Blog, March 29th, 2015
It has been a challenging couple of weeks for me. It
seems that I have a parasite and this parasite really has his/her hooks into
me. It is doing the “Macarena” on my intestinal system. I am not in any pain;
but, I am exhausted with the numbers of times I need to use the facilities. At
times I feel like I am prepping for a colonoscopy (if you have had one you know
what I mean). It is really nasty and that, coupled with the fact, that there
are very few public facilities here (both Sagarejo and Tbilisi) – well, it has
been an ordeal.
One of the major concerns of all this is the
“unpredictability” of when my parasite decides that I need to use the
facilities. I can give you example after example, but I think you get the
picture. I had to cancel my trip to Zugdidi as it was a six-hour marsh ride and
there was no way that I could handle that. (The bus/marshs here in Georgia
don’t have bathrooms on board). I was really disappointed as I was to represent
the University of Pennsylvania at a career fair. Friends have told me to name
my parasite and others have said I am just too friendly with my parasite; which
is why he/she has stuck around.
In any event, the PC doctors have been terrific. I
have some additional medication; however, I am told that it takes months/months
to repair the digestive/intestinal systems after events like this. That is fine
with me as long as I know that I am on the road to recovery.
Link
below: European Youth Olympics in
Tbilisi, July 25 – August 1st.
Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, will host the 2015
European Youth Olympics. I am told that I can volunteer to be part of this; so,
I will check it out. http://www.tbilisi2015.com/en/
This
was an amazing experience for me:
As
I was looking out the window of the English Cabinet Room in my school, I
observed many people walking silently in the middle of the street. I did not
know what to make of it; and then, I saw what was happening. It was a funeral.
There were six men holding the casket on their shoulders walking in the middle
of the group. Now, I’ve seen this type of procession before on television;
however, what made this different was that the casket was open. I, along with
everyone else, could see the person in the casket as he was being carried on
the shoulders of the six men. I could see the man in the casket dressed in a
suit with his hands crossed upon his chest. He was lying in fabric of white and
his head was on a pillow. His body was not recessed into the casket; it was
raised up so that everyone could see him lying in state as the procession went
by.
I
am so taken back by this scene. It was so unexpected. I didn’t know what to
make of it. The procession went on for some time with people walking before the
casket and after the casket. There was no conversation; it was quiet. There was
no music as sometimes I’ve seen happen in a funeral marches such as this. There
were no cars in the procession and people who were walking along the sidewalks
stopped and watched as the procession went forward. I didn’t see any flowers or
religious items in the procession. I don’t know where they were going. I assume
the cemetery; but, I don’t know. This was a truly unique experience for me.
English Stress Words - topic of conversation
recently between me and my English Teacher Counter-part. I have never given
this topic any thought, but it was interesting to read.
My 9th grade class was charged with doing
a presentation on some of the “extreme sports.”
I’ve seen two of the presentations so far. The first is “Zorbing” and
the second is “Parkour”. I’ve listed
links below in case you want to explore these topics. I had no idea; but then,
I am not surprised. It seems like someone is always pushing the envelope of
what can be done with the human body.
Georgia named
among 10 saddest countries in the world
Tattooing – So what do you think? Should I get a
tattoo? Any suggestions as to what I should get? The reason I am asking is that good friends of
mine, here in Georgia decided they would get a tattoo before they left
Georgia. I have their permission to talk
about this – so, no names will be mentioned but they are a married couple and
they are in their 70’s. I was just stunned when they told me what they were
going to do. They decided to have “Peace
Corps Georgia 2013-2015” tattooed (in Georgian) onto their upper arms. Wow,
that is a LOT of text. They wanted it placed there so that they could cover it
with a shirt if they didn’t want anyone to see it. But yet the location was not
really hidden so they could see it whenever they wanted. I have asked for a photograph of the art work
and will post it when it arrives in my email.
Here in Georgia birthdays are celebrated like there
is no tomorrow; however, there is one birthday that is not celebrated and I am
told it is hardly even recognized. That birthday is the 40th
birthday! I am reminded of a saying in
America that goes: “The first 40 belong to everyone else; and, the second 40 belong to you.”
Maybe that is the reason; but, I have no idea really. Even though it is not celebrated, I wanted to
buy someone special a special present for her 40th birthday. I
thought about dusting powder, like Jean Nate Dusting Powder; however, here in
Georgia they do not sell ANY kind of body powder. They have lots of face
powder; but, nothing else. I would have liked to know this sooner; but alas, I
did not. Maybe this is a gift for next year.
Useless information - Something to
think about:
I
read a line in a book recently that made me LOL…that is “Do you think that the Burger King and the Dairy Queen will get
married”….now, ponder that J
I
had an interesting soup experience recently; this was a first for me. I love
soup, all kinds and I am always up to trying new things (well, maybe not so
willing here in Georgia); however, once I said I would try it I was committed.
It seems that the family boiled meat (looked like beef) in a pot and the water
that the meat was boiled in was then served as “soup.” There were some herbs in
the broth; but, basically it was boiled water that was flavored by the beef
that was boiled in it. It was LOADED with salt. Well, I had to be diplomatic
about this as the family seemed like they were approaching something wonderful.
They proceeded to load the broth with bread (maybe a quarter of a loaf) and
that is how they ate it (maybe the bread absorbed the salt)? I did eat some;
and then had some of the salty beef…..It is something that I would decline in
the future.
Another
food experience was the introduction of
“Salad” on the table. This was a real surprise for me as during the 11
months I’ve been here I have never been served salad in a Georgian home. I was
so excited. I saw onions, lettuce (not sure what kind), cucumbers and something
else that was green that I have no idea what it was. Well, my excitement turned
to dread when I tasted the salad. I don’t know what kind of dressing was placed
on the salad but it was awful. It tasted like the bottom of a pot that has been
used and not cleaned (sort of like tin, if you know what I mean). Now, I know
my family cleans everything the best they can; so, I cannot fathom what the
dress was. I was not in the room during the preparation; so, I am clueless.
Everyone at the table grabbed at the salad like it was going to disappear if
they didn’t get a portion. I had to mask my portion with the potatoes…it was
the only way that it would go down. I need to investigate this more.
Introducing
the “Hokey-Pokey” to the students was a lot of fun. We didn’t have a lot of
time with this dance; but, the students (3rd grade) just loved it. I
love the “Hokey-Pokey” also….so, I know we will explore this in the weeks to
come.
I
was surprised recently when one of my counter-part teachers showed me a clip of
a TED talk on the computer. Wow, you know about TED? I found that only one
teacher was familiar and I still have not found any students who know about
this. The Georgian’s here in Sagarejo cannot get past playing with FB so they
really don’t see what else the computer has to offer. I was so excited about a TED talk that I
wanted to create a lesson plan around it. It was on the topic of success and
discussed the characteristics (persistence, etc) that go into making one
successful. Well, to my disappointment the teacher didn’t like it. I tried to
draw her out to determine why she didn’t want to do a lesson around it and have
yet to understand why. I think this is an important topic; so, I will continue
to pursue.
Closets
are a “missing” here in Georgia. I have not yet been in a house that has a
closet. Most have wardrobes; that is, a piece of furniture that you can hang
items in or the houses have hooks on the wall so that you can hang stuff on. I
imagine that the Georgian people just don’t have a lot of stuff to place in
closets; so the wardrobe does a sufficient job. However, as an American – I
have lots of stuff. I just don’t have any place to put things. In my host family’s home any excess clothing
that does not fit in the wardrobe or on a hook ends up piled on a chair.
If
I am shopping during the week and I see something that the family needs; like
tea, toilet paper, napkins, Tide laundry detergent (stuff like that); I usually
pick up the items and give to the family. This is in addition to the money that
the Peace Corps give the family to off-set any expense I am being for them. I
am not required to buy anything additional; however, I just want to contribute
and the items are not that expensive. So, what I have been noticing is that
when I buy an item the family stops buying that item. One example is napkins –
now I find that if I don’t buy napkins the family does not buy it. Any items
that I buy the family stops buying.
Now,
I didn’t know what to make of this. I really didn’t want to feel obligated to
buy the item again and again just because I bought it the first time. Honestly,
I started to resent it a little bit. Especially when my finances were low and I
didn’t have extra money for toilet paper.
What
I have come to realize is that once I buy something the family THINKS that this
is something I want to do and that they don’t want to infringe on my buying the
item. Now I see all of this very different and I am very hesitant to buy
anything additional as I just don’t have the resources to supply the family
with staples such as I mentioned on a consistent basis. There is so much I still don’t understand.
Recently,
I was able to bring a company called “Education USA” to my school to talk to
the students and teachers. This was probably one of the, if not the BEST,
experience I’ve had in the school to date. This is a company that helps
students navigate the system in order to study in the USA.
The
10th graders were the target audience; however, I invited 9th,
11th and 12th grades (as well as any teachers) who wanted
to join in. The classroom was packed. I was so happy to see this and even
happier with the behavior of the students. There was not a sound in the room,
with the exception of the Education USA representative who was speaking. She
spoke for 2 lessions; that is 90 minutes. The bell rang half way through the
presentation; but nobody left the room. Students were actually taking notes.
The speaker asked questions and gave a coffee cup to students answering. She
spoke in Georgian so I didn’t follow all of it; but, I did manage to get some
of it. She spoke about what they need to do in order to apply; SAT, TESOL,
etc., She spoke about the timeline and also about money (both to use Education
USA services as well as how to finance an education in the USA).
Days
later the students and teachers were still talking about it. I hear from many,
many students that they don’t think the education in Georgia is top notch and
they want to study outside of the country. They felt that this may be an
opportunity to make that happen. I’ve
also been asked to have the Education USA representative come back and speak to
another school in Sagarejo. We will work towards that goal.
A
fellow PCV has shared some of her books
with me. This is interesting to me because, as you know, I am a book junkie. I
don’t know if I could really do this 27-months here in the PC without books. In
any event, the books were transmitted via email and I was able to move them
onto my Kindle Icon. This was SO COOL. The only down side to this is that I now
read books on the computer; but, I would much rather read books with a “book”
in my hand. However, I am loving all the new titles that she has been sending
me. I found a new author, Michael Connelly and just fell in love with his style
of writing. He writes about murder/suspense/mystery (which are subjects that I
am just enthralled with); but, it is so not typical. I am very often surprised
by his writing and for me that is a thrill. Most times I can pretty much
imagine what is going to happen; but, no so with Michael Connelly.
One
of the interesting things that continues for me here is the face that I cannot
concentrate on any reading materials of great substance. I’ve tried Hemingway
and John Fennimore Cooper (to name two); however, I just cannot focus on the
depths of their writing. I have had spells like this before; but, none that
have lasted so long. Maybe I just have so many other challenges here that I
don’t need to be challenged by what I read. I just read for escape, diversion
and enjoyment.
I
want to close by talking a little about my host family. I just love all these
people. But the one person who consistently has my heart is the grandmother.
This woman is 80 years old and she is a force of nature. She takes no guff from
anyone. She goes toe-to-toe with her son (my host father) and anyone else that
she has a disagreement with. She works in the garden pulling up weeds and
pruning flowers; she feeds the chickens; brings in the wood for the pechi; she
cooks, cleans, etc., etc., but most of
all she watches soap operas. I hate soap operas; but, I like to watch her watching
soap operas. Her attention to the television is 100%. She watches television like the
program is going to reveal the mystery of the universe. She takes her food from
the kitchen table to the TV if her favorite program is on. I make fun of her
and she laughs. I say, soap operas are “kiss, kiss – then – cry-cry” but I act
it out. She just loves it.
We
sit together often in the pechi room and on the porch and just watch sometimes
nothing. She is so warm and loving to me. She tells me, in Georgian, so many
nice things about what she thinks of me. I need my family to interpret; but, I
know it will all be good. I sometimes grab her and dance for a minute if there
is a song on the television. She is always surprised and exhausted when she
finally sits down. We bake potatoes on the pechi and she is always stuffing my
pockets with fruits and vegetables and candy. She speaks to me in Georgian like I should be
a native speaker. I laugh and say “I don’t understand” – of course, I can say
that in Georgian and she laughs….we do communicate in a way that surprised me.
I
have so many fond memories of my own grandmother and at times I can see my own
grandmother when I look at my Georgian Grandmother. My grandmother was a
Russian-Pole so there are many similarities. I feel, at times, that I am
re-living an earlier part of my life to have my grandmother back again. I was
named after my grandmother. Her name was Katie. I never knew if that was a
nickname or if her real name was the same as mine. All I know is that this is
such a unique experience for me.
I
will close for now and promise that my next post will have some photographs
about life here in Georgia. For example, as a walk up and down the mountain I interact with donkeys, sheep, lamb, chickens - who are all welcome in my world. Having a camera is a new experience for me. This is
the first camera that I’ve owned in 30-years, so it is not a habit of mine.
Also, I just cannot get into all the “selfies” that is all the rage. For me, taking
photographs takes me “out of the moment of being present” and it seems like
work to me. But, I will try my best to do better. J
All
my best to everyone out there in blog land!
Catherine
Lawrence, G14
Peace
Corps Volunteer/Georgia – 3/29/15
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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