Blog, Sunday - July 13^th, 2014

Hello, My Faithful Readers:

One morning this week, as I was leaving the house, I happened to look up as the sky was so blue. Was I surprised to see “Grapes” growing on the vines above my head.  I have never seen grapes growing. I always just go to the store and buy them. It was such a surprise to see green grapes so close that I could reach up and touch them or pick a bunch off the vines. Of course, they are not yet ready (too small) and I really don’t know if the family eats them or uses them to make wine. I won’t know the answer to that as after next week I won’t be here. I will be moving to my permanent site. My new host family also has vines growing overhead, so maybe I will be able to see how harvest goes in Sagarejo.  I know this is information My Faithful Readers will want to know!

I’ve listed a link to a song you might enjoy hearing. It is played here in Georgia on CD players by some of the drivers that take us back and forth. I was tickled by this song, as I’ve never heard it (although I am told its from the 70’s or 80’s – I must have missed it J). It is called “Ra-Ra-Rasputin” By ABBA. Check it out if you would like!  Especially with our neighbors (to the NORTH) so close by, it adds a tickle (you know who I mean). I think a German Groups also sings a version of the song and I know it is on utube.

http://val.fm/ra-ra-rasputin-abba-mp3/

Well, the Summer Camp is complete and overall it was successful. I know I wrote that I was not looking forward to it; however, it was not too bad. It was exhausting (I think that is a given) as we had between 40 and 50+ children each day of the three day camp. There were six volunteers plus a few teachers and parents to help out, and let me tell you that we needed every adult that we could find. The children ranged in ages from 5 to 18 years – so there were multiple adult teams to handle the activities to entertain the various age groups. A big focus of the camp was to do activities that required using English in the activities. The Georgian children love to dance so we danced. This gave them practice with English directions. They danced to a line dance that they had to go “left” and then “right” and “back and forth.” Well, you get the idea. It helps the children with English directions.  We also had water balloon toss, frisbee toss, dodge ball and the centerpiece of the camp was the making of Pinata’s.  One day the children plastered paper onto balloons with paste (flour and water). Overnight drying and the next day broke the balloons and screamed with joy as the candy fell from the sky.   Lots of additional games were played in order to fill up the two hour camp. It does not seem like a long time to conduct a camp but my body certainly knew it had been entertaining children for that period. (Advil is my friend). So many aspects of the camp are a challenge. For example, we needed to give the children a water break after an hour of activity and that proved a problem as they turn the water off in the school after 2pm. Since the camp didn’t start until 3pm and that meant that water had to be carried from one of the host family houses and none of those houses are close by. Very few things in Georgia are easy. After the camp was over the volunteers met to go over the next day’s schedule to determine that all was in order. This camp was held in the afternoon and we were lucky that the weather held. It was hot, but there was some shade around the school. I don’t think the Georgian children have access to summer organized activities such as those that we organized.  All total with prep time and breakdown, clean-up, and after meeting times – it ended up to be a four hour endeavor each day.

We recently had a dance class at our training site here in Khashuri. It was part of our overall meeting day and it was a welcomed relief to the day of technical meetings. I am going to include a utube link so you can view the dance, as I know I would not be able to describe it on the blog. This was a hands-on, or maybe better feet-on experience J. The dance teachers separated us, men on one side and women on the other, and practiced parts of the dance. At a given point, the men and women came together and acted out our given roles in the dance. It was awesome. The women use their arms a lot during the dance and the men use their whole body. It is very strenuous doing the Georgian Dances, like an aerobic workout – but lots of fun. There was also a demonstration by two young men. I would imagine that they are students of the dance instructor. They performed for us and it was something to see. Although the woman appears to be a bride, she is not. The dance is performed at a lot of weddings but it is not a wedding dance. The man in the dance is pursuing the woman, and that is what the dance is about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHv57kZadsM

ცეკვა ქართული | Georgian Folk Dance - QarTuli

There was a full moon on Saturday evening.  It was just beautiful. It so reminded me of home as my window at home faces the east so I see the moon come up in the evening. Here in Osiauri it was the first moon I’ve seen. There has not been a lot of time to gaze out of windows. When I get home I usually collapse into bed and would not be able to see the moon – so last evening was a treat to see the moon.

This is the last week of PST as on Friday we go to Tbilisi to graduate and become official volunteers. It will be a busy week but different than what we have been experiencing these past 10 weeks. We have one final language class and then the next day we have a language oral test. My last test I was rated as “Novice Low.” So I am hoping that maybe I moved up a notch to “Novice Mid.” We shall see. I do feel that I have learned a lot, especially since I was able to change classes; however, I am still struggling with the language. I imagine that will be on an on-going conversation throughout; but, I am will to struggle and capture as much as I can. 

Sometimes I have dreams about the language, as it is such a big part of our day. I dream that I am running and Georgian letters are hitting me, for example: once a georgian “ე” which is ‘e’ hit me, I would grow “ი” which is ‘i’, I would grow an “eye”. I guess you could say the language has been on my mind J.

We need to pack up all our belonging and leave for Tbilisi early Friday morning. Tbilisi is where the ceremony is for graduation and then from that point we head out to our permanent sites. This week will be my last days in Osiauri. All of it is bittersweet, as village life has sure been different. I will look back on the experience with fondness but I won’t miss Mr. MUD J. I will miss the ducks, especially since I’ve not seen them since last week.  It will be great to settle in, as here in Osiauri has been temporary. I will miss my host family here in Osiauri. They have been wonderful to me. I will post a photo of my host brother and sister at the end of the blog that was taken at the place where we are picked up by the marsh. I will also miss the marsh, as from graduation onward, I need to find my own transportation. The Peace Corps won’t provide transportation any longer.

I will be posting my permanent address in Sagarejo at some point in the near future, but always available and welcome email and comments on the blog. I know I will reflect more on my time here in Kashuri and Osiauri as time goes forward.

Take care, Faithful Readers. If not before, then I will write once I reach my permanent site with photographs of the mountain I will be living on as well as a blow-by-blow description of graduation (tears and all J)!

Photo of me and my host brother and sister where the marsh picks us up. And a photo of the entrance to the house that I live in. You can see the steps that I have to go up to get to my room.

All the best, Catherine Lawrence, G14 – 7/13/14

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