Thursday, May 26, 2016
Hello, My Faithful Readers
May 26, 2016
25
Months Served/01 Month Remaining
Well folks, I am packing. I mean I am really packing
as I will be living in Tbilisi as of June 30th. ! I hope by the time
I post this blog I will be able to give you the skinny on my new
apartment/flat. I’ve been touring apartments and for one reason or another
e.g., too big/too small; too much money;
too far away from the city; I could go on….but I am standing that I will find
the best I can do and move in on June 15th. In this way I will have
a couple of weeks to relocate before I leave service on June 30th,
2016!
Success!
I did it….I have rented an apartment (or Flat)
here in Tbilisi. The e-link does not work so I can’t send photographs – so, I
will gush about it here instead. It is a (1) bedroom flat and seriously, it is
too big for me. I am used to living in small spaces (I have a studio apartment
in USA) and I have not had a bedroom for 18 years. However, with all that said
– it is a lovely apartment.
The location is in the Vere/Vake section of the
city. This is a very residential area and I just love it. It is kind of the
Rittenhouse Square (specific to Philadelphia) area of Tbilisi. There are lots
of shops, outdoor fruit and vegetable stands. It has a neighborhood feel to it,
like SoHo in New York City.
It is on the 2nd floor so I won’t have to
deal with the elevators. Phewwww.. that is a relief as elevators here in
Georgia leave something to be desired. The staircase to the 2nd
floor is in open view (and I like that). Of course, I will have my own bathroom
(OMG); a living room, a sun room; kitchen and bedroom. The flat is in the back
of the building so I’m told it will be very quiet. It does face other apartment
buildings in the back – not a great view but the trees block some of the view.
The windows have screens (which is unheard of here in Georgia). Also, heavy
duty drapes on the windows (another usual feature) as most houses have very
thin curtains on the windows.
I will have a puzzle table and a WASHER….I am so
excited to have both. I am a jigsaw puzzle addict and I’ve been without my
puzzle fix now while here in Georgia. My family let me use their puzzle table;
but when they had an event I had to dis-assemble it – so, I often didn’t even
start it. L
In Georgia when you rent it comes furnished with
everything; dishes, silverware, glasses, pots/pans; sheets; blankets; towels….I
could go on. I won’t need to buy anything (which is exactly what I had in
mind). Another feature is Air Conditioning….can
you believe it? I don’t know if I will use it as it is expensive to use;
but, it will be there in the event that I need it.
I take possession on June 15th. Not sure
how I am going to manage moving my stuff from Sagarejo to Tbilisi; but if there
is only one thing that Peace Corps has taught me is that I will figure it out.
The next time I write; which will be the FINAL blog for my Peace Corps
Adventure (at the end of June) I will have some pictures to post.
Here in Georgia, and especially where I live in
Sagarejo, there are so many birds. The sounds are so beautiful and abundant – I
just love sitting and listening. I always think back, years ago, when the
book “Silent Spring” was written. When I
hear the birds here I am sure that the prediction of a “Silent Spring” is not
going to happen, at least here and at this time. I am glad.
During the 1st grade class recently the
classroom teacher (my counter-part) wrote notes on the blackboard and told the
students to write the information in their notebook. However, one little girl
came up to the board and took pictures of the backboard with her phone. I am
still laughing thinking about that. I do remember in college that students took
pictures of the blackboard notes; but here we are at the 1st grade
level. It is the future.
My Timex Watch strap broke; what a bummer. However,
I actually found a Timex distributor here in Georgia and I actually knew where
the store was. Progress! They didn’t have any watch straps in stock; but, will
order one so that I can once again wear my watch. I would have bet money that I
was going to have to wait until I got back to the States to have it fixed; so,
I am really happy. However, it has not
been a happy ending. The store promised me assistance; but didn’t come through.
It seems that even if they had the new strap they didn’t have anyone to install
it. A friend is going back to the States in June and will see about having it
fixed.
I was recently informed that my school (Sagarejo
School #2) won’t be getting a Peace Corps Volunteer after I leave. I and my
counter-part teachers were disappointed; but I was not surprised. There is so
much need here in Georgia and not as many PCV’s to fill that need. They usually
skip a year, so I am hoping that my school will apply and be assigned another
volunteer for the school year 2017.
I recently went on a trip out west to Batumi, which
is on the Black Sea. This was a trip organized by a group called “EducationUSA”
which helps students, for a fee, get into US College. This was a Career Fair
and I along with many PCV’s represented our US colleges (of course, mine is the
University of Pennsylvania). It was a great event. Yale University was the
major sponsor of this event; as in addition to the Career Fair; Yale conducted
three breakout sessions to speak to the students on what is expected to get
into US College.
It was held at Batumi State University in the very
heart of Batumi. The school is very nice; not modern; but comfortable. I wish I
would have taken pictures; but, sorry I didn’t. It was a long day as we left
Tbilisi at 8am and drove cross country for six hours to reach Batumi. For the
next four hours we were part of the Career Fair. Prior to the six hour drive
back to Tbilisi; we went to dinner and then started the drive back. We didn’t
get back to Tbilisi until around 1:00am. It was a long day and very productive
and satisfying. It was also great to see
the Black Sea and also enjoy the smells on being near the water.
This is something that I won’t do again – that is,
overall spending twelve hours on a “marsh” traveling out west. Days later my
back still hurt as the “marsh” seats are not all that comfortable. But, I have
been trying to savor any and all Peace Corps events that I didn’t have a chance
to do. If I go out West again, which I am sure I will do, it will be via the
train.
Some friends and I spent a leisurely Sunday morning
at the Rooms Hotel in Tbilisi having their “all you can eat” breakfast.
The food and the company was excellent. First the food (of course) – bacon (and
lots of it); cheese (my favorite – Blue Cheese); omlets and pancakes and all
kinds of baked goods; salads – I could go on and on. Needless to say, we all
enjoyed ourselves. We ate for four hours (of course not non-stop) – we did talk
in-between, but it was awesome. It was a little expensive but well worth it.
And yet, another food event “All you can eat Sushi”
at the Radisson Blu Hotel was a fabulous night. My friend Marianna and I ate
sushi for 2-hours. Of course the beer was so expensive. The cheapest was 11 Gel
and went up to 16 Gel a bottle; so, my bill the beer was more expensive than
the sushi J.
However, it was so wonderful. I could not eat the next day I was still so
filled. They had a chef making up the sushi platters fresh and when your
platter was empty; immediately another platter appeared. We were both in
heaven…..this will be done again and again. I hope they continue this “all you
can eat” promotion; as sushi was very expensive here in Georgia as it is not
readily available or abundant. I seriously could not have afforded the sushi
that I ate J.
Here are some interesting facts that I found reading
the financial papers here in Georgia. To begin, 60% of all food that Georgia
consumes is imported. I think that is a high number; but then, I don’t know
what else to compare it to. In addition,
and this is something that has been very clear to me – that is, bread is one of
the main source of calories in the Georgian diet. Bread accounts for as much as
63% of the individual’s caloric intake. It is, so the report states, about
twice as much as the benchmark value in developed countries. Again, what a high
number; however, it does not surprise me in the least.
Another fact that does not surprise me is that the
Georgian people experience a deficit in essential nutrients. They lack access
to vitamin-rich fruits, as well as meat and fish containing protein, iron and
vitamin. The diet is replaced with excess consumption of fats and sugars. Yes,
I’ve been living the facts as stated; but, I have the ability to supplement
whereas most Georgian people do not. The
surveys and studies that have been done are really interesting to me as I have
been living without benefit of good food. One banner headline states “We
may not be hungry, but we are starving.” They are not hungry as the bread (sometimes
3-loaves of bread at each meal) fills them up. For me, I just cannot eat that
much bread so most nights I go to bed hungry. I will continue to follow these
reports as they are so interesting to me.
I was in Tbilisi for (4) days during May in order to
complete my exit appointments with Peace Corps Staff and also to begin my
medical requirements. The Peace Corps is so complete in making sure that when
we leave country (and/or Peace Corp) they know we are solid and whole (also,
their liability is satisfied so that after the fact the volunteer cannot claim
a problem that they didn’t know about).
Blood work, stool samples, physical examination, eye
and dental examinations. I was poked and prodded for many days. Then, I had
appointments with the Country Director, Training Manager and my Program
Manager. I stayed, of course, at my favorite Envoy Hostel and had lots of BEER J.
One of the sad aspects of renting the flat is that I
won’t be staying at the Hostel any more. I really love this place and I love
the view of the city that it provides. I won’t have that in my new place; but,
I could always go back and visit. I know the staff and owner would welcome me
to come back. That is such a nice feeling.
One more point on my new apartment (also called
“Bina” in Georgian)….I understand that a former member of parliament is living
in the building and as such 24/7 security must be had. So, there is a security
guard outside the building around the clock. He has one of those security
houses and a place inside the building so that he can keep warm (I imagine)
once the weather changes to winter. This is a good thing I am told – but I get
a little squirrely when someone is watching all the time.
In early June my class of Peace Corps Volunteers has
been invited to a BBQ at the home of the US Georgian Ambassador and his wife. I
am looking forward to this event; not only to see how the other half lives here
in Georgia (smiles) – but to all connect with my fellow PCV’s one more time
before we all leave country.
My counter-part teacher invited me to her home for
dinner recently. It was so nice to sit and talk in peace and quiet (something
we cannot do at school). The home of my counter-part was unbelievable. It has
(16) rooms and most of the furniture in the house was of museum quality. I was
overwhelmed seeing her place. It was a terrific evening.
The BIG Storm…..recently Sagarejo had a major storm.
I know this because as I was returning to Sagarejo I noted that the road
leading into the town was like a river. Cars parked along the road had water up
to and covering the tires. Tree branches were all over the place. It seemed
that I had just missed it. Conditions looked terrible and I wondered if I was
going to get a cab up the mountain; however, I did. As we went up the mountain
conditions looked worse than they did as we were coming in Sagarejo and then I
arrived at my home.
When I got out of the cab everyone was outside on
the road; my host family and my neighbors were walking up and down the road and
everyone was crying. There was ice and snow on the ground that covered my shoes
as I walked into the garden (remember this is Mid-May). One of the BIG apple
trees was down and most of the flowers were scattered on the ground. The
overhead grape vine looked wilted and the living room was soaked with water. I
was concerned about my room; but, all was OK.
We all just looked at the destruction – no one
wanted to go back into their houses. The wind must have been very powerful to
knock trees down. I am so glad that I missed it; as most times with wind storms
I think the roof is going to blow off. I did take pictures and I will post.
I will write more about this in June; but, on June 4th
the US Ambassador to Georgia will host a BBQ for my group of Peace Corps
Volunteers who will be leaving service in 2016. I am sure it will be a nice
event; and I will get to see many volunteers that I’ve not seen for a while.
Stayed tuned for more details
As I sit here finishing up the blog I am listening
to the dogs here in Sagarejo. This is one aspect of village life that I won’t
miss. The people here in the village must like to hear their dogs barking as
the barking just goes on and on. The owners are home and allow the dog to make
noise; maybe it is a comfort thing. I don’t know; other than, it is awful. I
can understand the cows and donkey noises; but there are more dogs than live
stock and really no reason for the dogs to bark for hours and hours.
So, as I close my next to the last blog as a Peace
Corps Volunteer; today, here in Georgia – May 26th. Is Independence
Day (see link above). There were parades and concerts and all kinds of stuff
going on across Georgia. It felt like 4th of July in the United
States.
All the best, Catherine Lawrence, G14 – 5/26/16
PeaceCorps 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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