Blog, June 14, 2014

Hello, it is Saturday!

I am posting today, instead of Sunday, as my internet service expires today. I am going to refill at one of the “pay boxes” in Khashuri and hopefully I will be able to accomplish this J, but just in case. The “pay boxes” are very cool. They are shaped like the old video arcade game housing and are located on the streets and in some stores.  You can refill text and phone balances as well as internet. I am sure there are other things you can do on the box, but that is all I know at the moment…..

The Blog begins….

This past week we (the trainees) participated in a lecture on the various regions within Georgia. It was presented by the women who are our language coaches as well as our overall culture guides in the villages and towns.  We are very fortunate, in that, each one of our coaches comes from one of the regions (listed below) that Peace Corps assigns volunteers into for the permanent two year assignment.  For all my geography friends out there, I will give you the locations so you can google.

Sheida Kartill  Region; Kverno Kartli Region;  Kakcheti Region; Mtskheta Mtianeti Region; Samtskhe Javakheti Region; Imereti Region;  Guria Region;  Samegrelo Region; Adjara Region and Racha Lechichumi Region.

I will be assigned into one of these regions. I could spend the entire blog talking about the regions and what they have to offer as each of the regions has its own unique flavor; however, I will just speak of the region on the Black Sea (Adjara Region.)  This area is known as a very popular tourist site and a lot of the G14’s (that is my group) have been biting at the bit to visit this area.  The two main areas are “Batumi” and “Kovoleti” (or at least these are most spoken of). There are (333) villages in this region, along with (2) cities and (1) town.  I’ve heard the beaches are wonderful. I seriously doubt if I will be assigned to this area, but as I said in previous blogs, I will know where I will be assigned on Thursday, June 19^th.

I miss my privacy and solitude. Back in the States I never took for granted my “alone time.” I don’t have much of that now. Although I do have some privacy (my own room that locks as PC policy states that all volunteers must have a room that locks), my host family (and the dog) often come to visit me. I do like that they come up to see me (I am on the second floor); but again, I cannot really be free anticipating someone coming up.

The mornings are challenging for my solitude, as first of all I don’t have coffee any longer. The instant coffee is just awful here so I have been drinking hot tea. The tea is OK, but I sure do miss a good cup of coffee in the morning.  When I come to breakfast in the morning the television is already on and the volume is up (the host grandmother is very hard of hearing), the dog is crying continuously for his breakfast and my host brother and sister are verbally fighting over something. If they are not then they are arguing with their father. Here in Georgia people talk loud and holler at lot.  Most of the time I have no idea what they are saying, but due to the high level of voice tone it sure seems important.  I often take my tea and go outside because up until I left the States the loudest noise I heard in the morning was my automatic coffee pot alerting me that it was done. Having people to interact with this early in the morning will take some time to get used to.

School ended this week and I think we were all happy about that. For the final 4^th grade class, we (the co-teachers and I) had a class outside on the grass. It was a beautiful day. Lots of sun and it was breezy. The mountains in the background always give the area around the school and the village overall a majestic feel. The children were over the moon about having a class outside and so were the teachers. We played a couple of games; for example, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Wolf, what time is it? I had never played the game before and I don’t want to go into a description (please google); but, in any event I got in line with the kids and played along. One of our teacher supervisors was on location to observe and she could not believe that I got in line, held the children’s hands and played right along.  As the game was re-set for another round, I became a wolf. The kids were running and screaming while all the while I was trying to eat them. It was great fun and there was no language barrier. We also played Simon Says and something called Red light, Green light. I love to play games with my favorite granddaughters back in the states J, so having the children to play with made me feel right at home with them.  We are going to have a three day summer camp in July, so there will be more opportunities to act like a silly ten year old.

More helicopters flying overhead here in Osiauri. I’m told they are doing some kind of testing, but it seems a bit odd to see and hear them in the sky. In the states it would seem odd not to see and hear them, but the village does not seem like an appropriate venue for the likes of the helicopter. I sometimes feel that way when cars come into the village. At times I feel pushed back into time living here in the village. When the satellite dishes, cars and helicopter intrude into the space of the village it brings me back to present time reality. Hum, time travel in the Peace Corps.

I wanted to share a couple of funny moments in language class, as there are not many (non-painful) moments to share so I want to focus on them when I can. The first is that there is no “orange color” in the language. If you want to refer to “orange” you say “Carrot Color.”  I thought that was funny.  Also, I’ve noticed that when trying to think of words or phrases to respond to the questions asked by the teacher we all “look to our eye lids” or “looking up at the ceiling” for answers, It is really funny watching this. As the weeks go on the teacher is speaking faster and faster. She also brought in another teacher to speak to us so that we could correspond to how someone else spoke the language.

The room that we take language class is in the school that we teach K-12 in. I know I’ve spoken of the kids, during the period of class change, use the hallways as a kind-of recess area. Noises that should be outside fill the halls inside. It is very hard to hear over the racket; as well as the students are so curious about us that they knock on our door or push notes under the door.  Now that school is finished I’ve asked our teacher about the possibility of moving to another room with better lighting. The room that we are currently in has four overhead fluorescent lights that each have two long blubs or tubes in them. In our language room only one of the overhead fixtures work and then only one of the two bulbs or tubes light. In addition, the bulb that does work clicks on and off at random. The light that works is near the white board so that is good, but when it clicks off it is difficult to see. I always have to sit by the window as I use the natural light to see; however, at times when it is raining or just generally not sunny I need the flashlight on my phone to help me see. I have noticed other rooms with working overhead lighting, so I am hoping now that school is out we can change rooms.

The houses in the village have many rooms and each of the rooms, including the kitchen, has at least one bed in it. In some houses there are even beds outside, that is if there is a overhead cover of some kind. This is to accommodate guests who come and visit. Some houses have their kitchen table outside. When it is not raining it is very pleasant to sit outside and eat. The living room, if there is one, is only used during formal times and for company. Most families use the kitchen as a gathering place and of course the kitchen also has the wood burning stove (pechi) so it is the warmest place. My host family does not have a (pechi), they have a gas heater. They also have a hot water heater (wonderful for hot showers). The gas heater is located in the kitchen/dining room area. We don’t have to go out and chop wood as most other families do in order to have heat or hot water. The Georgian people are very proud of their refrigerators. One of the first things my host family showed me when I arrived was their refrigerator. It is not big, by US standards; although it is about 5 feet tall.  I’ve not bought any food that would require refrigeration, so I have not used it. However, I don’t believe the host grandmother uses it a lot. Very often, in the mornings, I see food on the stove (in pots or pans) that were had for dinner the night before. Fried foods are also very popular here. The Georgian people eat a lot of salami type meats. Most times they just cut it up and serve it cold, but at other times it is fried. Chicken and fish are also fried, along with potatoes.  Potato - კარტოფილი - pronounced “kartopili.” 

Basically, the potato is the main staple of my diet here.

We recently had a seminar on “The Soviet Legacy here in Georgia.”  After many years of independence Georgia is still struggling to find its way. Many of the older generation are nostalgic about the Russian period and they still speak Russian.  The seminar was given to provide some explanation or understanding as to why Georgia is the way it is.

 The seminar talked about - During soviet times the government did everything for the people and the people didn’t have to think about much of anything. The people got used to this kind of lifestyle; however, it also fostered a lack of responsibility and also laziness within the culture. This lack of responsibility was encouraged and the people became very used to this way of life. There was no motivation to personally grow and really didn’t know how to take care of themselves. There was very little analysis, by the people, of what was happening and why. Pretty much, people just accepted what was given.  The people didn’t have the sense that they were responsible for themselves and their communities, as they were used to having someone else do it for them. These attitudes or life styles persist today and can be attributed to why Georgia is still struggling to find its way.  The idea of a pluralistic society is foreign to most. 

Entertaining the possibility of more than one idea at a time or questioning the status quo is uncomfortable and avoided. The Birzha is a remnant of the soviet legacy. That is the place where men go and hang out and basically do nothing except socialize. People pretty much stay “within the lines” here in Georgia, They keep to the same patterns without much deviation. Things are changing, but it is slow.

There are stores here in Georgia called “Goodwill.” Of course, when I heard this term I kept thinking of the stores in the states with the same name; however, here in Georgia “Goodwill” is a supermarket. It offers a range of products and high quality service which also includes many US products. There are only three of these stores here in Georgia. I need a car to get to one of the locations, so I won’t be going anytime soon; but, I am so hoping to buy some tuna fish when I am able to go also peanut butter. From the little that I’ve read on these stores it sounds almost like a “Whole Foods” market.

Friend - noun მეგობარი

The word is pronounced “Megobari” and it means friend. Previous volunteers have taken on a project that pairs in-coming volunteers with volunteers presently in-country. The Megobari system is just great. We begin speaking to our Megobari before we come into the country. They provide useful information to help in-coming volunteers with what to pack, etc. My Megobari is actually in the states, at the moment, so I won’t get to meet her as they schedule a picnic so everyone can meet.

So, I am off to my language test and hopefully to fill my internet stick. It is not raining presently and the weather is cool, 68 degrees.

Take care, My Faithful Readers, Catherine, G14

Note: The contents of the blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.