Blog, September 15th, 2015
Dear Faithful Readers:
My life has been a wild ride since I last wrote to
you. I have only been at my site with my host family for two days since the
beginning of September. I must say that it has been wonderful to travel in Georgia
during all this time and get to experience lots of new locations and people.
To start, I participated in a summer camp entitled
“Young Feminist of Gori.” The program ran from September 1st – 6th.
There were seventeen girls and a few counselors. In addition, a Peace Corps
Response Volunteer, plus me and another Peace Corps Volunteer participated in
the program. The camp was held in
Kobuleti, which is about thirty-five minutes from Batumi on the Black Sea
(really out West in Georgia). I’ve listed links below that can provide lots of
information on the areas that I am going to speak about.
We traveled by “marsh” from Gori (which is a town
near the middle of Georgia). We rode for about five hours, cross country, to
arrive at our hotel. Now, when I say hotel it is really more like a Guest
House. The location was great as we were right across the street from the Black
Sea; however, the Guest House was just OK. We were assigned three in a room;
and some of the girls were five or six in a room. The food that was included at
the Guest House left a lot to be desired. Even the girls said that they were
hungry; so, a few times during the week we went out in search of food. The
place did have a terrific space to conduct a conference; but, since it was on
the top floor (4th floor); it was hot.
The conference focused on gender issues. One major
topic was early marriage. This topic is a concern here in Georgia as so many
young people chose marriage at a very young age as there are few other options
sometimes. We also did team building activities and of course English lessons.
It was overall very productive and according to the pre and post tests the
girls did get a lot out of the sessions. Once the formal part was complete we
all headed down to the beach. The Black Sea blew my socks off. I really didn’t
appreciate how big it is. I fully expected to see land on the other side of the
sea; however, it felt more like an ocean than a Sea. The weather was really
warm and the water was perfect. Again, I expected it to be polluted (as I’ve
heard stories); but, the water was clean. It was also rougher than I thought it
was going to be. The waves crashing on the shore made it difficult to get into
the water.
Another reason it was difficult was that the Black
Sea has stones/rocks instead of sand. Every time I tried to get into the water
my feet sank down into the rocks and then the waves knocked me down. It was
hilarious and lots of fun; however, once the laughing stopped my feet and body
hurt with trying to deal with the stones and rocks. We all swam for hours and
then I tried to get out of the water. Well, this was harder than going in. I
fell so many times trying to get out; and of course, I did – but when I got
back to the Guest House to take a shower my bathing was filled with rocks. I
felt like a little kid and as such really had a lot of fun. I know I was a
sight it people were watching me get in and out of the water as I felt like a
crab (on my hands and knees) trying to pick myself up. Oh well, I will never
see these people again so they can think whatever they want (HA!)
The Black Sea has a sort of board walk. It is made
of cement and goes along for miles and miles so people can walk, run or ride
their bikes. It is just beautiful as benches are positioned along the boardwalk
and it is kept so clean. It was a pleasure to walk and walk. I often got away
to watch the sun go down over the Black Sea.
Overall I loved Kobuleti; in fact, I know I am in
love with Kobuleti. It has a small town feel. Sort of like the seashore towns
that I am familiar with in South and North New Jersey. It is a quiet area with
souvenir shops along the main street; but, thankfully there are no (or very
few) shops along the boardwalk.
During the conference we also spent a day going out
to Batumi. It (Batumi) was glitzey, busy
and had many, many top named hotels and lots of casinos. It was OK; but I liked
Kobuleti better. We went to a dolphin show and I’ve listed the utube video of
the event. It was nice; however, I’ve seen many shows like this at SeaWorld in
the States. The Georgians just loved it, as did I.
My friends and I had a coffee with Ice Cream at the
Sheraton and that was so much like being home in the States. We also went to
the Botanical Gardens in Tbilisi. I was not really thrilled to do this;
however, I was so wrong. It was just beautiful. I could have stayed longer but
we were on a schedule. If I am ever near the location again I would go back.
All in all, the conference was awesome. I so enjoyed
being a part of all the events and so happy to meet so many great people. I
took the train back from Kobuleti to Tbilisi rather than take the marsh. The
train also took five hours; but, what comfort. The seats were roomy and you
could get up and walk around. Also, they had vending machines so coffee, hot
chocolate, tea was available for purchase and lots of snacks it you wanted to
purchase. Many people did bring their own snacks with them.
The train had an overhead computer that listed the
location of the train as we were traveling across the country. It was
civilization at its best J. I didn’t feel like I was in Georgia,
for sure. I absolutely would go back and forth with the train and the cost, if
you can believe it, was 24 GEL (which is about $12 USD) – one way. It was so
worth it. When I boarded the train, I traveled 2nd class which was
perfectly fine, I showed the conductor my ticket and passport. I realize when
he saw the color of my passport he didn’t wait for me to open it – he just
waved me through onto the train. I noticed that the folks before me were
scrutinized as he took the time to open the passport or document and look from
ticket to the persons face and back to the document again. I don’t know, of
course, but I felt as an American he didn’t look to closely at me. It was just
interesting.
I know I have left out so many aspects of this
experience; but, I will fill in any gaps in future blogs. So, I was home for
about one day (laundry and such) and then I was off again to Tbilisi to catch a
marsh for Borjomi, which is in the middle of Georgia. This event was a Peace
Corps sponsored conference that focused on MST (Mid-Service Training). This
conference was three days with two travel days added before and after the
conference. Although I am now here 16 months; the MST is usually done in
September (a few months after the official one year anniversary) as the one
year anniversary falls in the summer and lots of PCV’s are traveling.
The location of the event was at the Rixos hotel and
it is a “5Star” hotel (link below). We were all in heaven for a number of
reasons. First, the food was awesome. There was so much of it and such variety.
Food like this is not usual here in Georgia for me; so, we were over the moon
to get blue cheese, olives, meat and shrimp among other choices. The ONLY
downside was that there was no bacon. I was disappointed as I had heard from
other folks who had stayed at the hotel that Bacon was part of the morning
buffet. On well, I will live with my disappointment (HA); as, overall the food
was amazing. We all ate plates and plates of food – to the point that many
PCV’s ended up with stomach issues as we are just not used to an abundance of
food; let alone, anything that is rich and satisfying in content. I could talk
this entire blog about the food; but, the water was another aspect that was
tremendous.
We had showers in our room that could have held
three people in the shower – it was so big. There were three shower heads. I’ve
been in hotels that have the same kind of set up but not here in Georgia. At my
site I rarely get my hair washed once a week and here at the hotel I was
shampooing three times a day. Oh Joy! The beds and the linens were “to-die-for”
– I say that tongue and cheek. If I could have I would have just laid in bed
for the entire time. The sheets were so white and felt creamy. Again, I could
go on but you may be getting bored, dear reader – (smiles).
The best of the best, if you can believe it after
reading about the food, showers and beds is that there was an Olympic size
swimming pool and hot tub available. The hotel opened the facilities an hour
earlier and closed an hour later than normal in order to accommodate our
training schedule. In this way we all could swim and/or workout before
breakfast. There were many saunas – Russian, Turkish and a Steam Room. I cannot
begin to express how wonderful this all was. I don’t think I felt that clean
since I arrived in-country.
So, I must talk about why we were at the hotel and
that was the conference. The conference was used to reflect on the mid-point of
our service. What we have accomplished and what we still want to do. In
addition, we were given the medical protocol for our mid-service medical/dental
examinations. Each volunteer, at the mid-point, must have a physical and dental
check-up. All of this is arranged by the Peace Corps and paid for by the Peace
Corps. We took care of scheduling as due to the distances we live from the
capital (Tbilisi) it does take some arranging to make appointments. We also had
lectures on topics such as; religion here in Georgia and more about the history
of Georgia.
We had a full day of Georgian language lessons. I
think I did OK; as I am not sure if I wrote about the language test I had back
in July. I moved up a notch to “novice high (-)” which was an increase from
“Novice Medium (+)”. I felt good about that but I am still so slow. I will know
in the next week or so what my new score is. Maybe I will go up another notch;
or maybe I will stay the same. In any event, it is all OK. I am trying my best
and I am able to get around Georgia without a deeper language base; however, I
would like to be able to speak more in Georgian. The benchmark for language is
“Intermediate low” – which is only one notch higher than I am currently at. I
fully anticipate being able to accomplish that before I leave service in July
2016.
The Peace Corps continues to pay for language
tutoring which is wonderful. I want to develop a different plan for tutoring so
that I can possibly increase my language skills. We shall see.
Overall, the conference was a success. We won’t
(meaning the G14 group I belong to) won’t have another conference until we COS
(close of service) in or around March 2016. We were told that the conference we
usually have in November (to mark Thanksgiving among other things) won’t be
held this year. We are ALL so sad about this fact. We are told that not every
country has such a conference and since PC is trying to standardize posts we
had to discontinue the conference. This is so sad as with PC I don’t think you
can standardize anything as each country has different needs. So, I am thinking
about what I should do to celebrate Thanksgiving. Maybe I will be going back to
the Black Sea or maybe go to Poland for a long weekend. I don’t have much extra
leave time; so, I may need to stay in-country – but, I still have time to
figure that out.
So, other things are happening here in Georgia…..for
example:
I wanted to share a scene that I was witness to
recently. Seriously, I thought I was in the middle of a scene out of
“Deliverence” (the movie)– if you remember the movie. I was in the car with my
host father and sister; so, I felt somewhat safe – but, I watched with
apprehension and disbelief. So, we pulled up in the car and about ten dogs (all
shapes and sizes) ran out of the house toward the car – barking and jumping and
running around. The area surrounding the house was like a junk yard. The
hallowed out cabs of trucks were evident in the yard; all kinds of car parts,
like fenders and the like; but, they were all rusted. Lots of large 55 gallon
drums with all kinds of stuff sticking out. It had rained the day before so the
place was just mud all around. Three men came out of the house dressed like
hunters and spoke to my hosts father. At some point, as I was watching all this
unfold, the men opened the back of a truck and the dogs were barking and trying
to jump up to get in. It was mass confusion and then some men came out with
shot guns.
This was a scene that I’d only seen in movies.
However, from what I am told here in my town men carry and shoot shotguns here
regularly. I have heard gun fire at times; or thought I did. I know at
Christmas time my host family kills the pig by shooting it in the head. Maybe
that is the gun fire I hear throughout the year. It was yet another experience.
School started on September 14th. The
first day of school is complete bedlam. People are greeting each other as most
folks have not seen each other all summer. My face had so many lipstick stains
on it from all the kisses and hugs that I received. It was truly joyful to be
welcomed back in that way. I can so clearly see how the children have grown.
Everyone was decked out in their finest garb. Many, many adults and children
looked like “fairy princesses” from Disney as their outfits looked “Cinderella”
like. Others looked like they were going to a wedding with lace, and see
through material (or sheer blouses and dresses) that was more in line with a cocktail party
than with the opening day of school. This, of course, happens throughout the
school year; however, it just seemed so excessive on the 1st day of
school.
This was my second school opening so I was familiar
with what was going to happen. The outdoor opening exercise was crazy as the PA
system barely was able to overcome the chatter that was happening from children
and adults. Kids were running and screaming (and of course rough-housing) and
so many adults were not paying attention to the opening exercises as they were talking.
The people presenting the opening didn’t seem to mind. They kept to their
agenda and after about an hour the program ended and everyone went home. And
so, school begins. I do realize that next September I will not be here in
Sagarejo. I am trying to absorb everything that is happening. School last year
was very painful for me; and I am hoping that in some way I can make it better
for myself. More to come, My Faithful Readers!
I will close for now and see you all at the end of
the month. It was a fabulous summer for me. Traveling to Vietnam and Cambodia;
having free time with my host family; traveling within Georgia and getting to
spend time at the Black Sea. Also being able to go to Armenia for a couple of
days was a real treat. It will be a
summer I won’t soon forget. I have started to think about my plans for next
summer and they are AWESOME…..
All the Best,
Catherine
Lawrence, G14
Peace
Corps Volunteer/Georgia – 9-15-15
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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