Sunday, December 20, 2015
Blog, December 20, 2015
20
Months Served/7 Months Remaining
Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year, 2016!
Hello, My Faithful Readers:
Here I am writing my last blog of 2015. I imagine I
could write about all the happenings of this past year of Peace Corps Service;
but, I have already done that in my 2015 blogs. It has been a tremendous year;
actually one of my best. As hard and challenging as my life has been I would
not trade it. So, let me catch you up on what has been happening and what my
plans are to celebrate the holidays.
On December 23rd I will go to Tbilisi to
catch a flight to Zurich, Switzerland. Once in Switzerland I connect with the
River Boat cruise line that I sailed the Danube River last Christmas/NY and I
also sailed the Makong River this past summer. I so enjoy the river cruises as
I feel so taken care of traveling in this way. After four months of living in Sagarejo
and attending and teaching grades 1st to 12th; I really
need to be taken care of. J
I will spend time in Zurich, Lucerne and then travel
to Basel to pick-up the river boat for a sail on the Rhine River. We will
travel through France, Germany and end the tour in Amsterdam. I fly home to
Tbilisi at that point. I am very excited about this trip as I have never been
to any of the cities we will visit. I have posted a copy of the map so you can
see the route the tour will take. Of course, I will give an account of my
adventures when I return in January, 2016.
I’ve also connected with a few SERVAS members in
Zurich and Lucerne and I will be hosted for dinner on the 25th, 26th,
and 27th by different host families. This will be a terrific
experience for me. Not only Christmas in Switzerland (with sailing on Lake
Lucerne, a trip to Mt. Rigi “the Queen of the Swiss Mountains” and/or Mt.
Pilatus (which alleges the mountain is the resting place of Pontius Pilate) –
including views of the Alps (among other adventures); but getting to meet local
SERVAS folks in both Zurich and Lucerne. Life is good, sports fans’J.
All of this even before I board the river boat…..
Before I move onto life as it is at present; I must
say that I am a little sad with missing another Christmas in Philadelphia. I
miss my family as Christmas celebration is really a very special time. I will
survive; but I sure miss celebrating with everyone back home!
Ok, back to Georgia….As part of the new English
Cabinet SPA grant; the school wanted a map of the United States. I had to order
one from Amazon as I could not get one here in Tbilisi (which I thought was
kind of odd). In any event, it is a large map that is laminated so that it will
stand the test of time and students. The
students are always asking me questions about the map; so, I have started to
give little mini-lectures on various states. The students ask me to tell them
about Washington, DC., Philadelphia; LA; Chicago and so on…one-by-one I am
covering each of the states. I am thrilled with this as I feel that I have
their attention. They don’t talk around me or over me; they listen. It has
really been fun for me as I do the research on the States they want to know
about and then share it with the students.
I’ve also been giving mini-lecture on Idioms and
Slang words in English. This has also been lots of fun for both me and the
students. Again, for some reason I am holding their interest. Of course, the
sessions only last about fifteen minutes as the real lesson has to be
accomplished; but, I think in that time the students get a taste of something
new and unfamiliar.
Georgia is not on daylight savings time and that is
a problem for me. Reason being is that when I get up in the morning at 7:00am
or so; it feels like the middle of the night. It is not until almost 8:00am
that there is some light. I have to make my way down to the bathroom using my
flashlight; and towel, toothbrush/paste and of course my chamber pot. It is a
tricky path as trying to balance all this with the steps slippery from the frost
– well, just to say I wish they had daylight savings time. It is still like to
almost 6:00pm; but, what good does that do me.
The Georgian schools don’t have anything on the
order of parent/teacher meetings. I don’t know why I didn’t pick up on this
last year; but then last year I think I was so numb I didn’t realize a lot of
things. In any event, I’m told, that some parents have never stepped inside the
school. They have no idea what their child/children are or have done in the
classroom. The parents of the younger students often times stand around all day
waiting for their children to be finished with school. As with most ideas that I bring up to the
teachers; the idea of instituting parent/teacher night does not gain any
traction and then it just dies a natural death.
Hospitality it said to be a hallmark of Georgia. The
people of Georgia have overall prided themselves in the hospitality that they
offer; however, sometimes I am left to question just exactly what that means. Most
times when people visit hospitality is offered in the form of food or drink;
and that is nice. But, there have been times when I have been walking in the
rain/snow/slush/sunshine when I have seen neighbors and or extended family
members wave to me and ride by in their cars. When I arrive home I see their
cars very close by where I live – so, I question where the hospitality is in
those kinds of actions. I just scratch my head.
I have a new name at the school; as the English
Teachers now call me their angel. I know this is because of the grant and the
money it has provided; but, it is not my money. It is provided by the US
government; but, since I was the go-between I am getting the credit. The grant
was a lot of work and initially I was not very happy to dedicate the time and
energy to prepare it. I did complain a lot (to myself and my friends) and
probably would not have followed through on it if I had known it was not a
requirement of service. I spent almost two months writing and fine tuning the
requirements of the grant as well as working with the school to determine what
they wanted to spend the money on. The
bottom line in all this is that everyone in the school, teachers, students,
parents and me are just thrilled with how it all turned out. We are still
putting the finishing touches on it and many teachers are actually buying
little things to add to the room. In addition to English the Russian teacher is
now also using the room.
I do hope that the new equipment and new
configuration of the room will put to rest the “Broken Window” theory. Below is
a link that will provide information if you are not aware of it. As I Combat this theory in the English Room
it seems to be working. I realize that the desks, chairs and other items in the
room already have been vandalized; however, with my continuous attention of not
allowing further vandalism – the students seem to be avoiding making matters
worse than they already are. I am not sure if anyone has ever told the students
“no, don’t do that!” When I say it, they look at me like I have snakes crawling
out of my hair. Their faces are a mold of “why not?” I am continuously working
to combat this theory. The students pull the heating units away from the wall
and as a result some of the units don’t provide heat any longer. They pull the
black molding around the window away so that the windows don’t close properly.
I could go on; but I am hoping that the English Room will be an example as to
taking ownership of their school to make it the best possible.
We have received books from many donors and I bet we
have about 300 English books which focus on all grades. We also have CD’s and
DVD’s including “Pirates of the Caribbean.” One of the private schools in
Tbilisi has donated old used text books on topics that range from Chemistry to
Literature and everything in-between. PCV’s can take as many books as we can
carry back to our site; so, we now also have lots of reference books (all in
English). I can just sit and look at the books on the shelf. We do have to keep
them locked up as we are concerned that they may just walk away without our
knowledge.
The popup books are such a great hit with the
children. They don’t expect, when I turn the page, for a picture to come at
them in 3D. I don’t know if they have ever seen books like this. I can tell you
that even the older students, Grade 7, oohhh and ahhh as I bring the story to
life; however, the little guys are just frozen watching for what comes next in
the story. I just love being a part of this. Most times the students want me to
read it a second time and then to read it again the next day. It does not seem
to matter that they have read the story before. They love the 3D aspect (and so
do I).
I noticed that when the teacher returns the test
papers to the students the students do not get to keep their test papers. I’m
told that if a student requests to keep their test paper (and that is rare) the
teacher will Xerox a copy for them. Again, I didn’t pick up on this last year.
I’m told that the test papers are required so that the teacher can back up the
grade that she gives the student. But, I question all of this as there is so
much cheating going on I really don’t know what the value of the grade would
be? It makes me very sad watching the cheating and the students are not even
hiding it. They boldly take another student’s paper and copy verbatim what the
other student has written. The teacher usually has her head down doing
something else in the roll call book. I am watching; but, they don’t care. They
smile at me and just keep on cheating. The disrespect is horrible and this also
makes me sad. I sometimes think they don’t even realize that they are doing
something wrong by cheating.
It snowed for the first time in early December. The
ground was covered with a white coating that made me wonder what kind of winter
we will have. Last year it was cold and we had some snow; but, overall you would
consider the winter last year fairly mild. I hope that is the cast this year;
so we shall see.
Water, Water is another BIG topic in winter. I’ve
heard from some PCV’s that they don’t have water at their site. No one knows
really why that is or why it comes back on; it just does. Here at my site I
have water; however, it is SO COLD I can barely brush my teeth and wash my
face. It is like ICE. One day I just said “no way” I am just going to go to
school with a dirty face; just too cold to wash. It feels like ice coming out
of the spigot. I don’t know why the hot water heater is not working. I will ask
my host family but I don’t expect a comprehensive answer. Most times what I get
in response is “Georgia!” and they shrug their shoulders.
This will be my second winter here. I can say that
with the gas heater on the 2nd floor (where I sleep) and my little
electric heater I am in pretty good shape. Some PCV’s have to sleep on the
floor near the Pechie; so, I am grateful that I can sleep in my bed and be nice
and toasty. Although the temperature has not dipped down into the teens or
below; so, it all remains to be seen. However, everyday that I am warm is
something to write home about.
My back often is sore here (both at my home and the
school). I think that is because I always seem to be bending over as there is
not a lot of space to place stuff on that would be of waist height. Of course,
Georgian’s don’t have as much stuff as Americans; so for them it does not seem
to be an issue. What limited table top space there is just does not accommodate
packages; items needed for daily use – so I need to place these items on the
floor and then I am always bending over/down to get the item I need. I often
use Advil to combat this.
I was in Tbilisi to have some blood work done
(routine) and finally was able to get to the Chinese ”take-out” store. It is
called “Fire Wok”. I was in heaven….had
chicken and noodles and also rice and vegetables. It was served in the traditional
Chinese take-out box….(I could have also eaten the box) - J.
The downside to this is that I usually end up with a stomach ache as I am just
not used to eating large portions. As much as my eyes want to eat it; but
stomach is in revolt; but, since I can do this so irregularly I let my eyes
take the lead as I rarely look forward to eating the food here; so, when I am
drooling over what is being cooked in the wok; nothing will stand in my
way!!!!!!
Some news about Georgia:
Christmas Tree seeds now main export product from
Georgia. An artificial insemination laboratory for beekeeping has been opened
in Tbilisi. Georgia’s first “Crowne Plaza” hotel opened in Borjomi and new
regulations to promote road safety will come into force on January 1st,
2016.
The above are just some of the things
(non-political) happening here in Georgia. I’ve list the link below for the
source “Georgia Today” if you would like to read further on these and other
topics.
The IWA – International Women’s Association had a
terrific Christmas Bazaar at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Tbilisi - early
December. It was terrific to see so many handmade items by Georgians as well as
other nationalities that live here in Tbilisi. I did buy some English novels at
the American Corner as well as a little stained glass Christmas stocking that I
place in my window. When the sun hits it – well, it shines so bright. I hope
that Santa sees it and will bring me (or better yet) to continue to bring me
lots of good stuff….
2016 is right around the corner and with the new
coming year my service with the Peace Corps will end. I often feel that I have
been here a lifetime; and then at other times it feels like a blink of an eye.
I have many decisions to make in the New Year.
I have had a new thought recently about the possibility of continuing
with Peace Corps in their Response Program. This is a program for PCV’s who
have completed their initial service and still want to continue to serve. These
positions are for a shorter period than the initial 27 months. The Response
Program can include a 4, 8 or 12 months commitment. These positions are not
only in Georgia; they are all over the world and since this is what I want to
do (work and travel) this may be an option for me. We shall see……Stay tuned.
So, my final paragraph on 2015 will be a
confession….ready for this, I am In-Love. His name is George and he is in the 2nd
grade. I have been watching this little boy now since I arrived at the school.
I have felt so sad for this child for a number of reasons (that I won’t all go
into). But I have watched him sit in the back of room and purposely sit all by
himself. He never participated in any of the classroom activities, never wrote
in his copy book (not that he had one) and never opened his text book. I tried
on many occasions to sit him with other students; however, little George would
just end up by himself sometimes putting his head down on the desk.
I am not sure what changed or exactly when it
changed; but, little-by-little - me and
the classroom teacher started to see some life come into this child. Of course
he never had a copy book but when he looked like he wanted to write the
vocabulary words we gave him blank paper and he began writing the words. We
watched as he moved away from the back row and also purposely sat beside
another student. He has been sitting in
the front row and gets to the room early so that he can claim his seat. To me,
this is all a Christmas present. He is now reading out loud and participating
with the class. He goes to the black board and does the matching game. When I
see this transformation, I am just overwhelmed.
My counter-part teacher is very kind and says that
my attention to this child, along with giving a sticker for participation, has
given him what he needed to try and do the work. I give my attention to all the
children and give stickers to all the children, but little George is special. I
know that my presence in the classroom helps as the counter-parts teachers just
cannot do it all alone. The extra attention the children get is worth my being
here.
So, my Faithful Readers, I will close now for 2015.
It has been an amazing rollercoaster ride. I have so many ideas for 2016 and of
course will share and write about them as the New Year unfolds.
I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a terrific 2016!
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.
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