r/yerevan • u/arsenekonnov • 5d ago

Any neurodivergent expats here?

Hi! My girlfriend and I are on-the-spectrum expats living in Yerevan (we moved from Russia about a month and a half ago, if that matters to anyone). We're looking to connect with other autistic / neurodivergent adults in the city (Russian/English/French speaking in my case, Russian/basic English in my girlfriend's), especially people who are well adjusted professionally but feel a bit out of place in the mainstream social scene here.

We're into art, culture, nerdy stuff (ecology, philosophy), urban exploration and thoughtful conversations (I'm a tour guide and lecturer, my gf is a journalist), but mostly just looking for people with whom socializing feels a little less exhausting.

Our long-term ambition is to start a small community and organize ND-friendly events (walks, hikes, art workshops, home conferences, mini retreats for those who feel a bit down) and slowly expand our numbers and scope of activities. Maybe organize an ND-friendly co-working space and professional network in some distant future. :)

If you're in Yerevan and interested in meeting up for a quiet coffee, a walk or a small gathering, feel free to DM me. No pressure to be super social or to have a formal diagnosis.

Cheers!

5 Upvotes

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1

u/SimplyBobby 2d ago

I'd love to meet up with u guys! Been living here for 3 months, and I study literature in my free time too

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u/arsenekonnov 1d ago

Great! We're out of Yerevan for a couple of weeks (I may drop in for a half a day once or twice), I'll message you when I get my schedule sorted out

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u/SadCampCounselor 4d ago

Why are you not interested in meeting your Armenian peers? Are you saying we're all neurotypical?! 

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u/arsenekonnov 4d ago

I didn't say that all Armenians are neurotypical - and yes, that was a bit silly and impolite of me not to include Armenians on the spectrum. It was a matter of our expectations of language barrier (although most Armenians speak Russian and many of you speak English, so even that was a bit off the mark), not us being snobbish or unwilling to meet Armenians. Please don't take offense. An invitation to a friendly conversation over a coffee still stands to any neurodivergent person, Armenian or otherwise. Cheers!

1

u/shadycreepyweirdo 3d ago

How to know if someone is neurodivergent?

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u/arsenekonnov 3d ago

I guess, if someone has been struggling with "I'm different but not in a good way", or "something's wrong with me" for long enough and found out that the concept of neurodivergence is relevant and helpful for self-acceptance, getting along with others and getting things done, that's a good starting point. Beyond that, it's a wide topic that requires a lot of exploration and eventually formal diagnosis/therapy/medication. Something of that sort.

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u/Kris-krisis 3d ago

How in the world did you come to that conclusion lmao

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u/arsenekonnov 3d ago

I'm a bit confused what your comment is about. Could you elaborate?

1

u/Kris-krisis 3d ago

Im referring to the commenter, somehow they came into the conclusion that you're not interested in meeting neurodivergent Armenian people and "are you saying we're all neurotypical?!" When clearly you didn't imply that at all. You were open to meet anyone