Blog, October 19^th, 2014

Hello, My Faithful Readers

I have included a photo of “me” in the garden at the home of my host family. I am wearing one of the outfits I found in the used clothing box at the Peace Corps Office. It feels good to have something on that does not need safety pins or is not three sizes too big (such problems!)J . The second photo is another view of the road that I walk home on (part of my exercise program)!

Last week we had two holidays here in Georgia. The first was Columbus Day which, of course, the Georgian people don’t celebrate. However, the PC office does celebrate Columbus Day. They celebrate by closing the PC office for both Georgian and American holidays. The next day was a Georgian holiday (Tuesday, 10/14/14).  The GOOD NEWS all the schools are CLOSED for the holiday. Yipee!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Svetitskhovloba-Day of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

Georgian national holiday

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Svetitskhovloba

My host family LOVES peanut butter.  I bought a jar for the family and everyone just looked at the label and gave me the question look. Trying to explain PB was useless, so I just opened up the jar and poked my spoon into it (they don’t have chunkey here, only smooth PB). Of course, I love PB also, so my eyes rolled and I smiled. They each grabbed a spoon  - კოვზი (kovzi) and dug in. I was so happy to see that they liked it also. They said “its American” when the host father asked what is was. The jar is almost gone, of course my spoon added to the jar’s demise!

http://www.americancouncils.ge/flex/

At the end of October I will be participating in the exam process for the FLEX program here in Tbilisi, Georgia. FLEX – Future Leaders Exchange Program.  An entire day is dedicated to the testing process for students who have applied for consideration into the program.  I will be proctoring the exam and I am sure I will be involved in other aspects of the program. I will be working with PCV’s Mary and Bear (I am sure there is a story involved in that name) to cover the event for the Peace Corps. I have been communicating with this husband and wife PC team via email, but we have never met. I am looking forward to meeting them and for the three of us to have dinner in Tbilisi after the day is over. 

As a reward, and also because the day ends too late to get the marsh back to our sites, we have arranged to stay over in Tbilisi. This will be my first sleep over, away from site, since I arrived here in Georgia. After Mary made arrangements for her and Bear she sent me the link so I could reserve a room for myself. I am SO LOOKING forward to this. I will have a double bed and a BATHROOM in my hotel room. I may never come out of the shower. J The room is a little pricey; but, heck I am worth it. The description also said I will have a balcony, but maybe it will be too cold to sit outside.  Ah, I will have WATER and not only that but HOT WATER. I dream about thisJ. Believe me, you will get a full blow-by-blow description when I return. Stay tuned!  http://www.hotelorion.ge/Tbilisi/

Speaking of water….here in Sagarejo the water situation is really getting old; and yet, I am only at the beginning of this challenge. All summer we had water without a problem. However, I am told that because so many families on the road that I live on pull up stakes for the winter and move elsewhere, the water flow is adjusted. That means very little or no water. I am so annoyed when I turn on the spigot and no water. At times, when there is water, it is brown and yuckey. I am thankful that the water does not smell; but, it is terrible to look at. I must remember to always bring my water bottle when going to brush my teeth. Forget about washing face and hands. In addition, when there is water it is COLD. I imagine the hot water heater cannot do its job with so little water available. 

The good news is (I always have to look of the good side) is that when I can wash my face (in cold water) I am shocked into being awake!  OMG, because nothing is insulated I wonder how the pipes don’t freeze (or maybe they do). The family always has big buckets of water around (obtained when there is water) so they can heat (the bucket) for the bucket shower and also to use to flush the toilet. Many members of the family use the outhouse; however, I don’t want to do that unless I have to. The good news is the time spent in the bathroom is critically limited. You do what you need to do and GET OUT. The bathroom door to the outside (outhouse) closes but you can see and feel the air pushing in. I now have a bag that I take to the bathroom and it consists of toilet paper (you never know when the roll ends up in the outhouse), water bottle, towel, toothbrush and paste. Sometimes during the day the water comes back on and you just never know when that will be – so, as the boy scouts say “Be Prepared” as the water may turn off if I go back to my room and pickup my bathroom bag.  Nothing is easy here!

November 2nd begins daylight savings time in the US. I don’t think they have DST here in Georgia; so, instead of being eight hours ahead of the USA I would be 7 hours ahead….need to check this out.

I recently had a nasty case of Montezuma revenge. I had to miss a day of school and ended up in bed for most of the weekend. I don’t know what brought it on. I do try and be careful with what I eat; however, maybe it was just something going around.  My family and many families here in Georgia don’t refrigerate food once it is cooked. If there is food left over it will either get put in the cabinet (keep away from the cats that just jump up on the table and help themselves) or on the window sill. I am ever vigilant of this so that I know I won’t eat it the second time around. No one else seems to have a problem with this practice. The PC did warn us about this and recommended that we tell the families to make sure they place left over food in the refrigerator. However old habits die hard and most times the families just go back and do what they always do. Also, the refrigerator is very small in my house; so, maybe the food won’t fit. 

I just read that the Peace Corps has an ALL VOLUNTEER conference the week before Thanksgiving. At that time I will have a language test to see if I have moved up in language ranking and also lots of training sessions (which will be outlined once I get the program). Also, there is a Thanksgiving dinner, I’m told. The volunteers take charge of this and the Peace Corps provides the beverages (soft) and the turkeys. I say plural turkey as there was be about 120 people sit down to celebrate Thanksgiving. I am a G14 (so everyone in that group) as well as the G13 (everyone in that group). The staff, tutors, coaches, etc., etc.,,,lots of folks. We were asked when we arrived back in April to bring with us items for the dinner. For example, powdered cheese, and vegetable soup mix and things like that. There is a big box at the Peace Corps Office to place Thanksgiving food items into. This should be a wonderful experience.

I remember back in 2006 (when I was in India) we were traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday period. We stayed at a small hotel so our group filled the entire hotel. As a result, we had the dining room to ourselves. On Thanksgiving night we pushed all the tables together and made one long table. We had Indian food for dinner that night. No turkey and all the trimmings; however, I still remember how wonderful it was to celebrate that holiday so far from home and the United States. I think it will be the same here in Georgia. I think that knowing what you are thankful for is important to remember on that holiday. 

Prospero’s Book shop in Tbilisi. http://www.prosperosbookshop.com/

I’ve been hearing about the book shop for months now and finally had to make a trip into Tbilisi to check it out. This bookstore specializes in books in English. They have a fairly decent selection and also a children section; however, most of the store is dedicated to coffee and related products.  It has been six months since I have been in a library or a bookstore; and I was having withdrawal symptoms. So, away I went to Prospero’s. It was the first time that I’ve been in the area that the bookstore is in. It is on Rustaveli Street, which is a very big street. I wanted to walk to explore the area and not take a bus or a marsh. In my travels on Rustaveli  I found the Marriott Hotel and lots of other shops (some high end and some bargain basement). It was a lot of fun. I just love exploring in this way. I finally arrived at the Bookstore and it was OK. As I said, lots of tables and chairs for people to sit and work of their computers and or socialize. I was hoping for a “cheap bin of books” to look through; but, not to be had. I don’t think I will make a trip back as the books were very expensive and I have other resources for my reading addiction. The PC has a library that would take me decades to get through (and more books are added every day).

The good news on Rustaveli Street was that there is a McDonalds near the metro stop. I have not had a McDonalds in (I bet) twenty years. So, I treated myself (breakfast) to a Big Mac. It was really good, or maybe I was really hungry. To be honest I could have eaten a few more; but, I did restrain myself.  The last couple of days there has not been a lot of food here in my host family house. There is always potatoes and bread on the table; but, as much as I love potatoes having the same thing everyday gets really old. It was great having a sandwich in my hands and it was an American burger….I can taste the difference J

My day in Tbilisi consisted of: McDonalds for Breakfast and a pizza for lunch. There is a GREAT pizza restaurant (Ronny’s) not too far from the PC Office. It is almost like being in America. I ordered the “medium” and didn’t realize how big it was. I got lots of funny looks from folks in the restaurant when they brought the pizza. “Is she really going to eat all that?”  Well, of course I didn’t but it was terrific having LOTS of food before me for the taking. Leftovers went home with me for dinner. It was a wonderful food day.

The National English Spelling Competition (NESC) is beginning here in Georgia. I have listed the FACEBOOK link which provides all the information. You DO NOT have to be a FACEBOOK member to obtain the information.  This is really exciting stuff here. This is the 3^rd year of the competition and it has been a BIG success in helping students with spelling English words. The FB site does have the words listed that the students will need to spell. They are broken down into two sets. The first set is for grades 8 and 9; and, the second set is for grades 10, 11 and 12. The Georgian people are very big on competition; so, this spelling competition has been a hit.

www.facebook.com/NESC.Georgia (ENG)

www.facebook.com/martlweris.konkursi (GEO)

I have started sessions with the students to work on learning the words.  Students actually showed up…that surprised me. Six students came the first day and seven students came the second day. We worked for an hour, as that is the ceiling for their attention span – these are 8^th graders.

Good News: Wanted to share good news with you and that is I've been published in an on-line newspaper (see link below). Initial I was asked to write from a political perspective here in Georgia; however, as a PCV I am not permitted to get involved in politics (on any level). So, the publisher agreed to print my piece in the Life-Arts section....a friend of a friend (based on my blog) thought that I would be a good match. 

I am going to write a series or chronicle or diary (not sure what and is there a difference between the three categories) - but they will be written by me from the perspective of an older volunteer up-rooting her life and beginning again. I think my next piece will be about the “marsh” – as this vehicle “the marsh” is such a BIG part of my life here in Georgia.  

Your article titled: My Second Act
has been accepted and is now published on the OpEdNews website at:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/My-Second-Act-by-Catherine-Lawrence-Hope_Peace_Retired_Second-City-141012-148.html

Dogs: All has been quiet here for me in Sagarejo as far as the dogs are concerned. For some reason I don’t feel afraid; however, I am ever vigilant walking. I connected with the Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer and she gave me the “dog zapper.”  You can hold this device in your hand and push a button to release a zap. I’ve not tried it yet. I have to see if it works on batteries…probably. Like I said in an earlier blog, sometimes it works and other times it does not – but, I will take my chances that it will work when I need it (don’t have a choice). I don’t have any hope that the country will take any action concerning the horrible state-of-affairs where the dogs are concerned. It is very sad.

Well, life is moving really fast here in Georgia. It is the middle of October and coming up on being in-country six months. Before I leave you, just a couple more shares….and this goes into the completely useless information file. When you hiccup in Georgia it means that someone is thinking of you….told you it was useless J. 

Also, I took my weekly shower at the Peace Corps office yesterday. It was dreamy. The shower gave me all the hot water that I could stand and for as long as I could stand it. I was the second person in line for the shower and after me other people were waiting. It seems that I am not the only person with water issues at their site. I didn’t even bring a change of clothes; but, heck – I was clean. On the day of my weekly shower I spend a lot of time just sniffing my arms. It feels so good to be clean. The PC office does supply the soap, shampoo, etc….so, the volunteers don’t have to cart that stuff with them. Heaven only knows whose towel I used, but it looked clean. Ah, the things we do when faced with no or little alternatives. I do feel a little better knowing that as the really cold weather descends on me I can go to a really warm place and have a hot shower. It means traveling to Tbilisi, but for me it will be worth it! 

My thanks to all sharing this wild ride with me.  

Best, Catherine Lawrence, G14 – 10/19/14

Peace Corps Volunteer/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, October 9^th, 2014

Hello, My Faithful Readers:

I have posted two photographs at the bottom on the blog.The first is of the “Churchkhela” that I wrote about within the blog. This setup is on 2nd floor landing where the bedrooms are. Walnut cover the ground! The second is the road I walk to get to my house. I live where the road ends...you can see the end of road and from that point on its all dirt and rocks. I could not do a selfie, so I placed my backpack on the right hand side of the photo. My house is a ten minute walk from this point! 

I have heat! My host family has given me a small space heater to use while I wait for the heating system that (I’m told) will be installed in my room. The heater is OK. It keeps the room around 68-70F, but since you can see daylight through all the windows and doors I still need to wear lots of layers. The rest of the house is cold, so I feel very fortunate that I can be somewhat comfortable. I don’t know when they will place the “pechi” in the common room on the 1^st floor (kinda like a living room – but the room the family lives out of during the winter). It has been raining A LOT so it has been damp and raw. The temperature outside has been in the high 50’s and low 60’s. Concerned about when it gets down below zero. We are all waiting for the sun to re-appear. It has been so overcast, rainy, cold and raw. Hopefully, it will be a little warmer when we can see the sun again!

The school heating will be another story. Although there are heating units attached to the walls in the school, most times no one closes outside doors so cold air is always pushing into the school. The children just run in and out (before, during and after classes) so even when I close the doors they don’t stay closed for long.  I have had to stop children from poking pens and other things into the heating units. Many units don’t have the top cover on it. Many of the windows either don’t close or are not fitted correctly, so even though the windows close cold air seeps in. This is going to be a challenge. The sage continues……..

I wanted to share the below link about one of the special places here in Georgia (Svanetia). I’ve not been; however, it is on my list. I’ve always had a special interest in the Middle Ages as I think at times (and in some circumstances) we are still living in the Middle Ages. Hope you enjoy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svaneti

A wonderful article in National Geographic.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/svanetia/larmer-text

A couple of interesting encounters here in Georgia…

Recently, I was in Tbilisi for a meeting of the NESC (National English Spelling Competition). I got to the location early, so I picked up a “Schwarma”  (sp?) and sat outside to watch the comings and goings. I rarely get to do that as I am usually on such a tight schedule. In any event, as I was sitting and enjoying both the food and the happenings a man came to sit by me on the bench. He started a conversation. He was Russian but has been living in New York (Brooklyn). He was well dressed and well spoken, so I didn’t have my “alert” on.  As the conversation continued he started talking about how he was robbed and that everything he had was taken. Ok, now I get it. I was a “mark” for money. I said I could not help him, wished him well and good luck and took my sandwich and moved to another bench. Well, he followed me and continued talking about his being robbed. Again, I said I could not help him and moved. Once again, he followed me but this time he told me that “my heart was so cold” and that “I would not be rewarded for not helping him.” At this point, I was looking for a policeman or was going to go into the building for my meeting. He was very persistent. There are so many beggars here in Georgia. I noted that most of the time I witness people, especially on the metro, give the people money.  I think they think that everyone should.  He finally walked away and didn’t come back, I was very happy about that.

There is this one woman I see on the METRO who is carrying a baby, maybe 3 months old. I have seen her maybe a half dozen times and every time I’ve seen her I have not seen this baby move, cry, fuss in any way. The baby is always in the same position. I started to think that the baby is really a doll. A life like doll, but I am starting to think that it is not a real baby. I am uncertain as I hate to think in those terms, but babies just don’t sit that still, especially with all the noise on the metro. That child never moved a muscle.

Another adventure I’d like to share; however, before I start I wanted you to know that everything worked out ok. Although I did get hurt, I’ve met with the doctors had more rabies shots and I am fine….so here is my experience…(one I don’t want to repeat).

Recently I was walking down the mountain to meet my language tutor for our 8:30am meeting. On the way I noted that the bakery (of sorts) was open and that newly baked bread was ready. It always smells so delicious. So, I stopped and picked up a couple of loaves for my tutor and her family. When I buy food I usually place the food in my backpack; however, this time I had the bread wrapped in newspaper (that is how they do it here), placed the bread under my arm and off I went. As I approached the bazaar area I noted that there were, as usual, many people (men) who were getting their outdoor stands ready (fruits and vegetables). When suddenly a bunch of dogs came out of nowhere and ran towards me. For some reason I didn’t think initially there were after the bread. I thought they were after me. I started to scream. The dogs were jumping up on me and I was screaming. One dog, I thought he was going for my face, bit me on the leg as I moved my arm up to protect my face. I was still screaming. Now, all this felt like it was happening for minutes but I know it was only seconds. I think my screaming finally stopped the dogs as they ran away. There were maybe 5 or 6 dogs. It all happened so fast. One dog did manage to draw blood. My pants were ripped. I stood in the same spot unable to move at first. I could not believe what had just happened.

When the dogs left I looked around at all the men who were standing watching this unfold. Not one man came to help me. It took all my restraint and remembering that I am a PC volunteer to not scream at these men “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?”  They just looked at me. I am continually told that Georgia is a country that has tremendous hospitality; however, there was nothing hospitable about their actions (or in-actions) towards a woman who was being surrounded by a pack of dogs. I was stunned at their behavior and I am still shaking my head.

The Peace Corps doctors had me make a trip into Tbilisi so that I could start the booster rabies shots. I’ve had three shots since I arrived in Georgia; and as a result of the dog bite I had to have two more. One shot on day “0” – the day of the bite and then another shot on day “3”. The bite is not infected and according to the doctors is looks good. The area around the bite is all back and blue and I have medicine for that. I am not in any pain as the bite was not deep.

I was told that the Mayor of Sagarejo was called to report what happened to me. I don’t expect anything to be done. It seems to me that these conditions are normal here, which is a very sad state of affairs. I had to laugh at the PC doctors as they wanted me to identify the dog. Are you kidding? There are so many dogs and they are all in such bad shape. They wanted to isolate the dog to watch it. I don’t blame the dogs as they are treated horribly here in Georgia. They are starving and mis-treated. You can see their ribs and like I said most of them limp because they get hit with cars. Hungry dogs are dangerous and a safety and security issue.

I do plan to get some kind of protection. Not sure what as I need to speak to the PC safety and security officer. I’m told there is some kind of device that they have given out, so I want to investigate that.  But, I am also told that sometimes the device works and sometimes it does not. If I want to stay here I will need to figure out how to deal with these dogs as they are not going away.

The bottom line is that I am fine. It could have been a lot worse so I am grateful for that. Between my fall and now the dogs I think that someone is looking out for me somewhere in the universe so that I can finish my service here in Georgia for the full term of 27 months.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churchkhela

On a lighter note, my family has been making “Churchkhela”. I’ve copied the Wikipedia link for more information about Churchkhela.  This candy looks like a sausage and after it is made it is hung out in the sun. My host grandmother spent hours and hours (with needle and thread) putting the walnuts on the thread. I didn’t see what she did after that; but, the end product is very sweet. I do try and be polite and eat a little, but I really don’t like it. I will post a picture at the end of the blog so you can see the Churchkhela hung out on the landing outside my bedroom.

Being here in Georgia has certainly made me appreciate all the benefits I’ve had living in America. I say that because so many of the women that I’ve met who are my age or younger seem so much older. Many are hunched over and you can see on their faces that they have had a hard life. In comparison, my life has been easy. I’ve had the benefit of consistent health care and preventive health care. I’ve had the luxury of indoor plumbing and heating and also a diet (when I follow-it) that is full of variety and nutrition. It is a hard life here and I am sure it was probably harder for these women in previous years.

Back to the weight loss….wow, I am still overwhelmed by the amount of weight I’ve lost and I am not even trying. I don’t think about food a lot (not as much as I thought about it in the states).  I just realized the other day when I went into Tbilisi to see the doctors that from my house in Sagarejo to the PC office in Tbilisi, it takes me a little over 2-hours (each way).  It takes me twenty minutes, or so, to come down the mountain to get to the Marsh hub in Sagarejo. The marsh never leaves as soon as I get there, so that coupled with it takes 45 minutes (depending on Traffic) to get into Tbilisi. At that point I need to take (2) subway lines and then walk about four blocks to the PC office. Whew…..That amount of time is equal to going to NYC from my home city, so I can completely understand why I am tired when I get back from Tbilisi. I also live on the second floor here in Sagarejo. Back home in the states I didn’t have steps to contend with (just elevators). However, here in Sagarejo I must walk up and down the steps (I am guessing) maybe a dozen times a day (could be more). Everything (food, bathroom, people, etc) is on the 1^st floor. So, add that exercise into the mix. It never fails that when I get downstairs I always remember something that I needed on the 2^nd floor. I really miss not having everything on one floor.

The PC office as a FREE box that PCV deposit old clothes or things they don’t need any more. Yours truly has scoured the box and found a lot of good stuff (that fits my new body).  Clothes here in Georgia are very expensive, so until my weight loss stabilizes; I will use the FREE box or lots of safety pins J.

I’ve noticed that the Georgian people (at least those that I’ve come in contact with) don’t get the concept of “doing the least effort for the most benefit.” I think economies of scale may also fit into this. They make three of four trips (back and forth) to get something when they could have gotten everything at one time. Back and forth, back and forth – it drives me crazy. I had to change the position of my chair on the porch as all this back and forth was in front of the chair I usually sit on. They pick something up, then put it down…and then go back and pick something else up (that was right next to the first thing) and then put it down. This goes on endlessly. I don’t understand why?  I’ve also noticed this in the school with the teachers.  They go back and forth in the same way to get a pencil. Then go back for paper. Then go back for the something else when all these things are in the same place and could have been taken all at the same time and made one trip. As I said, this drives me crazyJ

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-behavioral-economics.htm

Buy Experience, NOT THINGS.

 I just love this mantra and when I really think about it I believe my life (or parts of it) have revolved around this thinking. I know that behavioral economics is not a new concept but it was really helpful to me to read about it. Just thought I’d throw that in!

I’ve noticed that my host family keeps a gas burner lit most of the time when they are home, sometimes two burners. I am sure it does a little to keep the kitchen warm; however, I’ve always been lead to believe that it is so dangerous to have a burner lit (especially when everyone is in the other room). The first time I noticed it I was taken back but then realized this is just another thing that they do here.  The Peace Corps gave all volunteers a CO2 and smoke detector that they insist we check weekly to insure its working status. I imagine they know what they are doing, especially with (as evidenced above) all the methods the Georgian people use to keep warm. This will be an interesting winter.

I will write more next time about my teaching schedule as it has changed.  This is so challenging for me; that is, not knowing what I am doing. I don’t know until the day before what grades I will be teaching. I keep telling the teachers that this makes it impossible to plan; however, most times the syllabus is usually to just follow the text outline in the book. (which BTW is so boring (the text). I also cannot begin to schedule any of the after school programs that I’ve been asked to do as I have no idea when my classes end. So far, I have been asked to start a reading club for the 4^th grade, an English club for the school and to organize adult education classes in English. I really don’t know the best ways to accomplish this as I am told the Georgian people lose interest in clubs after about 4-weeks….so, we shall see how this unfolds.

Ok, I will close for now and again thank you for sharing this crazy roller coaster ride with me. I am up and down and all over the place. I am constantly trying to figure out ways to deal with all that is being thrown at me. Stay tuned! J

Best, Catherine Lawrence, G14- 10/9/14

Volunteer – Peace Corps Georgia

Teacher - მასწავლებელი  (Mast’savlebeli)

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

October 1^st, 2014

Hello, My Faithful Readers:

The weather is cold with lots of rain. The temperature in my room goes between 65F and 70F; however, with the rain it just feels colder and raw. We have no heat in the house and the host father has not yet put in the “pechi” – which is a wood burning stove. Not sure how any of this works; but, I will soon find out. I am going to ask very soon when I can have heat in my room. I was told that it would be available; but, I don’t know what form it will take….stay tuned J

A big disappointment for me is that I cannot become a member of the IWA (International Women’s Association). The meetings are held during the week (once a month) and the meeting will interfere with my teaching schedule. The PC wants me to focus on my teaching.  I was so looking forward to having the IWA give some balance in my life here in Georgia. I know I can focus on teaching and other things as well.  It would have been a good outlet for me to meet other women in my age group.  That is still so missing in my life as my two “Cell Mates” (I say that tongue and cheek) – the two gals who are PC volunteers that also live in Sagarejo are terrific women and of course we are not in prison J; however, both are in their early twenties. I enjoy being with them but we are generations apart. It would have been nice to connect and build an adult community outside of Sagarejo with the IWA.

The main event here for the last couple of weeks has been the start of school and the beginning of my classroom teaching experience. I know I gave some details in my last blog and will continue to share throughout my time here in Georgia.

So, finally after two weeks of observing, I was able to set my schedule. I will be working with two or the four counter-part teachers in the school (AKA, English Teachers).  I will be working with the 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th and 10^th grades. I need to teach a total of eighteen hours a week; so, it breaks down as 4 classes each on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Thursday I will teach 2 classes and that give me the eighteen. Classes begin at 9:00am and continue until 3:00pm; however, my formal teaching will end at 12:20pm.  In addition, after my formal classes I will be working with various clubs in the school. I need to initiate a Reading Club for the 4^th grade and an English Club for the school. At the moment, those are the two clubs that will be setup. Not sure how to organize the clubs, or even to call them clubs…more later.

In addition, I need to meet with each of the counter-parts to plan for classes. The 1^st, 2^nd and 10^th grade meet twice a week and all the other classes meet three times a week. The counter-parts want to plan for the class the day before; however, I am not so sure I am like that arrangement. I would much rather plan for the entire week at one time. Also, I am struggling with working with all these people. I am so used to working alone and not having to count on others input; it has been a challenge for me.

Starting in the 7^th grade, students need to study English, Russian and Georgian.  However, this will be changed this year so that the 5^th graders will now study all three languages. I also understand that the Ministry of Education will initiate a training program for parents. I don’t know exactly what that means; however, I do think that whatever training will be given to the parents would be welcomed. From what I can gather parents don’t spend a lot a time and effort to make sure that their students do their homework for classes. This is true in all classes, not just English. I hear lots of reasons as to why; for example, parents are working, poverty, tired, not being able to speak English…I could go on. However, since no homework is done for subjects that are not English the reason of parents not speaking English really would not count.  The teachers ask me what they can do about this situation? I tell them that the teachers just cannot do it alone. Parents need to be involved and don’t get me wrong parents are involved as they bring the children to school. The children are dressed very nice and I am sure they are caring people about their children; however, for some reason they just do not put a priority on homework.

In the classroom the children have very little (if any) self control. During class they surf the internet on their mobile phones. They have long conversations with their friends in the next seat. They push and hit each other and bang desks. The teacher must have said countless times to stop and be quiet; however, they disregard what the teacher said. I’ve not been in a classroom for a long time; however, I am hoping that classrooms the world over are not operated in this way? There are a few students in class that are well behaved and I feel sorry for them. They are trying to learn but have to compete with the disruptions in the classroom. As a PC volunteer I am charged with helping the teachers. My role is not to be a change agent; however, to suggest and provide new information that may impact the way things are done by the teacher. I did see the same kinds of behavior when I was in Osiauri; so, possibly these behaviors are cultural and extend throughout the whole of Georgia.

The classroom situation is challenging; however, it is nothing compared to what goes on during the change of class period. In the five minutes that denote the end of one class and the beginning of the next I can safely say that it is like the Wild, Wild West. Some children go out into the school yard but many students say in the school building. They are running down the halls, up and down the steps and all the while shouting and playing like they were outside. I usually just stand with my back to the wall as I’ve almost had children run into me at warp speed. The children push and shove each other. They climb on each other back. They rough house in the most physical way.  I see the children running down the hall and then dropping to their knees so that they are sliding down the hallways.  I just don’t know why someone does not get hurt. The teachers are not concerned about this and at times they just close the door to the teacher’s room to block it out. This is my opinion but is this kind of behavior respectful of the school and education?  I am a guest in this country so I need to be mindful of my role here.

I’ve brought a couple of new ideas into the classroom. Now, they are not “new ideas”; however, they have never been initiated in the (or at least Sagarejo School #1) classroom. Children, if they are not talking or being disruptive in some way, surf the internet or email on their hand-held devices. When I see this happening, I go and take the device away and place it on the teacher desk. The first few times I did it I think everyone (including the teacher) was in shock. The room went quiet. They just looked at me. I smiled at the student and thank him/her for cooperating. They could have their device back after the lesson and know that in the meantime the device was safe on the desk. In addition, I started moving students around the classroom. As students are talking, or punching, or pinching, etc., etc., I request that they stop and that they pay attention to the teacher. Most times it is one boy/girl doing the disruption. If they don’t stop, I go and nicely take their arm and their book bag and move them to a seat away from other students. Again, the look on their faces was priceless. I was unsure if they would cooperate, as often students answer the teachers back in a most dis-respectful way. However, maybe because it was so unexpected (or I am so new) the students did follow my lead. I do “thank” the students in both English and Georgian for cooperating. Once done the other students did quiet down some and the class time was a bit more organized. We shall see how this works out.

In the short time I’ve been in the classroom I am thinking that maybe the students can’t see how relevant this learning is to their future. I’ve heard that in US schools that students don’t think what is taught in school does not have anything to do with their REAL LIFE or what is happening in the world. Maybe the same, or part of the same, is happening here in Georgia?  This will continue to unfold.

Enough about school for the moment and let me tell you about a funny situation that happened. I received my residence card for Georgia. I was very excited about that as I’ve never been a resident of any other place except the city I was born and currently live in the US. So, when I got my Residence Card I was so excited. I checked the information and my name was correct, my date of birth was correct; however, it listed my sex as “M”. What….I know my hair is short, but What!!! So, very often in Georgia you have to say things twice, and now I’m finding that often you need to do things twice. Back to the government I went to have the card changed. I just thought they would spit out a new card with an “F”; however, not the case. I had to do the WHOLE process over again. I had to take another picture, fill out more forms and wait in more lines. I also need to come back to the government office and pickup my new card in a couple of week. Brother, as if there is not enough to do J.  I should get my new card this week and I am hoping to be, once again, a female.

Here is another real life story in Georgia that gave me pause. I was in Tbilisi for a meeting and shopping. I just love Tbilisi. Maybe it is the city atmosphere that makes me feel really at home. In any event, I was ready to head back to Sagarejo and made my way to the Metro. Low and behold (lots of drama), the gates to the metro were locked tight. Tons of people were mulling around trying to find out what was happening. Of course, if I understood more Georgian I would have had a better idea; and there was no one to translate. So, I thought it was possibly the “Medical Center” metro stop only that they were stopping people from coming in. So, I walked to the next metro stop and the same thing was happening. Geezes, what do I do now. I realized I didn’t have a marsh or bus PLAN B to get me to the marsh hub to get back to Sagarejo. How do I navigate Tbilisi without the Metro?  It was also too far to walk, so I went to hunt down a taxi. It cost me 8GEL to get to the marsh hub back to Sagarejo (unexpected expense) – but no other way to do it. I need to plan another line of exit from the city so if this happens again I will be prepared. I did make it home, no problem. I heard later, from my host father who is a Tbilisi police officer,that someone either jumped or was pushed in front of the train and was killed. Of course, the entire system was shut down for more than 24-hours.  I had an awful feeling something like that may have happened. The experience gave me pause as I so depend on the metro while in Tbilisi. I am working on my PLAN B, maybe even a PLAN C and D J

Ok, I will close for now. No pictures today as I have just been swimming in school stuff and trying to stay warm. Hopefully I will have good news the next time I write about heating. I am so curious about how the family handles the winter conditions. I am down to a shower once a week. We shall see how that goes once winter really gets here. So many unknowns at the moment to keep me occupied. There is so much to manage. I have more folders now than when I worked full imt (hard to believe).

I have lost more weight so the grand total is 54 pounds in 5 months. If I keep this up I may totally disappear by the time I come home in 22 months. (Still cannot believe it). J

Take care my Faithful Readers and once again, Thank You for taking the time to share my adventures with me.

Best, Catherine Lawrence, G14 – 10/1/14

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