Blog, August 26^th, 2014

Hello, My Faithful Readers:

I’ve included a photo of me, my host mother and host sister at the river in Terjola, while we were on vacation out West in Georgia (early August, 2014)!

Today marks four months here in Georgia with the Peace Corps!

In some ways I feel like I have lived here for a very long time and in other ways I feel like I just arrived. It all very mixed; however, here in Sagarejo all is terrific. I am feeling more and more like a member of the community and the host family. When I go into the bazaar some (not all) of the vendors speak to me. I can speak more Georgian now so I can respond (somewhat). They all know who I am and at times I can even understand what they are saying about me. Nice things like “she is the volunteer teacher living here.”  Also, as I am meeting more and more of the neighbors they recognize me as I am walking up or down the mountain. Neighbors driving on the mountain road offer rides which is really great and yet I miss the walking J.  I hope it continues when the weather turns nasty.  But, even now it is great as it is so hot.

Up until now I have been posting twice a week but that is going to change. As events are gearing up I am just not doing to have the time to blog at the same rate. I plan to continue at least one a week. I so enjoy the blogging and many people have told me they are enjoying reading of my adventures (thank you!). I am just so happy to be able to share all this. I also am so surprised at the amount of text I create. When I sit down to write I think that I am not going to have enough to fill one page; and yet, every time I write I reach six pages and then some.

It has been excessively hot here in Sagarejo. The school doctors postponed the start of summer camp (due to begin 8/25) because of the heat. They said it was not healthy to have a camp with the kind of heat we have been having. So, camp will begin weather permitting, on 9/1/14 (which is LABOR DAY).  The Peace Corps does celebrate both American and Georgian holidays as the PC office is closed on all holidays. Other than that, I don’t think I would remember.

My host mother just returned from visiting her parents in Terjola. She came home with a turkey. I immediately thought it was probably alive (like the chickens we brought home); but, alas – the turkey was in a pot ready to cook. All the feathers were gone and so was the head.  It made me sad to look at this turkey as I had met him/her when I visited Terjola a few weeks ago.  The turkey was boiled in a pot on top of the stove. We all had this conversation about how in America we bake the turkey; but, here in Georgia they don’t use the oven that comes with the stove. They have something that looks like a microwave and they use it to bake cakes and such. The turkey was just too big to fit into it.  The turkey is cut into pieces with a tool that looks like an industrial pair of scissors. I watched as the turkey was cut into pieces. Every single part of the turkey was put on the table. There was a little bit of white meat but most of the meat was dark. I missed having stuffing with the meal. I thought because Georgians eat so much bread there would be stuffing, but none was to be had. No cranberry sauce either…I must try and see if I can resolve these items before thanksgiving; but, I am told I won’t be here in Sagarejo for thanksgiving. The Peace Corps schedules an event so that all the volunteers are together and we can celebrate Thanksgiving – location TBD. The last time I was away at Thanksgiving was in 2006, I was in India. At the hotel we were staying at in India they prepared a Indian Thanksgiving. Lots of food swimming in sauces and french fries. I remember it well. J 

I am struck with the fact that at meals there is little if any conversation. People just drift to the table and start eating.  Initially I thought it was strange. They don’t even ask for something to be passed. They just point or try their best to get the plate that the food is on. Sometimes after people are done eating then the conversation starts.  The conversation can go on for an hour or more after the meal but nothing is discussed really during the meal. People are concentrating on just eating. It is all so different than what I am used to. The Georgian people make sure you always have a clean plate. During my first days here when they took my plate away I thought that meant no more food for me; however, they just took the dirty plate away and gave me a clean plate. I am wondering if this habit of not talking is a throw back to the time when the country was more agrarian than it is now. People coming in from the fields were too tired to talk. However, I must say that in my present situation it is always a relief not to have to make small talk at the dinner table. Also, since I mostly don’t know what they are talking about I really cannot contribute.

I must tell you about the corn. If nothing else I would come back next summer for the corn. It is grown in our back garden and it is beyond delicious. As the meal is being prepared we all go back and pick the corn. We husk the corn in the garden and bring the corn into the kitchen for cooking. Georgian’s don’t use butter on the corn. They salt the corn (on the cob) with their fingers (they don’t use salt and pepper shakers either). Actually, they use pepper rarely. It is not routinely placed on the table as salt it.  All the garbage (cobs and everything else) ends up with the pig.  The pig takes care of everything – my Wilber!

Here in Georgia when a girl marries she goes to live with her husband and his family. I’ve listened to a few Georgian women who are not happy with this tradition (or maybe more cultural than traditional). The women end up living with their mother-in-law. As a new bride they come into the home of the husband’s family and they have to adjust to their way of living. I have many opinions as to why this is done; but, I would think my readers could also think of reasons. However, I don’t think the younger generation is going to take to this. The internet has changed the world. The young women see how other people live and work and they want what they see on TV and the internet. Going to live with their mother-in-law is not high on the list. Because salaries are so low for women some women are forced to stay and live with their parents. They don’t think they will ever be able to live on their own. I know I will hear and see more about this as time goes forward.

There is a lot of drinking (alcohol) here in Georgia. Most meals include wine, beer or cha-cha. I was taken back when during a meal the 2-year old we had staying with us was given a glass of beer. They bribed the youngster to the table with the incentive that there was “piva” – Russian for beer. The little tot sat and drank the entire glass and wanted more.  I am not permitted to say anything about things I see that I don’t like. However, everyone at the table gave him high-fives for finishing the beer. The men in Georgia give a toast every time they take a drink of wine or cha-cha. It almost sounds like they are praying. The men bow their heads and mumble (it seems to me). I can tell that they are really feeling what they are toasting. The toast can go on for 30-45 seconds, all the while everyone is holding their glass waiting to clink glasses. They toast everything; but, mostly people who are not hear any longer. Glasses are refilled many, many times during the meal. Again, I have lots of opinions about what I think about this that I will keep to myself.

I’ve been busy preparing the lesson plans that the Peace Corps requires. I also have so much homework to supplement the language classes that I am enrolled in. I spend hours at the computer thinking and planning (and school has not even started yet). Many people of the Peace Corps staff (and really most of Georgia) are on vacation in August. The PC requires everyone to have a backup, so we volunteers do have people to reach out to with questions and help to solve problems.  The PC really does have their act together.

We got another HUGH bucket of walnuts from the trees. I thought all of that was done, but no way. We sat for hours hitting the walnuts with hammers and then sifting through the shells in order to separate the nut. While we were sitting around doing this someone (or a few someones) started singing (in the background). I am not sure where in the neighborhood they were located, but it was so quiet we could hear them. It was lovely. Their voices drifted into our garden and gave us a concert as we were cracking nuts. There were no musical instruments, just voices. All of this just makes up the fabric of my experience.

Most of the visitors have left, but I’m told they will be back. Because, Thursday, 8/28 is a religious holiday here and the Peace Corps celebrates BOTH American and Georgian Holidays. This day commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of Mary”, the mother of Jesus. I am told that we are doing something on Thursday, but don’t know quite what it is? (Language is still a challenge). But, I am sure whatever it is will be unique and interesting for me from a cultural aspect.

მარიამობა - Saint Mary’s Day

Also, I just realized that Monday, September 1^st is LABOR DAY. I forget about the American Holidays living here in Georgia.

All is well here for me in Georgia. On many levels I feel very much at peace here and so taken care of; however, there is also a level of anxiety as I anticipate the approaching school year (I've never taught consistently in a classroom) and the upcoming winter season (as well as just general anticipation of living life in another culture). I wonder what it will be like to live in the “cold.” Heating here, I am told is marginal. Even if there is heat there is not much of it. I am trying to put all that aside as (at the moment) it is SO HOT; and try not to get too far ahead of myself. I have found over the last four months that I have met every challenge and will continue to do so. The PCV say that the second winter is harder than the first because right now I don’t know what to expect. The second winter I know what is coming. I just hope that maybe we will have a mild winter. In any event, it is going to be whatever “mother nature” is going to throw at us – so, no use worrying about something I cannot do anything about. I hope that the host family has the heating system that was promised (for my room) and I can always buy additional heaters.

Ok, I will close for now and wish everyone a GREAT week as we approach the official end of summer in America.

Best, Catherine Lawrence, G14 – 8/26/14

Peace Corps Volunteer – Republic of Georgia

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

Blog: Thursday, August 21, 2014

Hello, My Faithful Readers:

A couple of photographs at the bottom. The first is the kiosk along the mountain road that I travel up and down. The woman pictured runs it. The kiosk is about 3/4 of the way up, so I get to chat with the girls at the kiosk when I need to catch my breath. The second is of ME in the new English Cabinet (that is what they call the English Classroom). From top to bottom, it is being re-done. :-). Hope to have it ready for the 1st day of school, 9/15/14.

Peace Corps Georgia recently notified PCV that CCHF (description below if you would like more information) was reported here in Georgia. Thank goodness I am in Kakheti region, so I’m not impacted (hopefully!).

This is to alert you that there have been 17 reported cases of  Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), mostly in Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions. This mostly is a risk for animal herders, livestock workers, and healthcare workers through unprotected contact with infectious blood and body fluids. Individuals and international travelers with contact to livestock in endemic regions may also be exposed.

See more on the CDC web site: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF))

I’ve been working with a tutor and it has been a terrific experience so far. In the PC the required level of language proficiency is “intermediate low” and I am currently at “novice mid.” Here is the progression of levels:

-Novice Low, Mid and High

-Intermediate Low, Mid and High

So, I need to go up two levels in order to make the mark. Of course, there are levels beyond Intermediate high, but I will be happy to attain the required level. The test is in November, so I have a few months to get my act together. If not, I will test again in February. The language learning sure takes up a lot of my time; but it can and will make such a difference having some facility around the language. The Peace Corps pays for my tutor; which is a GREAT benefit. I pay the tutor and then the PC reimburses me. This really shows me how much they value learning the language.

I’ve been working on learning the days of the week and have found it very interesting, and somewhat confusing, that in America the 1^st day of the week (on the calendar) is Sunday; however, here in Georgia the 1^st day of the week (on the calendar) is Monday.

Georgian days

orschabati (Monday) 
ßamschabati (Tuesday) 
otchschabati (Wednesday) 
chutschabati (Thursday) 
p’araßk’ewi (Friday) 
schabati (Saturday) 
k’wira (Sunday) 

Another interesting item is that “orschabati” which is Monday and the 1^st day of the week; however, the “ors” refers to the number “2” which is “Ori”. Just another thing to confuse me here in Georgia J

I have listed below links for my Graduation Swearing-In Ceremony that took place in Tbilisi on July 18^th, 2014. It is almost an hour long; however, if you want to cut to the chase, you can see the United States Georgian Ambassador swearing us in with the PC Oath at approximately 34 on the tape and you can see ME being called to stand for service and pinning at approximately 40 on the tape. Usually the Ambassador places the pin on the lapel of the volunteer; however, since there were so many of us, it was done to save time and we pinned ourselves. There is lots of other good stuff in the video if you have the time to view. BTW, I am seated on the RIGHT hand side of the stage in the 2^nd row.

Peace Corps Georgia G14 Swearing In Ceremony Part 1

Peace Corps Georgia G14 Swearing In Ceremony Part 2

Another great and interesting activity has been awarded to me. The NESC  (National English Spelling Competition) has given me the role of  Assistant Regional Coordinator (ARC) for the city of Tbilisi (Eastern Region). To the best of my understanding I will be working with other volunteers (The Regional Coordinator) and other NGO personnel to enrolled schools in Tbilisi to participate in the Spelling Competition. I think I will be conducting or helping to conduct information sessions to the school’s administrators and students so to drum up support and enrollment in the program.  I’ve listed some information below that will give more detailed information. We meet in Tbilisi to begin the 2014-2015 year on August 30^th.  This is going to be FUN J

The program is divided into Western and Eastern Georgia Program Coordinators for NESC (National English Spelling Competition). Our job is to register schools, organize ToTs (Trainings of Trainers) for local/regional competitions, selecting the words for the competitions and conducting the National Competition in Tbilisi. NESC was started in 2012 by a group of Peace Corps Volunteers and is now a big part of Peace Corps Georgia. The purpose of NESC is to motivate Georgian students in studying English words and demonstrate their knowledge publicly in a competitive environment. NESC has been officially an NGO in Georgia since 2013 and this year we have a new goal of expanding the competition to go international next year.  The competition is done in three levels: local, regional and national competitions. Last year’s NESC was a big success with 193 schools in eleven regions participating in the local competitions. This year our goal is to double the numbers of schools.

More company arrived here in Sagarejo. Some folks left and others have arrived; so, we still have a full house. For a day or so as people were coming and going it was so peaceful and I was really enjoying that. With the new visitors comes a wonderful boy who is 2-years old. He is so much fun to be around but he is also exhausting. I’ve forgotten how much energy it takes just to watch a 2-year old let alone be active with them. We read together and play games and for some reason he thinks my name is “hello.” We all didn’t pick up on that initially; but, he just throws a tantrum whenever I stop playing with him. He screams “hello, hello” and that means (I am told) that he wants me. I am told that in Georgia most adults don’t play with the children, so my playing with him is relatively new and I would think he is having fun. In addition, it has been excessively hot. Without a/c the temperature in my room goes between 88F to 91F (and that is with a fan going). I am going to have to think about what to do next August. Plan to go someplace cooler. J

One of the questions that I am asked routinely by Georgian people is what country do I like better – Georgia or America? Or, another way they put it…is America like Georgia? I know the Georgian people are very proud of their country and the way that they live. They always want to compare the two countries and think that Georgia (deep down) is better than America. I just say that the countries are different in some ways and the same in others. I have only been here for a very short time and don’t understand many things. I know people that have been here for years and still say they don’t understand. Maybe it is a cultural thing and you have to be born and raised here to understand. I don’t know; but, I so want to know more.

The families are all starting to prepare for winter. They are making jams, jelly and juice all from what look like plums (however, I don’t think it is a plum). In any event, the color is all plum like. They cook the plums in special buckets on the stove. The sugar that is added could give me diabetes just from looking at it. They let the plums steep in the sugar before they cook it. They all work for days and days of cooking and letting cool and then putting into jars of all types. They don’t even take the pits out before they cook it. I did taste some of the jelly and almost broke a tooth not realizing that the pits were part of the jelly. It was good, but so sweet. The juice is every sweeter (if that is possible). They also make ketchup from all the tomatoes. Again, special buckets are used to cook the tomatoes. It just takes so much time, hours and hours on the stove. I missed the part where they take the ketchup from the bucket and put it into glass jars. I didn’t get to taste it before they were sealed; however, I know I will get to taste it at some point.

The shelves in the storage room are just filled with all the jars of jelly, jam, juice and ketchup. There may be more stuff that I didn’t see yet; but, I will J. The family also dries fruit. Outside my window are tables filled with apples and figs and pears and heaven know what all else. They are all drying in the sun. There is no protective cover on the tables; the fruit it just out there to the elements. I am sure I will get a sampling of this in the future.

The Peace Corps has this saying that it listed in the handbook. I imagine they think that this statement may solve, or help to solve, some of the concerns or issues. The saying is: “Keep Calm and follow the Rules!”  I just think that is such a governmental statement. Here in the Peace Corps following the rules is NOT an option. If you don’t follow the rules (and there are many) you get sent home. Of course, some rules are more important than others; but, it is for our safety. One the problems with all this is that there are so many rules. I’m told that all of this does calm down a some point, so much is new but we do get to know eventually how to navigate through all  this.

The “Patrone” system (hope I spelled it correctly is very important here in Georgia. If a volunteer is placed with a family and then the volunteer decides to go and live on their own (after 3-months) it is a very bad thing for the family. It is inferred that something is wrong with the family, or the family did something so the volunteer would leave. The Peace Corps strongly encourages volunteers to stay with the host family for the entire tour and work out any issues that would arise. The reason being is that being with the family you have the full weight and stature of that family within the community attached to you. My host mother walks me around to different stores and introduces me to everyone she meets as we walk. This way people know who I am and where I belong. It is a safety feature, I am told.

People treat you different once they know who you are affiliated with. Not that they treat you bad before; however, once they know who you belong to (so to speak) they are more inclined to spend time with you and (my opinion) I think they are less afraid of who you are and what you want. It is very interesting. I’ve even been offered rides (up and down the mountain) by people who I now know. That is going to be a VERY good thing come winter and bad weather.

I was thinking of taking a side trip, at some point, to Baku, Azerbaijan. I wanted to have a sense of what I am missing as originally I was supposed to be assigned in Azerbaijan. However, I just found out that you need a visa to go into the country (forgot about that). Its costs $160+ dollars and you have a lot of red tape to go through in order to get the visa. Well, I will think about this as maybe the money could be better spent elsewhere.  Stay tuned J

I will close now, my Faithful Readers.

Best to everyone,

Catherine Lawrence, G14

Peace Corps Volunteer, Republic of Georgia 8/21/14

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

Blog, Sunday August 17^th, 2014

Hello My Faithful Readers:

Life is beginning to settle into a routine as I approach the one month mark here in Sagarejo. Truth be told as much as I enjoy the leisure, I am beginning to miss having something more substantial to do (maybe J). I know I am going to regret that statement once the summer camp starts and then right after the camp the start of the fall school term.  At times I feel guilt with so much free time and then I give up that conversation and just try and enjoy what is around me. I’ve noticed that REAL LIFE is around me as I think the host family and I am moving past the “best” behavior and just living with each other (HA). My host family is a treasure and yet there are challenges that arise as I make my way as a guest here in this country.

August is a very slow month here in Georgia. Anyone who can get away does. Here in Sagarejo at my host family house we have lots of people staying here so to avoid as much of the summer heat as possible from where ever it is that they live. It is kind-of-like a vacation time and the house may be considered a vacation space (maybe, I don’t know). The house is big; however, I am just not used to having so many people about. Back in the States I live in a studio apartment, which is basically one big room and a small dressing room and bathroom. People coming and staying overnight (or even longer) is a way of life here in Georgia and nobody seems to have an issue with the number of guests. I imagine the distances and how long and hard it is to travel allow people, once they get someplace, they just don’t get up and leave after a short visit. Also, there is no expectation of entertaining. People just do whatever it is they want to do and most of the time it is just sitting on the porch watch the garden grow.

There is not a lot of privacy with the number of people here in the house. For example, I was on the phone and one of the cousins (I think) just came up to me and started talking. I kept telling him “I’m on the phone,” but it didn’t make a difference he just kept on talking to me. Another point is that if you don’t answer they just talk louder; so I had no choice but to end the phone conversation. Another example was during an English Lesson, multiple people came into the room and turned on the television and raised the volume on the computer. People just started talking to each other like nothing else was happening. My host mother seems OK with all this; however, I finally asked everyone to please give us some quiet so we could work. They looked at me very strange; but, they did turn off the electronics and leave. Regardless of what I am doing; if the neighbors want me to come over to their house I just have to stop what I am doing and go.

 There is no set schedule or time for meals; however, whenever food is ready you just go to the table. Once again, it does not matter what you are involved in, you just have to stop and go. Even if you don’t want to eat; you just go.  One cannot be rude and turn away food that has been prepared and served.  All of these things are challenges for me as I have been living alone for a long time and I am not used to this kind of activity. I am sure I will learn how to deal with this having lots of people around.

I am always struck with the fact that no one waits for people to sit at the table before they begin eating. I am so used to waiting until everyone is seated before eating and this is a really sometimes an uncomfortable change for me. I’ve spoken of the little plates that are used, more like dessert plates; however, what I’ve also been noticing is that food is placed on the table in small amounts in serving dishes. For example, there was a pot of stuffed peppers (yummy, BTW) – maybe two dozen in the pot. Well, there are ten of us at the table and six peppers were brought out. Once those peppers are eaten, then additional peppers are brought to the table. I imagine that this would stop people (ME) for reaching for seconds before everyone has had a chance to have a first serving. The same procedure is done for just about everything else, with the exception of bread. There is so much bread always available.  My host mother spends a lot of the meal jumping up and down replenishing the food serving dishes.

The family has this dog that is a royal pain. I don’t even think it has a name and please note that this dog does not even belong to us! It belongs to one of the other neighbors but apparently the owners don’t feed it so it ends up here. Nobody in my host family wants this dog and yet my host family keeps feeding it. I ask “please don’t feed the dog and it will go away.” However, they keep feeding it and complaining that they want the dog to go away. It just goes around in circles.  He barks and howls so much of the time, sometimes for extended periods.  I’ve almost tripped on him on many occasions and many people have stepped on him as he just does not move out of the way. This dog is another “land mine” for me, as he just plops his butt anywhere that pleases him so I need to be cautious even here in the garden area. The family closes the gates, but somehow he gets back in. The dog is not allowed in the house, so that is a good thing. However, I am thinking about what will happen in the winter? It is not a happy thought for me.

There is also this cat and as much as I dislike the dog, I dislike the cat more in a different way. The family feeds the cat under the table during meals and then they holler at the cat to go away. For some reason the cat ends up near my feet at dinner crying for food. I think the animal senses people that don’t like them (me) and for some reason want to be near that person (lucky me). Initially it scared the heck out of me as I had no idea what was near my feet and legs. I know this may sound trivial; but I am just not an animal person.  At my home in the states I don’t even have plants, let alone a pet.  I realize that these animals are not going to go away so I need to find a way to make peace with this. On the other hand, I am just thrilled to sit and watch the chickens roam through the garden. Also, there is a donkey someplace near our house and every now and then he does his “donkey noises” and then stops. I was scared when I first heard those sounds but now I am familiar with them and it is not a problem.

I work with my host mother just about every day on her English. She is a very good student. She so wants to learn; but I find that she (along with many other Georgians I have come in contact with) are so fast. They just want to get the answer out regardless of whether it is correct or not. I keep repeating that learning “is not a race – it is a process”; but, I don’t think she fully understands what I am trying to get across. Georgians, like the rest of the human race, wants to be acknowledged but for some reason I think the degree that Georgians need acknowledgement is a little higher here (just my opinion). The family helps me pronounce the Georgian words and it sure does help.

Shoes are a challenge here in Georgia. Maybe I wrote of this earlier in my blog, as the same situation was present in Osiauri as it is here in Sagarejo. Just about everyone takes their shoes off as they enter the house. Now that is a good thing, as they don’t want to track dirt into the house; however, they leave their shoes right in front of the door. There are countless numbers of shoes piled up at the door so you need to step over them to get in. When it is dark it is hard to see just where the line of shoes ends and often times I end up stepping on shoes or tripping on shoes.  I’ve taken to moving the shoes off to the side of the door; however, they usually end up back right in front of the door.

There are many land line phones and cell phones in the house. How do I know that, well they each have a different ring tones.  I’ll bet that if I counted them there will be at least ten phones (maybe more). Each family member has at least one; my host father has two, at least. The land line sings “Deck the Halls…la, la,la” and most times it sings and sings this Christmas song as on many ocassions it is not answered initially. Usually when the person calls back (they will call back), then it is answered. It is SO LOUD, as the family needs to hear it if they are back in the garden or with the pig; so, the Christmas music just goes on and on. Some phones use the bell tones, others use Arabic music and many other types of music so everyone knows whose phone is ringing. It is an orchestral event when multiple phones are ringing at once. There are usually many guests here and their phones also add to the concert. It seems that every outlet is taken up with phones charging.

Ah, life in Georgia!  It is wonderful J

As I am really settling in things, like I’ve noted above, are more real than they have been or maybe I just didn’t notice stuff. I think I have been in such a whirlwind of coping with so many new things that the daily life stuff didn’t make any impact on me.

On another note, recently my host father and mother took me with the car to the outdoor mall called LILO. Now, this is a mall like I’ve never seen before. It is situated between where I live in Sagarejo and Tbilisi. We have a marsh that will take us to the mall as it is on the road to Tbilisi. The mall is basically an outdoor mall that is covered over with a makeshift kind of roof. There are tunnels and tunnels and tunnels of shops or kiosks. It is a maze of little kiosks that are situated right next to one another and are on both sides of the aisle. I was getting whiplash trying to take in what was being offered on both sides of the aisle. My neck hurt for the back and forth motion J.  I was only there for a couple of hours and really only went down one or maybe two of the tunnels. The one tunnel I went down, I’ll bet, had about 100 kiosks (maybe more, don’t have a clue). It seems also that the tunnel never ends. It just kind-a circles around and continues.

The aisle that you walk down in the tunnel MAYBE has room for one person and yet two or three people are always trying to squeeze by. You must keep moving in the tunnels. People put their hands on your back so that you don’t stop moving. If you want to look at something you need to find a space near the kiosk that you are interested in and get out of the traffic lane. All the while, you need to watch where you are walking as there are BIG holes in the cement and there are grates that, I imagine, take care of any run off rain water or whatever, in the tunnels.  Some of the grates are securely covered and some are only covered part of the way. (more land mines for me). 

All kinds of things are hung from the make shift ceiling or something suspended from the ceiling. These items do find their way out of the kiosk and into the main aisle as you walk up or down. I found myself ducking and weaving to stop from being hit in the head with a cooking pot or basket or some item of clothing (lots of lady bloomers J. It is like an exercise program in and of itself. In addition, because your view is blocked by whatever is hanging you can’t see if anyone is coming towards you from the other direction.  I cannot begin to tell you how much fun it was. My host family, who are more used to traveling through the tunnels, kept looking back trying to find me in the crowd.  Because I am so much taller I could wave and they would duck out of traffic and wait for me to catch up.

While all this is going on there are men who are moving stock from one area to another within the mall. They do this with a device that looks like a gurney that the hospitals use. The gurney is very narrow, as I would think it could hold one really skinny person and it is very low to the ground. It has three wheels, one in the front and two in the back. They pack the stock items to be moved one box on top of another so at times the boxes are so high you cannot see the person who is pushing the gurney. All you know is that you better get out of the way as the driver continuously moves as he cannot really see what is in front of him.

I have no idea how all this works, but it does. This may sound crazy but I absolutely loved every minute of it. I didn’t want to leave but I could see my host father was running out of patience.  There are places within the mall that serve food and drink and there is also music playing with a live band. Of course it was terribly HOT and there was no climate control (HA) or windows in the Kiosks. However, because you have to move fast in the tunnels it didn't feel that bad (and then again, I was not there long).  I’m told that the mall has everything. I can’t say for sure as I only saw a small portion of it; but there were kiosks for linens; dishes, household items (of every type); fans, bicycles (all kinds); lawn chairs; containers of every type; clothing, shoes, etc., etc. I was moving so fast through the tunnels that I am sure there were many other different types of kiosks that I must have just breezed by. I cannot wait to go back as it was so much fun.  I have no idea how many people were there. I did see that everyone who passed by me, heading back to their car or to the marsh stop, had packages; so, business was booming. Also, there is a large parking lot for people who come with their cars. I’ve listed some links that do not provide a lot of information. I wish I knew how many acres it encompasses.  They do charge, I think 2GEL to park your car.

I was also told that should not pay what is initially asked by the vendor; however, since my Georgian is not up to speed and I was so overwhelmed with all this I didn't take the advice. The next time I go I will try and negotiate the price (that will be a hoot)!

Below are a couple of links if you want to check this place out further. The first link will give you an idea as to how BIG the LILO Mall is and the second link gives pictures. As I said, I only saw such a small portion and some of the photographs shown are areas that I didn’t get to see. It is an adventure!

http://wikimapia.org/10051113/Lilo-Mall

https://www.google.ge/?gws_rd=cr,ssl&ei=xzPwU7HlBsHMyAOOg4LoAg#q=lilo+in+tbilisi

Ok, I’ve written another book! Time to sign off and thank you for taking the time to follow along with me during my adventures here in Georgia!

My Best to Everyone, Catherine Lawrence, G14 – 8/17/14

Peace Corps Volunteer, Republic of Georgia

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

Blog, August 13^th, 2014

Hello, My Faithful Readers:

Photographs (somewhere near the end of the blog) are of ME and my 'BUD" JFK at the swearing-in ceremony in Tbilisi, 7/18/14 and a photo of the house here in Sagarejo, including the porch and the steps leading up to where my room is - ENJOY!

All is well here in Sagarejo; however, it had been really hot. Where I live, up the mountain, it is a little cooler than down below (the center of Sagarejo). I am told that my elevation is 800 meters; which is over 2,600 feet.  I am not sure of how high the mountain is overall (as I am I guess about ¾ of the way up); however, all I know is that this is what I have to walk up and down. The incline is NOT that steep; so I can manage it. When I get home it is very clear to me that I have had my exercise J.

I went into Tbilisi this past weekend. I do love going into the city. People tell me that it will get old; however, for the moment I love going into the city. Since my fall a couple of weeks ago in Tbilisi I am extra cautious and I’ve realized that I just cannot let my guard down in Tbilisi. I thought the terrain was hard in the villages; but, the city is a challenge in a different way. I must be aware and present at every moment as some of the sidewalks are broken and most of all there are pieces of concrete sticking up at very unusual places in the sidewalk. I have no idea what their purpose is. However, it feels to me like, at times, I am walking through a “land mine.” I feel that I am mostly just stepping over stuff.  I watch other people walk and they have their heads up and they are looking around. Me, on the other hand, my head it down and balancing every step that I take. I have made peace with this as I think it is a small price to pay for the experience of living in Georgia.

In any event, I love traveling by myself. It was great taking the marsh and then the METRO into the center of Tbilisi. I got off the METRO at “Station Square” which is the connector stop when both train lines stop/connect. This was my first venture into a new area of Tbilisi.  I wanted to check out one of the malls that Tbilisi has (I hear they have many malls). I went to the escalator and no kidding it was a good two minute ride to the surface. This reminded me of the metro in Moscow and how long it took for the escalator to take you to the surface. Wow, if we had to walk this it would be really something. I really didn’t realize how far underground the METRO was. The escalator moved at an alarming speed. The Moscow metro, I remember, also moved quickly. I imagine if it went slow it would take more than five minutes to get to the top. I held on really tight and tried not to feel dizzy looking up as to where we were headed. I wondered what it was going to be like going back down (stay tuned) J.

I was very surprised to see beggars on the METRO train traveling from station to station. An older woman, maybe in her 70’s who BTW was very nicely dressed, went from car to car with her hand out. She was very steady on a fast moving train without benefit of holding onto the handrails. People were generous placing coins in her hands as she walked by. Another younger woman, who BTW was also dressed very nice, was carrying a young child (maybe 15 months). She was holding the baby in her left hand with his head on her shoulder and had a cup out in front of her with her right hand. She just walked straight down the center aisle of the moving train. I was scared for her as the train was moving to and fro and it is a fast train. Here also people were putting coins in her cup. I didn’t see the METRO concourse littered with homeless people as sometimes I see in the cities in America; however, I did see a couple of men dressed in religious garb on the steps leading up or down into where you board the train. Just another slice of life here in Georgia, I’ve just not seen the real underside yet.

I did make it to the top and as I was told the mall was right in front of me as I exited left from the METRO. In addition, there was a bazaar to the right as I came out of the METRO. I went into the mall and honestly, I felt like I was back in the states. It is hard to know that I was in the 3^rd world country in the mall. It was really beautiful.  There were many stores but mainly a couple of types; for example, clothing and shoes stores; appliance and electronic stores, book stores and jewelry stores. I went into this store that had rows and rows and rows of tables with all kinds of gold jewelry on them. It was kind-of-like a small auditorium with buyers walking up and down the aisles. Of course everything was air conditioned and brand new. There were western style bathrooms with attendants situated in various locations in the mall. For sure, this mall rivals anything the United States has to offer.

The mall also encompasses the train station. I thought this was very cool as now I know where to go when I begin traveling the country. Of course, there is a food court. There are coffee spots sprinkled throughout the mall. I was not able to get any of the things I was looked for. For example, I was look for pillows and there was no bed, bath and beyond J.  I did find a store with kitchen type items (dishes, glasses, pots, expresso machines, mixers, etc.) but I was not looking for those items.

I left the mall and headed to the bazaar. Now, my eyes lit up as this is really Georgia (at least in my opinion). Wow, tons of people and all kinds of stores. There was even a Bank of Georgia settled in the middle of the bazaar. As an aside about the bank, every bank that I’ve been in has, of course, the MAC machines, at least three tellers and a couple of desks to sit down with a bank officer. They have a number machine (like they do in some food stores) so everyone knows who is next in line by the number you have. The tellers are not behind protective glass. I was surprised at this as in the states all the bank tellers are behind glass. Here in Georgia you just pass whatever papers directly to the teller and not slip it under the small opening at the bottom of the glass. All the banks are air conditioned and again they rival any bank in the states. One final point, all the banks do have police officers stationed in the bank. It is all very modern.

Ok, back to the bazaar. I spent hours at the bazaar as there were so many stores and kiosks along the way. The bazaar featured everything from fruit and vegetables to clothing (and beyond). There were a couple of toy stores and I was able to get a frisbee for Otto, my host brother. (BTW, he was thrilled when I gave it to him, as he didn’t have one).  I just loved going in and out of the stores and examining the items on the kiosk tables. There was a lot of noise and tons of people throughout the bazaar. Again, I really had to watch my step as there were the “land mines” embedded in the street and pavements. When I wanted to look I had to physically “STOP” and then I can really enjoy what was happening around me.

As I moved through the bazaar I saw the Monte Carlo Casino, so decided to check it out. Well, when I walked in four BIG men came over to me as I barely got into the casino. Wow, maybe I was not supposed to go in? In any event, no one spoke English so I had to wait until they got someone who spoke English. They wanted to know what I wanted? Are you kidding (I thought), this is a casino – HA. They told me I was welcome to stay but had to check my back pack. Also, every machine (lots of slots) and all the tables (which I didn’t get to see) have a 5Gel minimum. I really didn’t have the funds to do that, so I left. The casino, or what I saw of it, was again the rival of anything I’ve seen in Vegas or Atlantic City. I know I will go back at some point. Maybe this poor (HA) Peace Corps Volunteer will be lucky (although I feel as though so far I have been very lucky).

Overall, the bazaar was fabulous but I was getting tired as many hours were spent poking around. I headed back to the METRO for the 2+ minute ride DOWN the escalator to the trains. Again, the METRO system is very easy to navigate. Signage is in both Georgian and English so I feel very much at home. I headed to the Peace Corps Office as I had to pickup stuff in my “cubby.” All volunteers have a “Cubby” so that both the PC staff and other volunteers can leave stuff for you. It is a very nice feature.

There is also a volunteer lounge that is open 7 days a week for about 18 hours a day. No one can sleep in the lounge unless you have an early flight the next morning. You do need to get permission; however, to do that. Otherwise, the room belongs to the PCV and it is a haven for us. The PC building is guarded so it is a safe haven in the event of problems within the country. You need to be buzzed in, go through an electronic device (like the airport) and then sign in. Once complete, you are then buzzed into the courtyard that leads to the PC office. Whew, lots of procedure. They even have that device, a pole with a mirror on it that you can look under cars with. Safety is taken very seriously. In addition to the “cubby” there are COMFORTABLE sofas and chairs (Yeah). There are a gazillon Books (HA) on shelves that surround the room. There is a research library, a REAL bathroom with toilet and shower.  There is a GREAT BEAR water system, coffee makers and lots of games if you want to kill a couple of hours. The room is air conditioned and really pleasant. No matter when you go you can always find a couple of PCV hanging out in the room. There is a lot of great sharing of information and always able to find people to go have a meal or coffee with.  There is also a little side room with “Stuff” that PCV don’t want or need any more. It is a free room so you just help yourself if you can use the item. The room has everything from luggage, the yoga mats, clothing and stationary items, and beyond.  You just never know what you are going to find in the FREE room J.

Leaving my journey in and around Tbilisi for a moment, I want to try and understand how a people and a country that is so welcoming and warm and generous turn into I don’t know what when they drive. I am just amazed at how insensitive and not courteous drivers are in Georgia. I saw a woman who was actually pushing a baby carriage get cut off by a car. I was scared to death for this woman with the baby as if she had not stopped and pushed herself back I think the driver would have ran into her. I don’t understand this although we were told almost as soon as we landed in Georgia that we should watch for the cars as the cars won’t watch for us. Wow, is that true and I see if more and more every day. I walked on the road in Sagarejo as the sidewalks are terrible, the road is somewhat smoother (not by much). In any event, when I hear a car now I stop and move onto the pavement as I’ve been like a deer in the headlights at times watching cars come at me. I think “they will move over as I know they see me”; however, I never now given them the benefit as I am really not sure if they will go out of their way to avoid me. I am just shaking my head in disbelief.

My host family seems like they are a beacon for people to come and visit and often stay for days at a time. My host mother just makes you feel so welcome and whatever they have to eat is just shared with whoever shows up.  Another reason I am told is the location here on the mountain. Its cooler, I’m told, so many people come when it is really hot (down below in Sagarejo). Of course, it seems that my host family is related to most of the folks in Sagarejo. Many older women, contemporaries of the grandmother, live nearby and I don’t think they have a water source wherever they live. Every day they come to get water in buckets and also in very large old beer bottles that they fill and then return home. Also, my host mother often invited them to sit down and eat. I’ve never seen any of these women with other family members. Also, I don’t know when the last time they had a shower or changed their clothes. No one helps them carry the water back to where they go. I am sorry to see this unfold; but then, I really don’t know what the story is behind any of this. Everyone seems comfortable with these happening.

Well, here is a blast from my past. People here are getting ready for winter and I was watching my host family gather goose down from an unknown source. Through charades (HA) I found out that it was for a blanket. I said, off the top of my head “ PIEZYNA” and they all looked at me shocked and said YES (of course in Georgian). How did I know of the PIEZYNA? My grandmother was polish and I have so many fond memories of sleeping under the PIEZYNA. Wow, I have not thought of that word in decades (maybe more). The family bought a new piece of cloth, BIG Piece, that the goose down will be stuffed into and  - Ta Da! The PIEZYNA is born. I found some information, of course on the internet, and that is how I found the spelling. I can say it; however, had no idea how it was spelled.

From the Internet: Polish spelling ... The way that I remember a Goose down blanket was A PIEZYNA.

My blog would not be complete without the mention of the “marsh.” I am becoming very comfortable with the transportations systems here in Sagarejo. There is a “marsh” hub here in Sagarejo that has a number of marshes going to various locations. At the moment I on

ly know the marsh that goes into Tbilisi. There are others and I need to find out where they travel to. However, the marsh that goes to Tbilisi is a really nice Mercedes van. It is big, maybe holds twenty people and it is fairly new. This is a far cry from the marsh that I used in Osiauri. There are a couple of Tbilisi marshes. There is no schedule so you just go to the hub and wait for the marsh to leave. As one is going into Tbilisi another marsh is coming back to Sagarejo. It is all very organized in an un-organized way. The ride to Tbilisi is hair raising at times as they travel so fast on the two lane highway that usually has four cars, two in each direction, looking for space. It takes about 40-45 minutes to get to the “East Marsh Hub” in Tbilisi. This stop connects me to the Sangori METRO stop which then takes me into central Tbilisi.

I will close for now and say that I am having a wonderful time here. I know events and schedules are going to change once we get closer to the start of school; but, this period has been a wonderful entrance into my life here in Sagarejo and Georgia. It has given me time to catch my breath and really get into how the community exists. There is so much more to discover…like

I can’t wait to meet the man with the donkey on the road to my house. Every time he sees me he just stops dead in his tracks and watches me move by. I am not allowed to greet men, so I just keep my head down and walk by. I am hoping that at some point I will be with a member of my host family when I see him and I can be introduced. The scene with him and the donkey looks like a scene from a time long gone by.

All the best, My Faithful Readers.

Catherine Lawrence, G14 – 8/13/14

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

Blog, August 10^th, 2014

Hello, My Faithful Readers! (Photographs (2) at the bottom :-)

It has been a little while since I last wrote and here it is almost the middle of August! I’ve not been here in Sagarejo a month and yet I feel very much at home. I do get a little squirrely at times thinking of the amount of time I will spend here, but those feelings pass and I am fine.

My host family is a treasure. I just love the fact that these people don’t scream at each other as was the case in Osiauri. Interesting is the fact that I am now living with teenagers, two of them. My host sister, Lana is 17 and my host brother, Otto, is 14. I have really forgotten how “into” music teenagers are. I did have a host sister (14) in Osiarui; however, I was home so little (as a result of PST) that it didn’t impact me as much (I guess). They have the music TV channel on at times and if we are eating they turn the volume up so loud that they can hear in the kitchen. No one seems to mind, but since I’ve lived alone for so long, it is very different for me. Overall, my host family does like it quiet and I am THRILLED about that.  Very peaceful and that is just fine with me. I just love that we can all sit on the porch and talk or not talk, depending on whatever. We can watch the garden, or the chickens running around looking for food and water. I am just over the moon with this. It reminds me of when my granddaughter and I would go to Boat House row and sit on the benches and watch the ants.  Chickens, as well as ants, are very aligned to meditative practice J.

So, let me tell you what has been happening. I’ve been laying low, so to speak, recovering from my fall. All is well and I am doing fine but the bruises and black and blue (now turning yellow and orange) have appeared. Although it looks bad, I am so THANKFUL that nothing was broken or seriously hurt. Advil is a miracle drug as far as I am concerned, I’ve had a terrific rest and I am thankful for it. I’ve NOT been up or down the mountain in more than a few days. Need to get that going again. I actually miss it! (go figure)! – HA

Every year my host family makes a journey to the family home of my host mother’s family and this year they invited me to go with them. (As an aside, it seems here in Georgia that when the girl marries she goes to live with the family of her husband). I will explore this topic at a later time, but for now I want to talk about the trip.  I needed all kinds of permission from the Peace Corps and was able to obtain it. The reason for the permissions is so that the PC will know where I am and how to reach me in the event that some event would require the “GO” bag and my needing to leave the country.  We drove to “Tarjola Village” which is in the “Imereti” region of Georgia (near Kutaisi). It is about a straight four hour drive from Sagarejo, however, we stopped many times for items to take with us. We traveled about six hours (plus) to get there.

A few interesting items about driving in Georgia. First, there are no toll roads like there are in the states. Also, there are no bridges (to speak of). They have little bridge overpasses (maybe 10 seconds to get across), but not the size and scope that I am used to in America. There are rivers and streams, but they are very narrow and lots of the waterways seem dried up or on the way to be dried up. Maybe once winter and the snow comes the waterways will be more abundant, especially since there are so many mountains all around everywhere in Georgia and all that runoff water needs to go someplace.  There are many footbridges that I’ve seen. Most are made of rope and wood and seem to sway with the breeze. I’ve not walked across one yet, but I bet that is going to be a thrill! I also realized that no boats or ships travel on these rivers (or at least I’ve not seen any). I will need to explore this further also.

Also, when you stop to get gas EVERYONE (including the driver) needs to get out of the car and stand about 30 feet from where they pump the gas. The trunk has to be open in order to take on gas. Cannot figure this out; as, if there was a problem we would all be impacted whether we were in the car of not. Many, many people smoke while all this is going on even though there are BIG signs about not smoking.  I think it makes it way more dangerous with so many people out of the car standing and walking around while the car is being serviced. Georgian drivers are not very patient and courteous people and its more about “me” watching out for them rather than the other way around. Maybe there is no liability here; however, I am always struck at what I call a “risk management” nightmare.

One more interesting item is the police stations that were stationed at various points on the highway. All the police stations are ALMOST made of glass. I’ve been told that this was to make people see the “transparency” of police work in Georgia. I was told that as the older stations are being phased out the new ones need to be made of glass. I didn’t count them as we drive cross country, but there were many. One thing I didn’t see was fire stations. Maybe along the highway the fire stations are not needed and they are placed within the populated areas. That would make sense. I did see many car washing places. Not drive through, like in the states, but a couple of stalls with people manually washing cars.

I’ve only seen one “super highway” and that is located as you are coming into Tbilisi. The remainder of the roads you travel cross country are just two lane highways. All driving in Georgia, my opinion, is like Russian roulette as it usually ends up with four cars (two cars in each direction) on a two lane highway. People are passing each other and it becomes especially exciting when cars are coming right at you and you need to find space to get back into your lane on the highway. I just try not to look. All of this reminds me of traveling in India; but, Georgia does not have as many cars at India…so, I guess that is a good thing.

Ok, back to the trip. I had no idea what I was walking into and soon discovered that we were going to a “REAL” farm. My host mothers’ family are just as warm and welcoming as she is. Although we could not communicate verbally (due to the language), there was absolutely no problem communicating.  Of course, there are chickens and lots of turkeys; cows, dogs, cats and horses on the farm. There are fields and fields of corn and grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and I am sure lots of other stuff.  The trees are filled with apples, pears and other fruit that I have no name for. Unlike Sagarejo, this was more a farm than a garden.  The temperature was awful. They said it was 45 Celsius which is way over 100F. Wow, no AC and no fans (although the family did dig a fan out for me to use overnight). What a luxury, as the windows are so old that they don’t want to open them. 

I wanted to connect with some other PC folks that I heard where in the general area; however, if my life depended on it I could never find my way out of where I was. We did so many twists and turns going into the village – I am sure doable with practice but not immediate for me. We were in a valley so I could see lots of mountains in the distance and not much else. Very few houses in the village however one of the brother’s lives behind that parent’s house and that is where I stayed.

The homes have indoor water; however, the toilets are outside (out houses). One toilet even had a light in it (Ah, luxury). I was praying that I didn’t need to use the facilities during the night as the family has this dog that looked more like a wolf than a dog. I was not allowed to walk the grounds without having someone with me as the dog didn’t know me. I can tell you I was afraid of this dog/wolf. The family has an indoor shower; however, the drain was a hole in the floor that you could see drains water to the outside (under the house). I always wonder what happens in the winter. Lots of hot water; however, the water pressure was minimal at best. It did the job and I was able, due to the heat, to take two showers in the four days I was there.  I am really beginning to see how I MUST focus on what I have and not spent much time (if any) on what I don’t have here in Georgia. I think life will be much better with this mindset.

There was lots of visiting with family (who seemed to come from everywhere). Also lots of neighbors came as there were many parties (supra’s) to celebrate some birthdays and my host mother coming home to visit. At one party there must have been forty people at a table that accommodated that many (and more). I think they had to borrow it or rent it. Food, Food, Food and alcohol, like wine, piva (beer) and cha-cha were flowing. The men make toasts over and over to acknowledge people living and dead. Also, they toast the country of Georgia over and over again. The women mostly work to prepare and serve the food and only when it seems that the table is sufficiently supplied with food and drink do the women sit down and eat. At that point it seemed that the women didn’t really want to eat, they were just happy to sit down. Almost forgot dessert….watermelon, cantaloupe, candy and of course cake (homemade). Just when you thought the meal was over more food was brought to the table. The Georgian people like to continuously give you a clean plate even if the plate does not have any leftover food on it. I am struck with how late the Georgian people eat. Starting dinner at 9:30pm is not unusual. This is a problem for me, as it is hard to sleep after so much food. I will talk more about this as it is cultural across the homes at least I’ve been in so far.

After the food the music started. I was so tired and hot that I made my exit. I was also a bit uneasy about all the drinking. At times I think it must be a race to see how much can be consumed and how fast the glass gets refilled.  Being the outsider, there is always a lot of interest in me and I was concerned about being a dance partner. The music went on until 3am and I was told that the cleanup crew (the women) didn’t get to sleep until 5am. 

I had lots of time during this period to just sit and watch the comings and goings of the farm. I love watching the chickens. I never noticed before that when chickens walk they stick their heads out. However, when they run their heads just stay in one place and don’t move like it does when they walk. Now, this is very interesting to me J.  I wondered why they just don’t run away as nothing is holding them on the farm; however, no chicken was AWOL. The turkeys are much different to watch. They don’t run as much and they stay together with their own kind. There is one turkey being groomed for dinner at some point (not yet ready).

Ah, so much time to just reflect and watch. I am so used to “doing” that at first all this is uncomfortable for me; but, I muddle through and actually enjoy watching the day unfold in some many different ways.

I wondered how people deal with the heat in Tarjola and I found out that there is a river close by. We walked one late afternoon (about 15 minutes) from where I was staying. Many people who live on or near the farm were already there and in the river enjoying the cool water. Its only about 4 feet deep and fresh river water is continuously running into the area everyone was swimming in. Large rocks allowed the kids to jump and dive in and it was great to watch people, young and old, just sitting in the water. Some people had all their cloths on and others had (what looked like to me) just their underwear. No one seemed to be noticing as too much fun was being had. I did put my feet it, and watched as car load after car load of people (with lots of kids in the back seat) came across the HUGH field to get to the river. No one wanted to leave, but the sun was setting and I for one would not want to walk the road home in the dark.  Of course, no overhead lights and most people use their phones as flashlights. However, most are so used to the terrain that it is not an issue for them.

One more item of interest is the blood pressure kit. I’ve been told that every household in Georgia has a BP kit with stethoscope. I did see this set up here in Sagarejo and also while we were in Tarjola. While we were all sitting under the tree in the late afternoon (Tarjola) someone brought out the BP kit. My host mom seemed to be the designated doctor and was taking BP readings. I was impressed and have no idea what the results were; but, this practice was done a few times while I was in Tarjola. I guess this make sense as I am just stunned at the amount of sugar and salt that is consumed in the Georgian diet. They look at me and shake their heads that I don’t use much, if any, sugar and no salt.  There is enough of both included in the cooking to give pause.

The drive home from Tarjola was interesting as we had four LIVE chickens in the back of the car. I initially though they were dead, but they were alive as you and me (smiles). They tie the feet of the chickens and lay them down. The chickens do cluck now and then, but thankfully, they could not stand up. All I thought about watching them go into the car was that I was going to have a chicken on my lap on the ride home. We had to stop a couple of times to check on them, but they arrived safe and sound and placed into the existing chicken coop here in Sagarejo. I guess this will provide more eggs for the family.

My family here in Sagarejo has started to get ready for winter. More about that as time goes forward. So much to share, but I will leave that also for the next go round. I have posted two photographs. The first is the view from my window. You can see “my mountain”.  I really feel that I can reach out and touch it. The second photo is of the garden on the 1^st floor of the house (also includes the porch and my host mother, MtVarisa).  I hope you enjoy. I will post more as I feel that I am getting better at the photographs J

All the best, My Faithful Readers.

Catherine Lawrence, G14 –  8/10/14

Peace Corps Volunteer – Republic of Georgia

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