Blog, February 8th, 2015
Hello, My Faithful Readers
I have added three photographs at the end. The first is a box of Dunkin Donuts that I purchased here in Tbilisi (you will read more about this in the blog). The second is me outside the hotel in Istanbul and before my acrobatic act and the hurt rib. The third is a photo of some of the teachers that I work with in Sagarejo.
I have listed the link to my recent article
(the 4th in the series) written and published in OpEdNews (below link)
about my “rib” experience in Istanbul.
I’ve been recovering from my linear
fracture of my 9th rib. I have been off duty (medical) since January
15th. As the 15th was the first day back from holiday
break. The doctors had a couple of concerns as my rib was healing. The first
was that I should NOT carry anything. As I usually carry books and other items
when I spend the day in school, it was not wise to attend. The second reason is
that the doctors didn’t want me to catch a cold being in the school. Because
the school has limited heat, they felt that cold rooms would not be helpful to
a healing rib. In addition, I wanted to be careful not to catch a cold as
coughing would not be helpful to healing the rib. So, I’ve had a wonderful
rest. I have been at home with my host family.
I will be x-rayed anywhere from 4-6 week
after the event (which was January 7th), so probably around mid to
the end of February for final medical clearance. In the meantime, I can go back
to teaching if I am feeling better (and I do). I will take it easy and see how
it goes. If I feel that I am pushing it then can adjust as I go along. I know I
will regret saying this but I am getting a little “what do I do with myself”
being a home for such a long period of time. I have been reading and resting
and also working on my Georgian. It has
been wonderful. I’ve heard that the children in the school keep asking for me.
That is so sweet of them.
Last November I requested books from an
organization in Darien, CT. What a great organization. As a Peace Corps
Volunteer I had to provide information as to the type of books and grade levels
I was targeting. When approved my school would receive twenty-five pounds of
books. Well, last week the books arrived. You would have thought it was
Christmas here in Sagarejo. The teachers could not wait to open the box. All
kinds of materials like National Geographic magazines for children, fiction,
science book, etc. They all looked brand new. The teachers were “oozing and aaahhing”
and pulling the books from the box. Now most of the teachers cannot read
English; however, they were excited none-the-less. Here is the link in the event that you want
to check them out!
Soup here in Georgia is a big staple of
the diet. My host mother makes a couple of different kinds of soup. For
example, red beet soup or borscht; chicken soup and some kind of soup that I
have no clue about. They are all good; but, they are very thin. Most have
potatoes, carrots and some kind of parsley. A few have noodles but not in
abundance. Sometimes they are somewhat flavorful and at other times it tastes
like flavored water. I like the potatoes and carrots but a bowl of soup may
contain a half a potato and maybe one quarter of a carrot stick. I don’t know
why they don’t jam pack the soup with vegetables. I have given my host family
some of the Lipton soup mixes to add into the broth; but, it never makes it
into the soup. Oh, well – the soup is hot and I do get some potatoes. I
understand from other PVC’s that this is the way other families also make their
soups. Maybe it’s a practice from back in the day when vegetables were not
abundant.
Another concern about food has been
resolved now that winter is here. I am concerned that left over food is not
refrigerated. This is especially worrisome during the summer; however, in
winter (since the kitchen and the storage rooms are not heated) this is not now
an issue. The kitchen and storage room are probably colder than a refrigerator.
They have the remains of the pig , Wilber (remember from Christmas) hanging on
hooks from the ceiling. I don’t know how they preserve the food; but, I am
thinking they use salt. The reason being is that I had a piece of pork recently
that was so salty that I felt I was eating a “salt lick.” I don’t want to waste
food; but, I just could not eat it. The family does not say anything when I
leave food on my plate; but, eating salt is just something I cannot do.
Which leads me to wonder why the
Georgian people cannot see the connection between eating so much salt (and
sugar) with their blood pressure? I have written about this previous as most
households (and also the teacher’s room in school) have a blood pressure cuff
and stethoscope. Routinely they take each their own BP or they take the BP of
another teacher. I think I want to have my BP taken by the Peace Corps doctors
at some point.
I just know that you all want to know
what is happening with my hair!
Well, I won’t keep you in suspense
because I’ve made a decision J. I am letting
my hair grow. Now, you must understand that I have not have LONG hair for maybe
forty (yes, that is 40 years). My hair has always been short. So, maybe I want
to fit in better as the majority of women have long hair here in Georgia (NOT
REALLY); or maybe it’s the 5Gel haircut (that translates to maybe $2.50 USD).
The hair cut is nice when it is first done; however, when it is growing in –
well, it is terrible. In any event, I have decided to see how I feel and look
with long hair. Now, I know I will never get it as long as most of the women
here; but, for the first time in decades I can feel hair on my neck. When I
look in the mirror I sometimes don’t recognize the person looking back at me.
My hair, coupled with the weight loss (now at a total of 65 pounds); well, it
is disconcerting! I was able to get a couple of pair of pants at the FREE BOX
at the Peace Corps Office – so that is a good thing.
So, getting back to the saga of my hair!
I will continue to let it grow until I am sure it will get on my nerves. Of
course now that it is winter it feels good to have hair; however, we shall see
what happens with the 90’sF and 100’sF degree heat comes along.
We are going to attend another training
program at the end of February. This training is PDM (Project Design and
Management). I will be attending with one of my counter-parts; that is, one of
the English teachers that I work with on a daily basis. We will be able to find
ways to fund project through grants and also become knowledgeable in how to
write the grants. Goal setting and brainstorming as to how best to use any
money that we would obtain is on the agenda. This sound like a lot of fun!
We will also be doing this at a hotel –
yippee!!! We make camp (so-to-speak) at the Ambassador Hotel in the village of
Kachreti. We will be there for four nights. We will have LOTS of showers, real
bathrooms, FOOD (3-meals a day) and heat. We cannot wait. I understand that
they also have a snack bar….Heaven!!!! I’ve listed the below link in case you
want to check it out! More detail to come once I return.
One of the English Teachers gifted me a
book entitled’ The Knight in the Panther’s Skin.” It is a very famous book by a very famous
author – Shota Rustaveli. It is so old and so beautiful. I was so touched by
the generosity of this teacher. It was translated from Georgian into English by
Venera Urushadze. It is a poem that I hope to read; however, I don’t think it
is going to be an easy read. I am not much for poetry (I don’t understand
poetry); but, I must give this a chance. It is a hard-back covered book that
has 1,582 stanza’s (I think they are called stanza’s). I will update you as I
make my way through.
In early March 2015 I am going to be
tested again as to my Georgian language level. I think that I will go up one
level; however, I don’t think I am at the level that the PC requires. I must
note that I have felt a shift in my language skills. I find that I do speak
more Georgian now than I ever did. So much more makes sense and since I am
speaking more I feel a little more confident in speaking. I am sure this will
continue as time goes forward. I will let you know once my test is complete and
what the outcome was.
I want to give you some of what I’ve
discovered about the town that I am living in. Sagarejo, the settlement, was
first mentioned in the written record in the 11th century under the
name of “Tvali”. This literally means “An Eye.” It acquired town status in
1962. According to the 2002 census, Sagarejo has a population of 12,600 and it
is 36 miles (58K) east of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. I will do more
research, but for now that is what I know.
I have noticed over and over how late my
host family goes to bed. Sometimes it is as late at 1:00am, as I can hear
people talking below me (the pechi room is below my room) when I get up to go
the bathroom. I do not know how they can function all day with so little sleep.
I see in the classroom that so many students sleep during class time. Of
course, I cannot know this but I think many families stay up as late as my
family. It is very discouraging teaching to students who are sleeping. No one
seems to think this is odd behavior. The teachers just let the children
continue sleeping and then when the bell rings they go to their next class.
And speaking of FOOD that is not really
good for you…. Dunkin Donuts has arrived in Georgia. Honestly, at times I don’t
feel like I am living in Eastern Europe. On my way back from training at the
Bazaliti Lake Hotel we stopped at one of the NEW Dunkin Donuts (there are now 2
stores here) for donuts and coffee. It was very strange for me to be a store
that looks much like what exists in America! I was overwhelmed. I could not
make a decision as to “what” kind of donut I wanted, so, I initially ordered
coffee. Ah, as I remembered – it was delicious. I could have sat in the store
and just drank coffee all day. I did finally get a donut. I thought it was
filled with cream; however, it had a lemon filling. I was disappointed; but, it
was still good. At the moment, they don’t have cream donuts (my favorite) –
but, hopefully that will come with time. They do sell the pound package of
coffee (hazelnut and vanilla); but, I don’t have a drip coffee maker so (at the
moment) I have to pass on that.
At the back of the Dunkin Donuts Shop
there is a WENDY’s! Burgers and Donuts
is the same building – yummy. I think maybe Georgia is importing all the bad
eating habits of the good old USA; but then, it is all sooooo GOOD!
Water filter….I am always kind-of sick
to my stomach when I see just how much sediment accumulates in my water filer.
I clean the filter, usually every couple of weeks and yet, so much sediment
falls to the bottom of the filter. I guess that is a good thing as since it is
on the bottom of the filter than it is not in my water bottle; but, yuck! I
often just buy bottled water to make sure that my system gets a dose of really
filtered water (at least I hope so).
I often have terrible bouts of diarrhea and
I wonder if it is the food, the water or maybe just my system not being used to
all the changes. I had an experience recently (not for the faint of heart here,
my faithful readers); however, in keeping with my wanting to write a “real”
blog I must share this with you. Recently as I was getting ready to board the
metro my stomach was giving me signals that I needed to find a toilet (I have
stopped referring to it as a bathroom). In any event, I did find one outside
the metro stop. Of course, it was a porcelain squat toilet but it was not that
bad. My problem with the squat toilet is
that I just cannot squat low enough, so, the capturing process (if you know
what I mean) does not all find its way into the porcelain (I can hear you
groaning now!). I tried my best with
what I had to clean up; but, it was not great. I was embarrassed and the
attendant was angry; but, what can I do. This is life for me in Georgia. It is
not like finding a western toilet. I wonder if I am the only person having this
difficulty. Even with the weight loss my body just won’t go that low….I
apologize if this is way more information than you need – but, living life on a
daily basis dictates experiences, I imagine,
we all have but no one talks about.
A memory that totally caught me by
surprise was the appearance of a “Huckster” here in Sagarejo. I have not
thought about this is many decades; but, hearing and seeing this unfold on the
road here in Sagarejo has brought back so many memories. During my time here
I’ve been hearing beeping/horn noises made by a car and also a man hollering
some words in Georgian. I never gave it much thought, until one day as I was
walking home on the mountain I saw the Huckster. He had the trunk of his car
open and inside was lots of fruits and vegetables. He stopped many times along
the road as people came out of their houses to buy items. This so reminded me
of the same kind of scene growing up in South Philadelphia. We would hear the
shouts of the Huckster and run out to the truck. We could buy all kinds of
fruits and vegetables. This all made a
lot of sense as here in Sagarejo as well as growing up in South Philadelphia
not many people had cars, so it was hard to get to the market to buy (and carry
home) the items. So, if you can’t go to the mountain then the mountain comes to
you. That is exactly what the huckster does. What a great memory to revisit
again!
dictionary.reference.com/browse/huckster
a retailer of small
articles, especially a peddler of fruits and vegetables; hawker.
I
will close for now and write again at the end of February so I give you all the
news from the hotel! Also, I read on the internet that Sagarejo is probably
going to have some snow next week. I sure hope not; but then, it is February.
All
the Best, My Faithful Readers,
Catherine Lawrence,
G14
Peace
Corps Volunteer – February 8th, 2015
The
contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of
the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.
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