion. But this is misguided, says professor of reactor physics, Tim van der Hagen: “In terms of successfully retaining the dangerous amounts of radioactive materials, the power plant functioned well.” Following the events in Japan, Germany has closed seven nuclear power plants for at least the next three months. “This is an ill-considered, panic reaction by our neighbours to the east,” Prof. Van der Hagen continues. “The installations are continuously improving and we are very well protected against flood and earthquakes. Temporarily halting nuclear energy has negative consequences, because this can lead to electricity shortages.”

Red Dot Award
BabyBloom Healthcare incubator, a product designed by TU Delft graduate, Heleen Willemsen, has won the Red Dot design award. The product won the ‘best of the best’ award in the ‘product design’ category. This award given annually by the Design Zentrum Norderhein Westfalen is regarded as extremely prestigious. This incubator is the only one of its kind in the world capable of being positioned above a hospital bed.

Free holidays
Dutch people who earn the minimum wage and therefore cannot afford to go on holiday can now apply for a free holiday from the Vakantiebank (Vacation bank), an initiative sponsored by a camping equipment company and various travel organisations. There are however fairly strict conditions for proving that you’re too poor to pay your own way. People with chronic health problems can also apply for a free getaway, which includes weekend trips and longer trips, and trips in the Netherlands and abroad.

New cp@tud
TU Delft’s tradition of hosting a guest writer each year is over. Instead, the guest writership will now include other artistic disciplines. Those chosen to fill this new position will serve for two months as Culture Professor at TU Delft – or cp@tud. This new position will still include writers but has now been expanded to welcome artists, composers, filmmakers and photographers. The first cp@tud is a photographer: Vincent Mentzel.

Springtime
You have the bsa, extra study year regulations and additional income limits. And then suddenly spring is in full bloom. Longer days, a warmer sun, more hormones…. Disastrous for the approach to studying, work, recreation/development? The clearest message to emerge from the recently conducted mini-lunchtime student survey is that the bsa and the evil the Dutch Cabinet has in store for students hasn’t had much impact on students’ abilities to resist spring’s temptations.

No headscarves
Dutch MP Jeanine Hennis, of the centre-right liberal party, VVD, the largest party in the current government, has called for a ban on the wearing of Muslim headscarves by public employees who work at the country’s city and town halls. Hennis says she views all religions equally and thus the ban should cover all religious symbols equally, as dictated by the principle of separation between church and state.

New, inspiring house
This past Wednesday, President of the Dutch House of Representatives, Gerdi Verbeet, and the leader of D66 party, Alexander Pechtold, opened the exhibition ‘Theatres of Democracy’, an exhibition consisting of designs by TU Delft architecture students for a new, more inspiring House of Representatives. According to Karin Laglas, Dean of TU Delft’s faculty of Architecture, the exhibition provides a good illustration of the function of architecture. A chamber in which a good debate can take place is a chamber that contributes to a well-functioning democracy. Conversely, such a chamber can also become an expression of a well-functioning democracy. The exhibition runs until Thursday 28 April, at the Statenpassage of the House of Representatives building, Lange Poten 4, Den Haag.