Blog,
May 12, 2015
Hello, My Faithful Readers:
I've attached four photographs. The first is the art work that was done for me by students at the Kakheti Community College (I mentioned this in the blog). The second is me and some new SERVAS friends at the KGB bar in Tbilisi. The third is me and my counter-part at the "open lesson" teaching the 3rd grade and finally a photo taken from the doorway on the Envoy Hostel in Tbilisi. The hostel is on a mountain and it is a real challenge to walk up (at least for me).
A couple of holidays in Georgia (May 9th
& 12th)
This day (May 9th) that marks
the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War.
It was first inaugurated in the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union following
the signing of the surrender document late in the evening on 8 May 1945 (after
midnight, thus on 9 May, by Moscow Time). In 1965 it became a national
holiday.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Day_(9_May)
May 12th is also a holiday here n
Georgia. It is Apostle Andrew’s Day. I have listed a link (below) that will
provide information on this Georgian holiday. In keeping with the holiday
traditions; schools are closed along with banks and other government offices.
It is GREAT to have a day off!
May 10th (Sunday) was Mother’s Day in the
United States. I want to wish all my friends a belated “Happy Mother’s Day.” I
remember last year that I so totally forgot Mother’s Day. Last year I found it
so hard to concentrate on anything other than just surviving daily living and
the Pre-Service Training that I was enrolled in with the Peace Corps. I think I
have matured (well maybe a little) so now I can see a little something “outside
of the cave!” J
I just had another article published in OpEdNews.
The title is: Out of the Box
and talks about how different my life is now living here on the mountain, in
the Republic of Georgia, with the Peace Corps. Hope you enjoy!
News:
We have a new PIG!
Yes,
this is very big news here on the mountain in Sagarejo. The PIG is so small -
really a baby that will grow and grow and then he will be “the dinner” for
Christmas and beyond. This is life here
on the mountain where chickens disappear (onto the dinner plate) and the PIG is
groomed in order to serve as our food. I am just not used to seeing it happen.
Anyway, Wilber2 has arrived. I didn’t see him come home in the car (I wish I
would have); but, I’ve seen him in the PIG house and watch as the family takes
food out to him. I’ve also seen him running around the garden. I wonder why he
does not run away.
Here we are in the month of May, actually mid-May,
and yet I am no warmer than I was in April. It is still raining a lot and it is
still bone-chilling cold. Recently we lost electricity here at my home. One of
the wires that deliver electricity to our house broke off so we were the only
house on the road without electricity. When I looked at the wire setup I was
floored as the wires were all frayed. Not sure, but I don’t think they should
be like that. My family was using one of the grandmother’s walking sticks to
try and piece the wires back together. I just could not watch. In any event, we
were without power for 24-hours as we had to wait for my host father to return
home from work in Tbilisi. I had to wear and even sleep with many layers of
clothing (including my winter coat) under my sleeping bag and blanket. It was
so cold. I was not this cold during the winter.
Of course this is my experience but I’ve found that
Georgian’s talk a lot. This goes for both adults and children. The children
talk continuously in school. They talk, talk, talk before, during the entire
class time and after class. At times my ears hurt listening to all the chatter.
If I have a question by the time I can get to ask it I usually forgot what I
was going to ask. I imagine that this could also be said of the
talking/listening situation in the USA and other countries as well; but, all
this became really clear to me living here.
I don’t have a command of the Georgian language so I
am really not sure what everyone is talking about at times. In the classroom the
children talk whenever the spirit moves them. Most times it has nothing to do
with the lesson being taught. When I ask them what they are talking about they
usually look at me with a confused expression. I watch as the teacher(s) have
to talk louder and louder in order to be heard over the children’s voices and
yet the teacher still continue to try and teach. I sit in stunned silence
watching this. It is extremely exhausting.
I’ve attached a photograph of a sort of painting
that was done for me by the students at the Community College. It is very
beautiful and I will have some kind of frame made so that I can hang it up. You
cannot see from the photograph; however, the material is wool or some type of
yarn. The material is not flat. It is most unusual and I am so proud that it
was done for me.
Rose Cognac – at a recent birthday party (that I
wrote about in a previous blog) in Koda (the IDP camp – Internally Displaced
Persons) someone brought to the table a bottle of Rose Cognac. Well, I have
never tasted anything like this. It smelled like roses and tasted a little like
roses also. It was delicious and I drank way too much of it. I was told that
you cannot buy it; but that local Georgians make it. I did do some research on
the web and did find a product call Rose Cognac; but since I’ve not tried it
not sure if it is the same as what I had at the party. I would really like to
buy some as it will be a nice treat once in a while!
Over the 1st weekend in May the SERVAS
organization I belong to conducted a Regional Meeting. I was totally amazed at
the countries that were represented:
They were, in no particular order: Ukraine, Sweden,
Poland, Iran, Turkey, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Russia, Australia, Malaysia
and of course GEORGIA.
I spent a
great weekend with representatives who work to forward the SERVAS Organization.
The women who organized the conference arranged for a Welcome Dinner at a place
called “Old Teflis.” (below link). It was an amazing space. We had dinner on the
top deck of the restaurant/hotel. They had plush chairs outside, lots of wine
and good food (chicken and potatoes – yum). The company was great and also the
weather. It was a beautiful and warm spring evening. It was wonderful getting
to know people from so many countries. The next day we had a scavenger hunt.
All of this, by the way, took place in “Tbilisi Old City.” We had to find a
variety of places and take pictures or get business cards to prove we were
there. This was great for me as it was my first time in Old City. I got to see
a little bit and will explore more.
We then went onto the SERVAS Business meeting at the
Youth Palace (see link below). There was a lot of conversation around the
countries represented as to where they were in recruiting new members and also
talking about the possibility of joint regional ventures for the group. Another
topic was “where” the next meeting would be and we think it will be in
September in Croatia. Wow, that would be terrific. I just hope I have enough PC
vacation time in order to do it. I’ve listed below some information on SERVAS
International.
I have all kinds of phone numbers and email
addresses and LOTS of invitations to explore all of the countries represented
and then some…ah, some many travels and so little time J
I stayed the weekend in Tbilisi Hostel in Old City
called the “Envoy”. Most of the visitors were also staying at the hostel so it
was great to have time before and after to just sit and talk. The hostel
provides a simple breakfast. I was placed in a room with 6 beds (3 bunk beds).
I requested and received a lower bunk as I don’t think I could manage to get
myself up to the top shelf (HA). The place was so clean and new. There were
lots of bathrooms and shower facilities. It was overall a great experience and
I know I will go back again. The PC cost was 20Gel a night, which works out to
$8.58 a night( USD). Can’t beat that! Also, as a PCV once I stay there five
times I get the sixth night free.
Servas
International is an international, non-profit, non-governmental federation of
national Servas groups, encompassing an international network of hosts and
travelers.
The
purpose of the network is to help build world peace, goodwill and understanding
by providing opportunities for personal contacts among people of different
cultures, backgrounds and nationalities. Servas promotes trust, tolerance,
open-mindedness and respect, so that people can live in peaceful coexistence.
Our members value understanding of different cultures, gender equality and
diversity in ethnicity, ideology, sexuality and nationality.
Below is a link about Georgian Wines that you
may be interested in reading about. For myself, I don’t like wine but I will
drink it if there is nothing else. Maybe I don’t understand wine as it seems to
be such a hit with so many people. Where I live, in the Kekheti Region, it is
famous for the grapes that make the wine!
I’ve listed below the link for the National
Museum here in Georgia. Unfortunately I didn’t get to tour the museum during
the SERVAS conference as I had to get back to site in Sagarejo. I am sure I
will go another time.
Every spring, before school lets out for the summer,
each teacher must present a class in the “Open Lesson” format. What that means
is that the Director, Deputy Director and various other classroom teachers will
observe how a teacher conducts her classroom. Well, I got to observe many
teachers and I was just amazed at how well behaved the children were. I just
could not get over how quiet, respectful and how they participated without
ending up fighting each other or screaming.
My counter-part and I did our “Open Lesson” with the
3rd grade. The behavior of the children was stellar. I did one
exercise with the children. I gave each team (there were four teams of four
students each) a word; for example – LAPTOP, SMILES (the words had to be six
letter). The students then had to write down as many words as they could that
begun with each of the letters in their given word. They had a couple of
minutes to do it. The children came up with 28, 17, 12, 40 words (I was
thinking maybe they should have all been given the same work). Oh well, it went
well except I was suppose to buy a small prize for the winner (but I forgot).
So, I gave the winning table a sheet of stickers and the children were happy.
At the end of the lesson I did a round of Simon Says
with the Children. I like to do a Simon Says of “doing the twist” and I do it
also with the children. They just love it and so do I.
I’m told that after all the teacher do their “Open
Lesson” there are debrief sessions scheduled so that constructive advice can be
given as to what worked and what didn’t. I don’t think I will be involved in
that.
News about Peace Corps Ne pal :
I am sure many of
you are following the news and have seen the terrible destruction in Nepal
following the earthquake. Thankfully, all Peace Corps staff and Volunteers are
safe. Now begins the long road to recovery and Peace Corps has asked that we
keep them, and their Nepali host families, partners, and friends, in our
thoughts. We are all part of the beautiful fabric of this interwoven Peace
Corps community around the globe and now, more than ever, we need to stay
united and send good thoughts to our colleagues.
Travel Restriction: Nepal
Due to the recent earthquake, PC/Nepal
is restricting Volunteer travel to that post until further notice. All 32
trainees and 53 volunteers are temporarily leaving Nepal and returning to the
United States.
FYI – The word “Tbilisi” (of
course, the capital of Georgia) means “Warm.”
One of the benefits of being a Peace Corps Volunteer
is that we have the opportunity to bring money into the school or communities.
The way this is done is to prepare a grant.
Before I fully realized how much work was involved; I told my
counter-parts that I would do a grant for the school. Brother, did I make a
mistake.
There is so much work involved; believe me if I had
the money I would just write a check and be done with it. The grant is for $2.000
USD, which is about 4,400GEL (Georgian currency). I have met with the teachers
and at times I am just frustrated with this whole process. I am trying to
include all the four counter-part teachers; but, it is so hard (scheduling) to
get everyone together. The other issue is that not everyone can agree on what
to buy or what to do. I want to have the grant submitted by the time school
closes for the summer and that date is June 12th. This will be a big
challenge for me; but, I gave my word and I will do it.
For some reason I’ve been hearing many people talk
about the Georgian Military Road. I think one tour company here does a tour
that includes the Military Highway. I am not sure but I think at one point I
was actually on this road; in any event, I just thought it was interesting and
wanted to share it here in my blog.
The time is almost here. Yes, the school year is
ending in less than one month – June 12th! The first semester was four months long
(September – December); and that felt ok. We were all ready for a break after
four months. However, the second semester (January – June) is six months (or
maybe 5-1/2) but then who is counting. I know for myself that I am just
stretched thin and counting the days until school ends. I know there is no
other way that it could be done (considering the holidays); but the second
semester is just too long.
I was treated to lunch with some new friends on
Mother’s day at a restaurant called Culinarium. When the driver stopped and
said we were at the restaurant I just looked at him in disbelief. I thought if
this was the place then we were at the back entrance, you know where they keep
the trash containers. The building looked like it was falling down; however there
were many cars parked and lots of people walking around. When I finally got out
of the cab and found the entrance (the entrance was not marked) to the
restaurant; well, you could have knocked me over. It was an amazing space. The
link below, click on the British icon for English, will give some background
and pictures. At times, while in Tbilisi, I find it hard to believe that I am
Georgia.
I’m told that initially it was a cooking school (and
still is) as well as a restaurant; where regular people can come for cooking
lessons. The restaurant is excellent. The chef is well known in Georgia and she
has a following. The place was packed, not a seat to be had. I cannot tell you
how well fed I was when I left. I ate so many shrimps! I actually had shrimp
for desert. It was a memorable Mother’s Day as well as another Georgian
experience!
All the best, my
Faithful Readers and I will see you again at the end of May for the continuing
saga of “My life as a Peace Corps Volunteer” J
Catherine
Lawrence, G14
Peace Corps
Volunteer/Georgia – 5/12/15
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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