Blog, April 13, 2015
Hello, My Faithful Readers:
I
am attaching at the bottom of the blog four photographs. The first, as
promised, is the tattoo text that PCV friends had placed on their upper arm. It
says “Peace Corps Georgia 2013-2015”. The second is the newly established library
book corner for the children of Sagarejo School #2. These books were donated to
Peace Corps and then to Georgian Schools from various non-profit organizations
in the United State. Next is a photo of “me” in the English Cabinet during a
recent 9th grade class and finally a photo of the English alphabet
letters that were placed in the English Cabinet.
Today is the end of Easter Break (from school) here
in Georgia (April 9-13, 2015). The link below will provide additional
information on Orthodox Easter Sunday. During conversations with my host family
and friends I hear that even though it is a week later than the Easter holiday
in the states; people here basically do many of the same things. For example:
dying eggs, visiting family and friends and going to the cemetery. Of course,
food plays a big part of this holiday – many of the traditional Georgian food
are served. Eggs here in Georgia are colored ONLY in “red” to represent the
blood of Christ. My host sister went to Easter Services that started at
midnight on Sunday morning and finished at 3:00am on Easter Sunday. It has been raining now for five days and it
is so cold and raw. We all pray for the sun to come out. My host mother is
baking bread and preparing food for the supra.
PCV’s have been advised that during the Easter gathering and visiting the
ancestors’ cemeteries on Monday (4/13/15) will likely result in a higher number of
inebriated drivers, therefore be particularly aware when you are walking home
or crossing the street and also riding the marshrutka.
LELO is an Easter
Tradition – and the video link below shows how Georgians play “Lelo” in
Georgia. Georgians are preparing whole year to play Lelo for the Easter day in
the Shukhuti village. Ball making process is very sacred. The number of players
isn't limited. All the people are divided into two groups and all of them are
willing to score a Lelo, which is the Georgian synonym of try. After the match,
the winner should place the ball on the grave of a glorious person from his
village.
You have to see this
game to believe it. It sort of reminds me of Rugby..all I could do while
watching was place my hand over my mouth…it is worth the 7 minutes!
I am an American and
according to many of my Georgian friends, we Americans do some crazy things. I
say that tongue and cheek as some of my Georgian friends feel comfortable
enough to needle and tease me about some of the things that I do that seem
strange to them.
Some of my crazy habits: I brush my teeth a lot! I drink LOTS of
water and very little wine! I use very little (if any) salt and sugar!
I arrive to places on time or even early! I wash my hands a lot (or
use sanitizer)!
However, over time here I have seen many of my Georgian
friends drinking a LOT more water than they did a few months ago, and the
teachers ask to use my hand sanitizer during the day when I am around. I keep
singing the praises of being hydrated and I think my example maybe getting
through.
I heard something recently that I surely don’t
hear much in the USA; that is, parents calling their children to come home. I
remember as a girl growing up that I heard my parents calling me back to the
house for meals or time to come in; however, in the United States I sure don’t
hear that anymore. Here in Georgia (as when I was growing up) children can go
away from home to play, ride bikes, roller skate or just visit with friends in the
neighborhood without having a parent hovering near. In recent years
parents/grandparents in the US don’t let their children out of their sight. I
will speak for myself; as I would not let my grandchildren go riding their bike
freely around any neighborhood.
Parents in the US watch their kids like hawks;
not so here in Georgia. Children here can roam free as it is a tight knit
community and it seems to be OK here to let your children go on their own (at
times). Children here walk to and from school by themselves; in the US most
families take their children to school and watch them go in with their teacher.
So sad that in the US many children just disappear and so much emphasis is
placed on “stranger danger.” In the US we take fingerprints of our children,
just in case. I am not 100% sure, but I don’t think that happens here (or at
least it is not reported). It is so
refreshing to listen to mothers yelling for their children. It is just a normal
thing to do here. I didn’t realize how
we just don’t do that in the USA any longer.
News
Flash! All this time and I didn’t realize that there are NO soap operas
broadcasted on Sundays here in Georgia. Of course this is not earth shattering
news; but, I never put it together before now. Oh well!
Unforgettable Energy of Freedom - you may need to cut and paste into your
browser.
The above link is to a short video (3minutes or so) of
Georgian Dancing that takes place at various locations around Tbilisi. Really
something to see!
Pictures…..as promised in an earlier blog, I have
attached to the bottom of the blog a photo of the tattoo that my friends here
in Georgia had placed on their upper arm. It says” Peace Corps Georgia
2013-3015”. My friends are really happy with their tattoo and felt that this
was the best souvenir that could bring home. I don’t plan to do anything that
elaborate; however, I have been thinking about getting one also. They said it
does not hurt that much – ouch! My friends are in their early 70’s.
The big news in my life is that I am going to see if
I can rent an apartment/flat here in Sagarejo. ბინა = Bina (which
means apartment in Georgian.) I have been living with host families now for
almost a year and I thought it might be a good idea to see if I could live on
my own here in Georgia. I do love living where I do (on the mountain) and it
may end up that I won’t move; but I am putting out the feelers with teachers
and friends to see if there is anything affordable and safe for me. Here in
Georgia when you rent it comes furnished with all the dishes, pots/pans,
linens…etc., etc. So, it won’t be a big financial investment to move. Sagarejo
is very poor; and there are very few apartment buildings. I’ve heard that all
the apartments are occupied; however, one apartment dweller said she would move
back with her parents if I wanted to rent her “bina”. I did go and look and it
was very nice; but, it was SO BIG – six rooms without counting kitchen and
bathroom. I just could not afford that much space and also, since I have to pay
for gas and electric, I could not afford to heat it next winter. I had another
possibility; however, this apartment didn’t have any water (sorry, that won’t
work). And another possibility was the place was heated by a fire place. Well,
I am not so sure about that…I feel like I am part of “little house on the
prairie” So often here in Georgia I feel that I am living in the 18th
or early 19th century; that is, until a car flies by and almost hits
me. So, we shall see what happens.
I’ve noticed time and time again how direct the
Georgian people are in how they communicate. At times it catches me off guard
as for some reason I don’t expect it. For some reason I’ve had the impression
that Georgian people are mild, reserved and laid back and most times they are. Somehow I interpreted that to mean they were
not confrontational and direct; however, I am mistaken. Many times I am hit
from left field with questions that I surely would not ask anyone. For example;
I am always put on the spot by a Georgian to tell me what my religion is.
Another big question is why I am not married and do I want a Georgian husband?
Of course in these situations I have to lie as I don’t want to upset anyone
with my answers.
Georgian people are so direct in asking “why not.”
For example, when I say “No thank you” especially for some of the food and
alcohol that is offered; most time (and immediately) the person offering will
say “why not?” (their tone is very targeted).
It does put me on the spot as I don’t want to hurt feelings – but, the
question is posed in such a way as to not accept my refusal. I sometimes just
want to take what is offered (even if I don’t want it) just to avoid having to
provide an answer. It is a high wire act at times for me. However, I have been
learning and find that I am now so much better as responding, in kind, when
these kinds of situations arise. It seems that it is OK to do that; in fact, I
think the honesty is a cleaner way to respond rather than trying to not ruffle
feathers.
In class the other day, the 6th grade
class, a student was copying from the text book and wrote “The peace of
jewelry was not to be worn.” I spoke to the teacher and the student who copied
the sentence and said that “peace” was not correct. They both looked at me so
strange. Their question was how can that be, it is in the book. We had a
discussion about Peace/Piece and the differences in meaning (although
they sound the same but have different meanings). I don’t think they believed
me as you see “it was in the book.” They said, is the book wrong and I said
yes. I don’t get to see the book very often that the teacher uses so I wonder
what else is being taught that is not correct.
So often I find the students, in a word “brazen” is
the best way I can describe it. They look you right in the face and just do as
they please and even give you a smile as they know nothing will be done about
their behavior. They have no fear of just saying “No” to handing over their
cell phone, toys, doodle papers and anything else that is taking their
attention away from the lesson. I have not been in many US classrooms (as I was
not a classroom teacher) so maybe it’s the same all over; but, I can remember (back
in the olden days) that there was usually at least one (maybe two) students in
the class who are disruptive and troublesome. Well, in many of the classrooms
I’ve been in here in Georgia the opposite is true. Usually there are a handful
of students who are respectful and quiet trying to do their work. However, the
majority fall into the category of brazen and disrespectful. I could handle a
couple of unruly students but when the majority is acting out it is so
difficult, if not impossible, to teach. It is exhausting trying to be heard
over the talking, laughing, clowning around, running around and often foot
stomping and desk pounding. I could go on, but there is no point. Many adults
when confronted with this behavior smile and they say how lively the children
are. There are always excuses.
One of the things that I am looking forward to when
(and if) I can move into my own place is that I will have more control over my
food. The other day my host mother made spinach. Now, I was ecstatic. I could
not wait to sit down at the table. However, it was short lived as the family
eats the spinach fried in oil. The spinach was swimming in oil and I lost any
desire. I just could not figure out how to squeeze out the oil so I could eat
the spinach; so, I just figured I would refrain from eating altogether. I want
to get a colander so that I can steam vegetables….and figure out how to get
some butter buds.
A fellow PCV and I
have formed a book club. This is very exciting news for me. We have been
trading books back and forth; however, now we have selected a book read for
April and then will meet in May to have a discussion. In my past life, before
Peace Corps, I was a member of the Great Books foundation. I so loved this
group and the books and discussions that were had. I don’t think we are going
to read the heavy books that I used to read (I just cannot concentrate on
anything to deep), so we are going to read “the Hitchhikers Guide to the
Galaxy.” I read it years ago and like, occasionally to read books over at
different points in my life. I cannot wait to see what my second reading will
unfold.
My parasite is still
hanging on. Things have gotten a little better; however, I am told that it will
be months before my system is completed refurbished. I don’t feel sick and I am
keeping records of what I am eating to see if I can fake out the parasite. Ok, Ok – I am LOL as I am writing this and
wondering if I have been in country to long J
I have written another
article for my series in OpEdNews. Title
is “A Change of Plan.” I so enjoy writing about my experiences.
I had occasion to be
on the metro one day during the week (as I am usually on the metro only on the
weekends). So, I was surprised to see so many children begging for money on the
metro. These children, maybe 7 or 8 years old; who were carrying babies and
begging for money were in abundance both on the metro and in the station. There are always policemen in the stations;
so, I wondered why these children were allowed to do this? I wondered why these children were not in
school. I wondered why the people on the
train gave them money over and over again. It is upsetting to me to see this
happen. The baby they were carrying looked drugged and the child that was
carrying the baby held it out in front of it at arms length. Kind of like how
they hold religious items in a procession.
I am usually home on
Mondays as my school schedule does not have me teaching on Mondays. This is a
good thing on the one hand; and on the other hand; on Fridays I have six
classes. But it is nice to have a Monday off. However, what has been happening
is that most Mondays the electricity goes off. Usually from around 10am to 3pm
there is no electric. So, it is day light; however, I cannot work in my room as
my electric heater won’t work. Of course the good news is no TV and NO serial
soap opera; but it sure is inconvenient. It happens with great regularity so I
think maybe it is a planned event rather than weather related.
During the school day
we, the teachers, often find students sleeping at their desk during the lesson.
I have a hard time with, among other things, and I want to have the student
either wake up or leave the room. I am told by the teachers that sleeping is ok
sometimes as the students are tired. So, this got me thinking and I think I
know why they are tired. I can relate this to my experience in my host family.
Many, many times that I get up to go to the bathroom at say 1:00 am or so, I
hear my host family talking down on the 1st floor (pechi room). I
can hear everything as there is no insulation and the floors are thin. I am
amazed that it is so late and yet they are still up watching television, talking
and laughing. This happens most night; it is not an occasional happening. This
also happened when I was in Osiauri during pre-service training. My host family
there was up singing, watching television, listening to songs way into the
middle of the night. I often had to go down and ask them to please stop as I
could not sleep. It is a no wonder why they are tired during the school day. I
don’t think my host family is unique in this behavior.
I will close for now.
As I said earlier it has been raining for days. It is good for the garden as
plants are starting to show signs of life; however, it is depressing. Until we
meet next time!
All the best to my
Faithful Readers:
Catherine Lawrence,
G14
Peace Corps Volunteer
April 13, 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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