Blog, December 24, 2014
Hello, My Faithful Readers:
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I’ve included two photographs at the end of the blog. The first
is a photo of the NEW heating system here in my Sagarejo home. It is on the 2nd
floor and although it is situated in the room (next to my room) it is so
powerful that it heats the entire 2nd floor when it is on. The
family does not keep it “on” all the time; so I still have my little space
heater. My room is usually around 65F; but it has gone down to 58F. I am lucky
as some PCV’s say that they can see their breath in their rooms and water
freezes in their rooms. The second photo is the system that the family uses to
make wine. It is truly a family event as many people are involved in this
yearly event.
Here we are at the end of the year and for me,
2014 has been one for the books. I retired from my position in the States and
was accepted into the Peace Corps. As I am ending 2014 and looking forward to
2015 I am filled with gratitude for my good fortune.
At the moment I am packing to get ready for my
travels over New Years! I will be
spending Christmas Day in the Peace Corps Office in Tbilisi so that I can make
it to the airport for a 5:00 am flight to Istanbul and then onto Prague. On New
Year’s Eve and Day I will be in Vienna, so that will more than make up for
being alone on Christmas Day. J I don’t know how much access I will have to
the internet as I travel; so this will probably be my last blog for 2014. I
want to “thank” everyone who has supported me and have read my blogs and
articles or just sent me good wishes!
As I
was talking about my upcoming trip with Georgian teachers and friends I was
informed by just about everyone I spoke to had never traveled outside of
Georgia. These are women in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s that have not seen any
other part of world. It made me realize even further just how fortunate I have been. They speak with dreams in their voices about wanting to travel; but, tell
me it is not easy to do that.
So, to end the year some interesting aspects
of my life here in Georgia!
First, I’ve been told that on 12/29/14 the
“Pig – my Wilbur” will be no more. It
will take three men to make Wilbur into dinner. I know this is the reality;
but, I still have mixed feelings about this. Of course, a new little piglet will
come into the family in the spring and then the cycle will start all over
again. We now have a rooster here, along
with the chickens. I would really like the rooster to be in the same boat with
the pig.
For some reason I have been having a hard time
concentrating on my reading materials here in Sagarejo. I just cannot seem to
read anything heavier than Mary Higgins Clark and John Grisham and like authors.
I have brought lots of classic reading materials with me; but, I cannot seem to
focus. I am hoping that this will pass as I’ve made a promise to read “Crime
and Punishment” (for some reason) and lots of other titles while I am here. I
am a book junkie and cannot be without a book in my hand; so, I hope for the
best. I have been given “The Museum of Innocence” Author – Orhan Pamuk to read
as I aspire to spend some time in Turkey this summer.
It has been very mild (temperature wise) here
in Sagarejo. It does go down to freezing at night; however, during the course
of the day it sometimes hits 50F. This is a good thing; if it stays this way the
winter may not be that bad after all; however, if only wishing made it so! J
I recently participated in the NESC (National
English Spelling Competition) here in Georgia. Two students that were winners
of the local competition here in Sagarejo School #2 - (8th and 9th grades
group and 10th, 11th and 12th grade group) were welcomed at the
regional competition in Telavi. There
was a written portion which consisted of spelling 30 words and the high scoring
students went onto the verbal part of the competition. It was a thrilling
experience for me to watch these highly motivated and dedicated students
challenge themselves. During the verbal
part of the competition I was the person who gave the students a mark on their
hand if they didn’t spell a word correct. If they got two marks, they were out
of the competition. When I directed them out of the competition and to their
seat I felt like “Vanna White.” I was standing during the competition; however,
it felt like I was on the edge of my seat. There was not a sound in the room as
the audience was respectful of the stress the competing students were under. I
cannot wait until the final competition in March, 2015!
While I was at the competition I met many new
teachers from all around the Kakheti region. I was a little concerned at times
as many, many teachers kept looking at me a little funny. I finally asked one
of the teachers if there was something wrong and she said “Are you really a Peace Corps Volunteer?” I smiled and laughed as I
knew what was coming. I’ve had many conversations with Georgian people that
cannot believe someone as “old” as me J is a volunteer. They wanted to know just how
old I am. These were all great conversations. They wanted to know “if I was afraid” living in a foreign
country and being old. I must tell you that I just kept smiling. They said “my grandmother is as old as you and she
sure does not look like you.” I took that as a compliment and the teachers
and I spoke about the fear of doing what I was doing. Of course, I said “I am afraid; however, you cannot let that
stop you.” They all wanted to take pictures with me so they could show the
folks back home the “older” volunteer. It was an all around GREAT experience
for me. One I will remember always.
As a pedestrian I am very concerned (at times
terrified) to walk here in Georgia. It does not matter if I am in a village,
town or city; as a pedestrian I feel that I am literally taking a chance with
my life walking in Georgia. I have listed below an excerpt from an article that
was written on the subject. The article has articulated my thoughts probably
better than I could. If you want to read more the link is listed.
But first, Sagarejo (my home town) is
especially difficult for pedestrians (ME) as virtually there are no sidewalks.
People are forced to walk on the road that they share with drivers. Now, I say
that (share with drivers) but that is not accurate. In my experience drivers
have little or no regard for the people walking. If the truth be told I think
drivers don’t appreciate (or welcome) people walking on what they consider
their turf. I watch as drivers make
their way speeding at alarming rates up or down the mountain I must walk. I
don’t know what the rush is other than they like to be moving fast or just the
fact that no one is going to stop them. In order to avoid potholes (and there
are many) drivers will swerve around them to the point that even though I am as
far to the side as I can go I often feel that I am going to be hit. I never
know how they will swerve so I just freeze where I stand and pray that they are
paying attention. There are no stop
lights or signs here in Sagarejo; so unlike Tbilisi, you don’t have any margin
of time to cross the street. I am literally running (along with other folks) as
truly I am not at all sure they would stop and not hit me. I often stand by a
parked car as I believe drivers would avoid hitting a parked car due to the
damage it would cause their car. Peace
Corps told us when we arrived in-country to “make sure you watch out for cars
as the cars will not watch out for you.”
The speaker said this laughing and at the time I thought it was a joke
but it is cold, hard reality here in Georgia. I don’t see anything funny about the way
pedestrians are treated in Georgia!
The ISET Economist: Traffic Traumas
Walking
and driving in Tbilisi is usually dangerous and stressful. When walking around,
pedestrians must continuously monitor the cars in their vicinity, even when
walking on the sidewalks. The task of avoiding to be hit by cars is largely
left to pedestrians, as many car drivers will not respect pedestrian rights.
While Georgians are generally gentle and generous people, their attitude tends
to change dramatically when they sit behind a wheel. Then fundamentally decent
people turn into ruthless and selfish persons who would never give way to
anybody……………
I am always amazed at how many TV commercials there
are for Washing Machines here in Georgia.
There is one commercial that almost feels like a “Gershwin” movie. It
features a family washing clothes (the washer is in the living room). Mother,
Father and child spends a lot of the commercial watching the machine wash the
clothes. The joy on their faces is contagious – I find myself smiling watching
them. The music sounds like something from “Gershwin” and everyone is dressed
beautifully. It ends with the father carrying the child out of the room on his
shoulders and the mother turns the light out in the living room so that all
that is left is seeing the washing running with (it appears) a light
spotlighted on it. Washing machines may
be a novelty here (I don’t know). Many of the appliance stores feature rows and
rows of washers; more so than televisions. My family has a washing machine and
I am thankful…..I cannot image washing all my clothes my hand.
Many of the PCV’s have left already to go home or
elsewhere for the holidays. Facebook is just filled with pictures of happy
people with family and friends.
I am just so befuzzled (sp?) that no one seems to close the
door as they enter or leave the school. I am constantly closing the door in
order to KEEP the little bit of heat that is available in the school – in the
school. All day long people coming in
and out (both adults and children) just leave the door wide open. Most folks
wear their coats, hats, scarf, etc., while they are in the school as it is SO
cold. So I wonder why they would not think to close the door after they enter
school.
When the bell rings to signal the change of classes
the students leave the school in droves. There is no one to monitor who is
leaving – the students just go. Sometimes they come back; or they go out to the
playground or the game room in the basement of the school. I remember when I
was in school (ages ago, for sure); however, we needed a pass to leave the
school. That is not the case here in Georgia.
The clocks in the school are all different
throughout the class rooms. I have my clock set to the internet; but my time is
always either slower or faster than what the school clocks say. This was a
problem recently as I was to meet a group of students at a certain time. When
my clock said I had waited twenty minutes and student had not shown up; well, I
left. However, I later found out that the school clock indicated that the
students were on time; as, the school clocks were running slow.
Smoking here in Georgia is a big thing. I’ve heard,
but cannot verify, that the percentage of people smoking here in Georgia is
near 58%. Now, that is a big number; and I would not think that number was not far
from the truth. I’ve noticed that I rarely see a man without either a cigarette
in his mouth or in his hand. Interestingly I have never seen a woman smoking
here. I don’t know whether I’ve missed that or women just don’t smoke in
public. Honestly, at times I also want to grab a cigarette. I don’t know what
the draw is……maybe the stress of living here? I have fought the feeling as I
stopped smoking in 1990 and don’t want to smoke again. I am ashamed to tell you
how many packs of cigarettes I smoked back in the day before I quit!
At the end of the day, after I return from school, I
have a cup of coffee. Now, that may seem a pretty routine habit; however, I
have never had coffee in the afternoon on a consistent basis. As I think about
my coffee waiting for me as the school day ends, well - it really keeps me
going (pushing me up my mountain). Here in Georgia we really only have instant
coffee and up until now I would not touch it (yuck, instant coffee). However, I
so look forward to my special time with my coffee….and I don’t think (without
the coffee) that I would be awake after 6:00pm. Now, after the coffee (and I
can hardly believe it) I end up taking a nap. I sleep maybe 15-30 minutes most
days (maybe I faint is closer to the truth) when I get home from school. I
think I need this transition in order to shake off the experience of my school
day. Most days I feel like I am teaching in a circus like atmosphere and it is
exhausting. Due to my weight loss I can
now almost run up my mountain to the quiet and sanity of my room and my coffee.
I can leave the bedlam of my school day behind.
I do know
that when I get back to the States I plan to buy the best coffee available. I
don’t care what it will cost; I only know that I so miss Starbucks and Dunkin
Donuts (not that they are the best) – but it is better than instant. (I heard a rumor that in January 2015 Dunkin
Donuts is opening a store in Tbilisi. Not sure if it is true of where it is;
but, it sure warrants looking into.
Well, this ends my adventures here in Sagarejo for
2014. When I next write I will begin a whole new chapter for 2015. In a couple
of days it will mark (8) months here and I know that I don’t understand much of
anything here in Georgia. My resolution for 2015 is to be more understanding
and not compare what I think “should be” to “what is.” Also, work to make a
difference in any way that the Georgian people or systems think is needed –
keeping in mind “It’s not about ME!”
All the Best,
Catherine
Lawrence, G14
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment