From Ste. Genevieve to Beijing

BY RAFFY BOUDJIKANIAN

raffy.boudjikanian@transcontinental.ca

When Ste. Genevieve resident Henri Arslanian, 25, was preparing to go to Beijing to study for a Master's degree in law two years ago, he bumped into an old high school acquaintance. When she found out he was going to China, she told him he could easily get Chinese food here in Montreal, or pick up a Chinese girlfriend at a karaoke bar.

"That's not what it's about," he told her calmly. What it was about was expanding his horizons, learning a new language, and absorbing a new culture. What it's about today is a return to Beijing this month as a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Through meeting somebody on the committee, Arslanian learned they were looking for a former athlete who spoke both of Canada's official languages, has lived in China, and ideally has a background in business and law.

"There's not a lot of people like me, you know," Arslanian said with a laugh. He proceeded to apply for a position as administrative officer, and will soon find himself delivering conferences to Canadian athletes on certain behavioural ethics in the country, or help bridge the cultural gap between staffers and volunteers hired on the spot and those going there from Canada.

"In China, when you toast for example," he explained, lifting a glass to demonstrate, "you always have to try to go lower than the other person." This shows respect and modesty for whomever you are sharing a drink with, he added.

As a former provincial and national-level champion on Bréboeuf high school's fencing team, Arslanian said he is also well-equipped to deal with the extraordinary stress placed on competitive athletes' shoulders. "There might be guys I actually used to train with among the athletes," he said.

He smiled when asked if the trip would, in a way, be bittersweet for him, as he was fiercely competitive in his sports days and has followed the Olympics on television for as long as he can remember. "I think, for me, it's a way of giving back," he said, both to his country and to athletes in general. He compared his years in fencing to law practice, stating both require you to make lighting-fast decisions under moments of intense pressure at times.

"(Henri's) a very smart and interesting individual who I enjoy talking with. I can't wait to catch up," said Richard Scott, 22, a friend of Arslanian from their days studying Mandarin during a summer exchange program with McGill University in 2006. Now on exchange at Renmin University in China, Scott will also be joining the Canadian Olympic Committee as an access officer, checking and approving all who walk in and out of the Canadian Olympic House.

Both friends seemed eager to watch a country they know very well try to impress the world. "Games backed by the national government in a country that has been misunderstood since the Opium wars coupled with the world's fastest growing economy should be quite spectacular," said Scott, who has had the chance to watch Beijing change daily in preparation for the event.

"(China's growth) is drastically changing the realities of how business is done," said Arslanian, who imagines many people will slowly but surely change their perception of the country. Of the recent Tibet-related uprisings and crackdown, he said the international spotlight of the Olympics would do nothing but force the country to improve its policies.

As for his sceptical high school acquaintance, Arslanian said he happened to see her again last December, and asked her what she was up to these days. "She's studying Mandarin," he said.

Chronicle, Raffy Boudjikanian