Blog, July 27^th, 2014

Hello, My Faithful Readers:

It has been three months, April 26^th, 2014, since I began my Peace Corps Georgia adventure!

This marks my first full week as a Peace Corps Volunteer here in Sagarejo. So far, it has been terrific and I fully expect it to get better. I’ve been running so fast and hard for the last three months, and more, and now I have the opportunity to slow down for a bit – at least until school starts.

I officially become an English Teacher (ESL) on September 15^th, 2014. Classes begin that day but prior to that date I am sure there will be many planning sessions. For example, one of the requirements that will happen before the start of classes will be to create, plan and implement a summer camp for the students here in Sagarejo. I will have help, not sure how much help, but hoping for the best. There are always so many variables to deal with; for example, how many students will show up, what ages they will be; how much adult supervision and support will be available, etc., etc., etc. As always, I will do my best. I do have a plan setup for the first five days (the camp will run for ten days), so that is a start.

The only thing I can see outside my window is trees, sky and mountain (and stars at night!). Sometimes my entertainment here is just to sit and watch the wind move the trees and listen to the rustling of the leaves. These are experiences that I usually only get when I am on vacation; however, to have this on a daily basis is very extraordinary to me.  This is way different than my city view of buildings, helicopters and jets flying into the airport along the jet path into the airport in my city. I really love my city view and I do miss it at times, but this is so different for me. I never see or hear airplanes or helicopters flying overhead. I never hear sirens, police or ambulance. I don’t hear buses or the honking of horns.  I hear birds, a donkey and dogs barking. I also hear water running as most houses have an outside water source. I rarely hear the noise of a car as my house is off the main road. I hear the crunch of the gravel as people go and come from walking into the center of town.

The other night I woke up to the sound of what I thought was gun fire. Thankfully it was not. Of all things, it was a fireworks display. As I looked out my windows I could see the different colors and designs of the fireworks. Very strange indeed being here in Georgia seeing a fireworks display. The next day I found out that the show was in honor of a woman here in Sagarejo who was celebrating a birthday.

 One of the things that we are absolutely NOT allowed to do here is drive a car or a motorcycle. We are not even allowed to ride on the back of a motorcycle. That is a disappointment for me as it would be perfect for me going up and down the mountain; but, not to worry I don’t plan to break the rules. Breaking this rule, and getting caught, means a ticket home. Also, it would ruin my cardiovascular program that I fully intent to benefit from.  I’ve been told that in past years the Peace Corps actually gave volunteers motorcycles if they were in remote areas and had difficulty traveling. That must have been terrific, I am sorry I missed that period of time.

I have some “this and that” to share with you.  I was very surprised at how many “moths” there are here – and many are in my room. As best as I try to “shoo” them away, I find that many more show up. I will need to look for some moth flakes as I don’t want holes in my clothing. Also, there is no light in the refrigerator – HA. I know that is not very unusual; however, if I want to go into the refrigerator after dark I need to either bring my flashlight or do without. You see, after a certain time the overhead light does not work in the kitchen. Have no idea why and I don’t have the language yet to ask about it. There are no screens on the windows. Now, I would not have found that odd; however, many of the homes I’ve been in here in Sagarejo do have screens. Since we live in a forest, I thought it would be a good idea to keep the bees and flies out of the house; but, interestingly enough, they do not want to go into the house. In the Georgian language they use the same word for finger and toes. I thought maybe they called them a “Digit” however, that is not the case. Both are referred to as “Tetis” – which means finger and toe.

To continue – I didn’t notice in Osiauri as my host father was not around a lot as he was working from early morning until, most times, after I turned in for the evening. In any event, I did see him once or twice without his shirt on while eating. I’ve noticed here in Sagarejo that my host father never wears his shirt during meals. I imagine that is a cultural trend here in Georgia?  However, during “Supra’s” men always have their shirts on, so I think the no-shirt rule is when men are comfortable within their own homes?  I just find it different than what I am used to. Another funny “this and that” is that when I met some of the teachers in the school - the first thing they asked me was “do you have a boyfriend?” I actually understood the question (I think I was asked that question before in Osiauri), which was a fabulous thing for me; but we all laughed when I answered “no”. I gather from the remaining conversation that they are working to rectify that for me. No matter that I said, “no, no” – they were all still laughing and plotting as I then went into the Director’s office. Georgia people are not shy about asking personal questions. They ask about religion, children, grand-children, etc. There does not seem to be any question off the table. The PC did prepare us for these types of questions so I am mostly prepared to answer.

More this and that: There is a taxi service dedicated just to women. It is a PINK Taxi and I don’t know much more than that (at the moment – other than the taxi is PINK (or so I’ve been told). I have not seen one yet. Trash is not picked up from each and every household. There are silver trash containers placed throughout the town that people walk to and put their trash in. Then the trash collectors come and empty the containers. Not sure how often this happens. In order to do laundry in the washing machine, my host family needs to unplug the refrigerator as there are just not enough outlets to accommodate all the appliances. The washer is same type of front loader washer that I had in Osiauri.

One more item, the floor on the 2^nd floor slants down a bit. If you let a ball lose in my room it would roll to the other end of the room. At times, I feel like I am on a cruise ship as I lose my balance when I forget the room is slanted. It is very interesting. At times, when someone else comes into the hallway my bedroom door just swings open. At first I thought maybe there is a ghost (HA), but no way. I think it maybe the way the house is not level. At night I close the door and sometimes in the morning it is open.

There is a lot of received wisdom here in Georgia. According to the author “Gladwell” it is the knowledge that is handed down that we live by. So, here are just a few examples. I know there are more, but these will get us started. I’ve heard many of these over the years; but it is humorous to hear them here in Georgia.

*Don’t drink anything cold; it is not good for you.

*Don’t leave the door open as the draft will make you sick.

*Don’t go out with a wet head.

My official status here in Georgia is “American Citizen living in Georgia.” I do not have diplomatic immunity here and the Peace Corps stresses that point over and over again. We are all subject to the laws of the country we are in.

I need to secure a tutor in order to test again in November. I need to go up two levels and I hope that I can accomplish that by the November deadline. If not, I think I will get to test again in February. Seriously, I work with my host mother a couple of hours every day with Georgian (for me) and English (for her). It is so amazing to me how much I’ve learned in such a short period of time. Now that the pressure is off and I can work at my own pace I feel that I have improved greatly. I’ve never had any doubt that I can attain the level required; going at a slower pace has been just what I needed.

I just found out that all the students in my school (350) have email addresses. So, instead of making fliers and walking them around or posting them in store windows, the school can just email the students who will be invited to the summer camp. Now, I find this amazing. Here, in this 3^rd world country, all the students have email? It just does not seem very “Peace Corps-ish?” I know I am making a judgment here. My mindset still goes back to PC volunteers working in very remote areas that barely have running water (and sometimes in Georgia they only have water during certain times and the same with electricity).  This will all unfold as time goes forward.

I wanted to try out the transportation system to see if I could navigate and get myself to Tbilisi and YES, I CAN. This has been so on my mind and now I feel very confident that I can handle it. I took the marsh from Sagarejo. The marsh hub here in Sagarejo has no set schedule. When the marsh is full, or just about, it goes. So, you just make your way to the hub and wait. Also, many marsh’s make their way from other villages and towns through Sagarejo, so I could also flag one of those down as its speeding by J. I’m told that as you see a marsh you need to hold up your fingers to tell the driver how many people want to go on. If they have room for the number of fingers you are holding up, well then they stop. Neat system, Huh!  It is a 45 minute ride into Tbilsi to the marsh hub that brings in marsh’s from the East (that is where I am coming from).

Once in Tbilisi I made my way to the METRO. I get on at the SAMGORI stop, which is also the marsh hub for all marsh’s coming and going from the east. I think the METRO system is modeled on the DC metro system, as it is very easy to navigate. There is signage, in Georgian and the English version of Georgian. The metro card speeds you through the turnstiles. There are police and METRO attendants at each of the stops. It is seven stops to reach STATION SQUARE. This is the point where you need to change trains to go in another direction. I get off and follow the crowd to the next train which will take me to The Medical Center stop. It is three stops and then another couple of blocks to walk to get to the Peace Corps Office. Whew! As it was happening it was terrific. I felt like I was home. I am very comfortable in cities and now I feel that I can manage the city. Good Job!

It costs .50 Tetri for a ride on the metro. That is less than .50cents USD for a ride. Also, if you ride within a certain period of time from when you swipe your card the ride is free. Not sure of the time period, but will check that out. The card for the metro also works on the buses (which are all yellow Marsh’s). There are a gazillon of these yellow marsh’s with different numbers on the windshield. That number will tell you where it is going and how it is going. Need to figure that our also!

One minor point is that I fell walking to the PC Office. I was so confident having just mastered the transportation system that I stopped looking down at where I was walking and looked up, and wham – I fell flat. There are so many broken pavements and rocks embedded in the concrete, as well as steps up or down – to me I need to be ever vigilant walking. I just cannot look up, as every step (to me) is a land mind. In any event, I am stiff and sore but I was so lucky. I didn’t break anything or hurt anything that bad. It was a shock for me as I’ve spent the last three months in Osiauri avoiding this kind of situation. I guess I expected a little different in the city, but that is not to be.

The PC office is great. There is a lounge that is open to volunteers from 6am to 9pm every day. We cannot sleep there unless we get permission and that only comes about if we have an early morning flight. The room has COMFORTABLE chairs. Also it is Air Conditioned! Also, the lounge has real toilets and a shower as well as a library. Ah, all the comforts of home. Lots of PC volunteers rotate thru so there is lots of conversation and sharing of things that we need to know. A group of us went to have REAL HAMBURGERS at a place called the “Acid Cafe.” It was heavenly. At that point the day was gone. The Marsh’s stop running at 8pm (earlier in the winter). Not many people travel at night. So, I threaded my way back to the METRO and then to a marsh hub, heading east. The Marsh hub is just like “DIDUBE” hub, for marsh’s going west. I wrote about this in a previous blog. Georgian’s do have this organized. I almost missed the marsh as I had to use the toilet and when I came out the marsh was driving away. I was waving my hands and luckily the driver did see me. When you say “Time waits for no one” – well, neither do the marsh’s. I had placed a sleeping bag that I got at the PC office on the marsh and would have no idea how to get it back if the marsh left without me. Geezes! That would have been unfortunate for me.

 Once home in Sagarejo, rather than walk up the mountain, due to my feeling stiff after my fall, I took a taxi home. The taxi ride, which took maybe 2 minutes was the same cost (3GEL) as my 45 minute ride to Tbilisi. I was not happy about that, it sure didn’t seem fair – but then, I didn’t want to push it. I won’t be taking taxi’s very often.

I am sure there is lots of information I left out about my adventure in Tbilisi but I will fill in as time goes forward.

All the Best, my Faithful Readers, Catherine, G14 – 7/27/14

Pictures will be coming forthwith!  :-)

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