Blog May 22, 2014

Here I am at the “almost” close of my 4^th week of Pre-service training (PST).  I wanted to say that Wednesday, 5/21/14 was the best day so far, and I have no idea why. I was so annoyed with all the rain, that I didn’t do homework and went to bed really early the night before. I thought I would be up later in the evening, but I slept straight through. I felt so good that when I got up at 5am, I went to take a shower; however, there was no hot water. I didn’t know that until I was underway, so that was an awakening I didn’t expect, but when you take showers twice a week any water is good water. J

I’ve been told that PST is like “boot camp.” Ok, from what I’ve heard about “boot camp” maybe it is (in a way).  I am challenged on so many levels. We don’t do formal physical exercises, like run 10 miles like they do in the army; however, with all the walking and climbing stairs, we don’t need to go to a gym. The school that I teach in has three floors (no elevator) – HA.  It depends on what class I am teaching as to what floor I am on. It is not just the walking, but the carrying of our book bags. The Georgian text book has 396 pages. Believe me, it’s a large and HEAVY book. The book is entitled “Book 1” so heaven only knows how many more books will follow. In addition to the text book, we have our notebooks and the texts that are needed to lesson plan for the classes. I need to carry business casual shoes, as the sneakers I wear (because of the road conditions) cannot be worn in the classroom.  Of course, we finish off the bag with our toilet paper, wet wipes, maybe a snack of bread or apple and of course our water bottle. Whew…it is heavy; however, since I finally figured out how to use my book bag, it is manageable.  There is just so much to manage, as I need to have everything I need for the entire day, as it is too far to walk back home if I forgot something. And, there is not really any place to buy anything that I forgot. No going to CVS or the sidewalk vendor.

We received our water filters unit this week also. It’s a thing that looks like a 20-cup coffee maker. It is very cool device, and we don’t have to buy water any more. We can use the tap water from the house and let the unit filter our water overnight.  My room is on the 2^nd floor of the house, so I need to fill empty bottles and bring the tap water up to my room. The stairs to the second floor are on the outside of the house, so rain or shine, I carry my water up the steps to my water filter. “Chop wood and carry water” I’m told are the staples of life. Ah, I miss my sink.  We also received the First Alert smoke and CO detector and also a mosquito net. I don’t know how I am going to use it (the net), of even if I will need it here in Osiauri as the ceilings in my bedroom are at least 15’ high and I don’t know what I would attach it to.  Depending on where I am assigned as a permanent site I may need it; but, in any case it is here for me. (I hope my friends don’t make any “get the net” jokes.

In Georgian “Dedi” means “mom” and “Mama” means “dad”.   Also “grandchild” is two words and it means “kid of kid”. (just thought I’d mention that) so you can feel my pain about the language. J   At my house here in Osiauri (and possibly every other house in the village) the doors and windows are not locked. Even the gate is not locked. It reminds me some of growing up in South Philadelphia (many decades ago). The doors and windows were not locked. Even cars in my old neighbor were not locked. I remember some times when my father would come out to go to work in the morning and find someone sleeping in the car. He would just wake him up and the man would go on his way. It was a different time. When I am home, on my day off, I can hear what is going on in every other household (within ear shot). People talking, kids fighting, adults fighting, babies crying…again, I am reminded of my childhood as it was the same way. With all the doors and windows open (no air conditioning), well not much was missed in the neighborhood. A familiar food that my “Babo” made was the Polish tradition of “pig in a blanket.”  There is another name for it but I cannot spell it. Its meat (ground meat and rice) wrapped in cabbage and cooked in a tomato sauce. What a treat. Also, she made rice pudding…have not had that in many years.

I attended my first SUPRA last week that was in honor of “Day of the Village.”  If you don’t know what a SUPRA is, please goggle it.  Many preparations are made; such as, cleaning the house, the car the yard and of course the people. Food is also prepared days ahead of time. The table is set so festive. The good table cloths come out and many dishes and pitchers that are not used in daily life. Of course, we eat, eat, eat. My host father returned with about seven men who were relatives, friends or neighbors (could not distinguish who was who). They were drinking (lots of wine), eating and singing. I have no idea what they were saying. I could pick a word up here and there, but no clue. Also, the toasting is very frequently made. Each toast requires that your full glass of wine is consumed. They toast parents, victory, the village and so on. I found out that if you are “elder” people young must clink your glass toward the bottom of the your glass to show respect. Women are not supposed to drink, or not drink much. I don’t care for wine, so it was not an issue. One of the men asked me if I was “Mrs.” When I explained I was single, the room went silent. They then asked me how old I was. I was going to lie, but I told the truth. They all looked at me. I have no idea what they were thinking. But, I heard that they said “I was a good woman” and I was told that is a very high compliment.  I enjoyed myself and also (as I was warned by the PC) to have an exit strategy, as all the drinking sometimes the men get a little carried away. I made sure that I positioned myself so I can quietly exit while toasting was being done (as the evening went on). 

All the schools are closed both today and tomorrow (22^nd & 23^rd)  for Grades 1 thru 6^th. The reason being is that there have been (147) confirmed cases of Viral Meningitis in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi. The Ministry of Education closed all the schools throughout the country for the grades that I listed, as those are the students that are sick. I asked my culture coach why they waited so long to sound the alarm, as that is a big number of children being sicken with such a serious disease. She said that lots of Georgians don’t use doctors. They just use home remedies, so they were probably thinking the children had colds or such; however, when they had to take the children to the doctor or hospital that is when things began to be pieced together. The Ministry of Education is going to distribute prophylaxis to the students before they open the school. As a result, teaching was cancelled today. Flexibility in scheduling is a requirement in the Peace Corps. We ended up going to Khashuri for meetings and good news was that I was able to get bananas. Osiauri does not carry any fruit. We don’t know what will happen next week, but I am sure we will find out at some point.

It finally stopped raining. The mud was just awful walking to school this morning. More like trying to walk thru rivers.  I must just accept the mud as it is now going to be a part of my life. The more I fight it and make the mud and rain wrong (because it inconveniences me), well the harder it will be. I must develop a relationship with mud. Of course, my LL Bean mud shoes are fabulous. All is well my faithful readers. Best to all, Catherine, G14

Blog, May 18^th, 2014

Today ends the 3^rd week of Peace Corps Pre-Service Training. As I begin my 4^th week I still don’t feel that I am fully here. I guess that is to be expected; however, without any background in this type of adventure, I don’t know what is normal or expected. I still go up and down with feelings about being here/not being here. However, the feelings of doubt go away or fade and then I am so busy I don’t have time for uncertainty.  One things, It’s not dull or the same old – same old.

Next week I will be teaching an English class, or two, with a Georgian Teacher. My schedule is 4^t, 8^th and 10^th grades. School supplies are so limited here. The classrooms have stand alone white boards; however, the markers for the white boards are mostly so out of ink you can hardly see what is written on the board. Sometimes I will teach alone with a Georgian Teacher and other times I will teach with one of the volunteers and the Georgian Teacher. We are expected to develop lesson plans based on the input of the Georgian Teacher. It’s a lot of work preparing for a 45 minute session. We have help from so many sources; but, I am out of practice. My Master’s is exactly two years old today.  It does come back; but, since I was really only working with adult students previously, I’m challenged to transfer into teaching K-12 students. I think that makes, let’s see…the 15^h challenge so far J

I may have mentioned that I belong to a cluster of volunteers here in Osiauri. There are six of us, including me. All the volunteers are younger than my son, so I found myself with yet another challenge. The cluster is great; however, I was beginning to feel a little isolated with all the people I associate with on a daily basis being so young. Even our Language coach is in the same category; however, she is Georgian and for some reason seems to be older. So, I reached out to the PC and they (of course) said that this was not the first time they experienced something like this. Older volunteers only make up 7-8% of the total population. Most volunteers are in their twenties with some in-between thirty and sixty. Anyway, the PC arranged a get-together for me with some older volunteers who are in Khashuri and work in the development field rather than education. It was a great evening. The PC sent a van (mashutka (sp?) for me to bring to the café and had it wait to take me back home. We talked for hours and I have emails and phones to connect when I need to be with more “seasoned” folk!   I am impressed with the PC as not much, if anything so far, falls between the cracks.  I believe if anything did it would not be intentional. They just make things happen.

We are told to be careful about what you say here In Georgia as news travels very fast. Everybody talks to everybody, and lots of folks are related…so, if you tell something in one village, you can count on being told in village, after village, after town…etc. Case in point, someone asked me if I knew there was a “serial killer” in Osiauri! What, are you kidding?  Of course it is not true, but this is how it goes. Someone started a rumor that Osiauri has a serial killer. I heard this story in Khashuri and it was told by someone in another village. Apparently, the rumor started in the school. The rumors go like in a pinball machine. News just bounces around.  Everyone was told that the rumor was false; however, the police became involve to investigate that if there were any missing people or body parts around (oh brother). Well, when the police went into the school to say that is was false everyone took that as confirmation that it was true. What a bru-ha-ha developed.  There is no Serial Killer here, but it made me think about Netflix. I miss my Law and Order and SVU television.

Georgian runs on Georgian time. When they say school starts or something or other starts at 9:00am; well, it could be anytime between 9-10am. Everyone knows this and everyone just operates on that timetable. I go into class that should start at 9am and no one is there. Eventually the students come in and sometimes the teacher has to go out and fetch them.  There are no clocks in the school, but there is a bell; so, students know when they should get to class. However, sometimes the bell does not work to mark beginning or end of class.  The teachers do try to reinforce being on time, but it does not always work as they operate on Georgian time!

My “Babo” (grandmother) and I are having fun together even thought we cannot speak each other language. She is 83 and so active. She carries these pots filled with stuff (pot is covered). When I ask to help she just “shoos” me away and hollar’s  (in a playful voice) . She does most of the cooking and cleaning up. In the morning before I go to school she makes me breakfast – fish, cheese, bread and sometimes candy. She knows I only take coffee, so she wraps up an apple and bread for me to take with me. She drills me in the Georgian numbers and point to items on the table and room and gives me the translation. She is a hard task master (smiles).  I am getting braver with her. When she hollers that I should not help, I holler back (playfully) that I am going to help. We make faces at each other and then she kisses and hugs me and then I can help.  It brings back such memories of my grandmother. Maybe its my hearing but it seems that my grandmother hollered in the same way. My grandmother was Polish so maybe it’s the Eastern European thing. My “Babo” sometimes walks me to the end of the street to see me off. I turn and blow her kisses and tell her that “I am off to storm the castle.” Of course, she has no idea what I am talking about, but its fun. The dog also gets involved. I am not a dog person, but he also comes to see me off. At times I fear I am going to fall over him. Its like a parade, no wonder the locals look at me point and giggle.

Sunday is my day off, so I do laundry, take a shower and organize myself for the week. Also, lots of language homework and lesson planning. However, I don’t have to leave the house which is really nice. I so treasure the free time that I have. I love doing this journal and love just watching the mountain. My view faces the north, so I don’t have the sun. I miss that, as my condo window faces the east and I miss seeing the sun come up every morning. In a couple of weeks we begin talking about where I would like to be placed in July when the permanent site selections are made. I’ve been thinking about that. I can make a request to continue with another host family or request a place of my own (of course depending on availability). I have mixed feelings about both, as I like this feeling of being taken care of by the host family; and yet, I miss my solitude and having control over what I eat or plan to eat. All of this will be an on-going conversation.

The cell phone is a treasure. All calls local are free, so we can use as much air time as we like. After 30 minutes, the phone cuts you off, so then you have to call back. Texting costs something, not sure; but working on finding out. My son would so proud of me as to what I can do with this phone and it has features that I am not sure about . I am in awe of myself (smiles), of course, I’ve had lots of help finding out how to do this stuff so I cannot take all the credit.  The cows are moo..ing, so time to stop writing. I could write for hours..

Thank you, my faithful readers – Catherine – 5/18/14

Note:  The contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.

May 17^th, 2014

Hello everyone. I received my modum this week so I will have more access to the internet and email. I did not think I would miss the electrons as much as I have. Maybe it is because everything is so new and different. Seeing an email from home makes life just a little easier.

I have a cow barn next to the house I live in. I can hear them moooo..ing, but more important is the big pile of manure almost outside my window. I feel like Jesse (Breaking Bad) when I think of the “Cow House” J. I’ve not been in yet, but trying to get the courage to go in. The family has gardens in so many places. Before meals, they go out with a basket and get green onions, tomato, cucumber, potatoes and other stuff I am sure I am forgetting. It has been raining a lot here. The mud is something else. The roads are all dirt, so the rain just makes things worse. The potholes fill with water. The rocks on the road become so slippery. A good day is when it does not rain. It takes longer to get somewhere, as I have to be so careful not to fall or trip. It is like an obstacle course. Driving is not much better. Because of the rough conditions, when you are in a car you stomach feels like a milk shake. People only travel about 5 miles an hour, if that. Everyone seems to just go about doing their thing…only us Americans seem to notice the conditions.  I finally fixed my backpack. All the years I’ve had my backpack I was never wearing it correctly. What a world of difference it makes when you use it the way it was intended. HA. Also, the backpack is something that Georgian’s don’t use. They use something called a “Messenger bag?”

We started teaching school this past week. I taught a class of 10^th graders on Thursday and a class of 1^st graders on Friday. We teach at times with another PC volunteer and also the regular classroom teacher, referred to as “Counterpart.”  The classes that we teach are of course, English. Children start English training in the 1^st grade. By middle school they can take a second language and in high school they can take a third language. All the children refer to the teacher as “teacher.” So different, as usually the teacher is referred to as Miss or Mr. Most classrooms have central heat; however, those that don’t gather around a”Pechi” or stove that will heat the classroom. If that is the case, then usually classes are much shorter than the usual 45 minutes. They would run around 30 minutes, or if it is so cold the children would be sent home. The bathroom situation at the school is so grim. The “outhouses” are in the back of the school. It is about a 2 minute walk (at least for me it is) to get down one or two flights of steps to get to the bathroom. One must never wait to the last minute and make sure you bring toilet paper and wet wipes as none of those items are available. No water is available either. Just another challenge. The children mostly write with pens as pencils seem to be far, few and in-between. The text books are written in British English. Not sure what that is about. Not much difference except for some of the terms. For example, they use trousers instead of pants. Also, they use shops instead of stores. Many, many examples like that. Cheating is also a BIG problem in the schools. Again, not sure what that is about. The teachers do talk about it in our information sessions.  I’ve noticed with the children that very few have glasses. I wonder if they all have good eyes or maybe eye care is not readily available?  None of the teenagers work here. They say that their job is to be a student. The teenagers were preparing for a graduation event and they were dancing to the song by LMFAO and “Put a ring on it” – I think Beyonce?  They pulled me up on stages (they had to twist my arm J - it was lots of fun. Lots of American songs on their version of MTV they listen to.

TV is interesting. So many commercials on TV. I clocked almost 10 solid minutes of commercials. They watch a lot of news here and talk shows, like Letterman, etc., but of course with their celebrity. The Georgian people LOVE Turkish soap operas that are dubbed in Georgian. I have never seen so much crying and drama. They beat the American versions. I have a hard time from laughing as they take the soap opera very serious. I think the plot is two women love the same man. Very original.  Most houses have a satellite dish, or two. Some houses even have internet. There are street lights throughout the village. It is so funny that at times when we return from classes in Khashuri we end up on the same road as all the cows that are also coming home for the night. Feels like “City Slickers” and the cows won’t move for the cars. There are at least a couple of dozen making their way home for the evening. I must take pictures. The PC is planning a day event on Sunday to “Borjomi.” I have no idea where that is. The plan is to hike 5 to 7 miles. The views are supposed to be tremendous; however, I am not going. I need the one day we have off to recover and get myself ready for the week and work on my Georgian.

The language lessons are so painful.  I’ve discovered that the pain is not about the language, as I am now able to transcribe Georgian (hard to believe). The pain is the speed or pace of the classes. We meet for four hours (6) days a week. We have (2) fifteen minute break, so it’s a 3-1/2 hours of instruction. When we have a “review” it is really a “review” of new information. I am so frustrated. I realize they are trying to prepare us for when we go to our permanent sites; however, the materials covered during the time for me is unreasonable. I keep showing up, as I do want to accomplish this; and some things get clearer. I have a fabulous teacher. She is so patient and supportive, but I cannot absorb or process the volume and depth at this rate. They say they will give me a tutor and pay for it; however, leaving the house at 8:30am and getting home at 7:30 or after; there is not much time for additional instruction. Also, my head may fall off and roll into the “cow house”.  I do the best I can. A fellow volunteer said that the language is not the only thing we are here for and he is right; but, its not fun sitting in class when the material is going over your head. Add to that the fact that we are in school with the children and when they break (every 45 minutes) and recess begins in the halls…screaming, running, fighting like kids do)  and knocking on our door as they like to look at us and giggle. Its hard to hear with all the distractions and trying to distinguish the symbols and letters of the language…I need a magnifying glass.  The words “bread” and “money” are so similar.  With my meditation practice I work on giving up being stressed and upset over the language and just try to enjoy the experience of it all. Its not easy for me to be “unprepared”; I just don’t recognize myself at times.

I am reading “Robinson Caruso” here. It is one of the e-books I brought. I find myself feeling like him at times. And also, I feel like Stephen King “The Stand” when I have to walk on the road  by myself to school.  It is early and most people, except the cows and chickens, are not up yet. The food is OK, I know I have lost weight. Cheese and bread is a big staple. Lots of salad from the garden (but no lettuce). Also, potatoes are a big staple. However, much of the food is fried with lots of oil and salt…My family has an apple tree in the back yard…so I try to manage with apples and fruit (when I can get it – oranges and bananas. Ok, faithful readers. Thanks for listening and please write and let me know what is happening…Best, Catherine, G14

 Note:  The contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.

Blog, May 12, 2014

This is way harder than I ever imagined. I’ve only been here two weeks and I feel like it has been months. I have turned into a “needy” person and I don’t recognize myself. All the things I counted on at home are gone; however, I must look to what I have and not look at what I don’t have. During training class the Peace Corps asked us to look for what “Works” in Georgia and “Not What Does Not Work.”  They ask us to look at our work here in Georgia from an “asset based approach.”   That may be the way to go. We shall see. I am out of my comfort zone, big time. I am not in Kansas any more; however in the next couple of weeks I should get the modum I ordered – so I will have more access to the internet.

Marshutka and Birzha are fixtures here in Osiauri. The Marshutka is a van that shuttles people from one place to another for a fee. People wait to be picked up and I am really not sure if the spots are designated or you just flag them down. I have not taken one yet, but I heard they get very crowded. The Birzha is a place where men gather to talk, play backgammon, smoke or just past the time. There are many, many Birzha’s here in Osiauri.  When I walk past it is obvious that I am not of the village. The Peace Corps instructs us women not to look, speak or smile at the men as often that is considered flirting. The men sometimes call out, but we just walk by with our heads down. The male volunteers can speak, say hello or something, but not the women. One of our teachers said that “Georgians don’t smile much” and that a women smiling at a man is an invitation. Georgian culture is very indirect, so you need to read between the lines. Given all that, I don’t feel upset or afraid as I don’t think anyone would approach me unless I gave an invitation.

I may jump around a little as I think I will write a little everyday and then cut and paste into the blog when I get to an internet connection. So, there are mountains outside my window. I still don’t know what the mountains are called. What I do know if that there is still snow on the tops and the entire mountain looks like it is covered in dark, plush green carpeting. It is 100% covered, there are no bare spots. Just beautiful. Also, at times the clouds cover the tops and when it rains the cloud cover gives the mountains a majestic look. I sit outside my room, as I am on the 2^nd floor, and watch the movement of the clouds. All day long you can hear roosters crowing. People are friendly. Georgian’s are big on asking questions; and yet, I was taken back when my host sister asked me what my religion was. When I said Buddist they didn’t understand. How to explain that when I can barely ask for Chai/tea? Although I can’t say that it is my religion, I am aligned to Buddist meditative practices. I also feel that I am Christian, so they were all nods about that. I am doing OK with the instant coffee. It is not great, but OK.  I do drink more tea than coffee, but I sure miss the great coffee we have in the states. We can only drink the water that is boiled. It seems that Georgia do have water filtration systems; however, many of the pipes throughout the country that water moves through are old and not up to standards. So, until we get our PC water filter (that looks like a 20 cup coffee maker), we buy water when we can. Water is hard to come by as the people in my village just drink the tap water and no need to spend money on bottled water like we do in the states. They drink a lot of mineral water…it is ok, but I really need just plain water.

We finished our first week of training and I had a “melt down.” I am better now, but I think I was just over tired and the overwhelming thought of pooping in a hold for 27 months got to me. The bathroom situation is really grim. Of course, I have an indoor western toilet in my house, but I am not at my house a lot. Most houses have “out houses” and you can rank them all as terrible. We all carry toilet paper, wet wipes and hand sanitizer. The conversations are really funny, as once we had conversations about coffee at Starbucks, now we often times ask to borrow toilet paper, etc., if we forgot or ran out. Ah, It is a challenge. They say that 1 in 3 don’t make it through the entire 27 months and I can believe that is true. We had a second rabies shot as well as thyphoid (sp?) this week. Joy!

We must leave our phone on and charged 24/7 so that the Peace Corps can always reach us. This is also because of their evacuation plans. The PC is very comprehensive in their planning of what to do if we need to leave the country in a hurry. I must also have a “GO” bag ready so that when we get the call the PC can gather us and move us either out of the country or to a safer location within the country. I think we would move to Armenia to see if we needed to vacate Georgia completely (back to the  states) or just wait and see what happens. They give us maps of the 10k buffer zones around “South Ossetia” that we cannot go near.  There was a report of a local man who wandered into the 10K zones and was arrested by the Russians. I think we all get how serious it is and hopefully we won’t cause an international incident.  I’ve noticed how narrow the doorways are. Its hard to manage through when you have a packed book bag on your back.  Also, there is no whistling in the house because it is bad luck/poverty.

There is a bias here in Georgia against Asians. I just find that so hard to believe but I am told it is true. The thinking goes that the Asians are taking over. We do have a few Asian volunteers and I know that they were placed with families that were not harboring these ideas. I don’t know much more about this subject. Again, I am jumping around. So, the flies here in Georgia are LOUD. But then again, maybe its my hearing…but the flies are LOUD J.  The priority here is “Health and Safety.”  Three Americans head the Georgia PC team and the remained of the staff are Georgian. I am so in awe of the skills the Georgian men and women have that are part of the PC staff. Their language skills in English just knock me over. If I could only do 1/3 as well with my language skills it would be a good thing. We are on military time here. Not sure why, but its hard to manage dealing with time stated as 1500 hours. I am just not familiar with dealing with time that way. I could go on and on, but after three pages my faithful readers may be nodding off….

All the best, Catherine – 5/12/14

Note:  The contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.

Blog, May 7^th

I have been able to get the posts out because we are in Khashuri (which is a city) and  is the PC hub for the region. Here are the names of other villages in our hub area: Vaka; Tezeri; Gomi; Khtsisi and of course, my Osiauri. There are many more villages, but I didn’t write the names down. Khashuri is the center and the villages are either east or west of Khashuri.

So, I am now the oldest volunteer in the group. The woman who was older than me fell and broke her hand. She has to be medically separated and returned to the states for surgery…she is just heartbroken. We are all sad, and especially me as now the majority of volunteers are between 20-30. Some are a little older, but no one near my age. There are Other older volunteers  in-country and the PC is going to connect me with them by phone or email….so, I can have someone to share the older volunteer experience.

The schedule here is brutal. On the first day, Monday, at 3pm (we start between 8-9am) I asked my friend Karen if it was still Monday? Honestly, each day feels way more than 24 hours. I guess this is keeping with slowing time down. We have language lessions for 3-1/2 hours each day – with a couple of 15 minute break. It is painful, really painful. We all do a lot of laughing but I am slow and falling behind. There is a conversation about getting me a tutor that the PC will pay for. I just don’t know when I would have time to work with a tutor. After lunch, which is held at one of  the volunteers house (rotating), we have classes in culture and custom; Georgian context and working with our counterparts (which will be the person we will co-teach English with when we are placed in July as official volunteers). Right now we are trainees. We are interviewed by multiple layers of staff to insure that we are doing ok. The medical folks will be back on Thursday to give us more shots. I could go on….needless to say, on some level I feel like I am back in graduate school.

The town is very interesting. At times you see really expensive cars drive by (you must be mindful of them, as they won’t be careful of you)…seriously. Tractors and other types of farm equipment ride by.   I found it very odd that people in the town would have satellite dishes, expensive cars and other expensive items and yet still have outhouses and outdoor showers. Our culture coach said that is because where they live would not support the infrastructure needed to have an indoor toilet/bathroom. Ah, that made a lot of sense. All the houses are gated as people park their car inside the compound. No one parks on the road. Everything is so old. Many buildings, including the school, are 100% concrete – they say it dates back to the Russian Occupation. Everything needs paint; however, inside the house that I live in – it is spotless.

As I walk to school I walk with dogs, chickens and cows. I’ve named the cow that stands near the field that the PC picks us up at when we go to Khashuri. His name is “Bernard” – are cows girls? This is from the gal (me) that never wanted to go anywhere unless they changed the sheets everyday….

The electricity goes off and during the day no one seems to notice or say anything. My host grandmother kisses me often. I am not talking about a peck. I am talking about hugging and at last count, I think there were 4 kisses. Hugs and kissing on the cheek is so routine.  The village looks at us Americans as we do stand out as we have our “stuff”….backpacks, computers, sunglasses, hats, fannypacks…none of which the villagers use. Everything here is used. There are no trash cans or dumpsters.  Litter is also not present…occasionally you would see a plastic bottle, but really – except for the dirt, the village is really clean J

Everybody is Georgia has a phone, including children. No matter what age the phone is in their hands. This is a problem is school, I’m told. Grade school children must give their phone to their teacher when they come into the classroom. Also, news travels so fast in the village….you need to be careful what you say because one way or the other the news will get around…

I figured out how to use the camera, so I am talking pictures.  I also, with lots of help, figured out the phone the PC gave me. I ended up blocking the head guy, his name is Tango….have no idea how I did it, but Tango was saying that when you block the head guy it is a “delta award” – that is a one way ticket home….funny.

Everyone - Please write to my hotmail account and let me know what is happening in your world. I need to hear what is happening….and I will continue to share my adventures in Georgia.

Best, Catherine, G14

Note:  The contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.

Blog post – May 6, 2014

I’ve arrived at my host family on Saturday. My family consists of:

Host Father – Koba (49)

Host Grandmother – Shushana (84)

Host Brother- Giorgi (11)

Host Sister –Maia (14)

Dog: Max (age unknown)

I could write for hours, and I have been journaling since I have no on-line connection. A few people have wifi here in the village, but not many.  I will try and write as often as I can connect.

The village is called Osiauri and it is East of Khashuri (in the central part of Georgia).  The town is very poor. The road or streets are dirt with rocks, big and small, pushed into the dirt.  Gas lines are above ground and they snake around the town up and over and around. The kids call the gas lines “air”.  It is so hard walking. I cannot look up as I know I could trip and really get hurt.  

The town is small. I don’t know how many people, but I live at one end and the school (where I study Georgian) is somewhere in the middle. It takes me about 20 minutes to walk to school. There are a couple of stores, one small and one big (and big is a relative term as if you got 5 people in the store it would be crowded. I don’t know what to talk about first….so, I am getting ready to take a shower. The family showers every 3^rd day. However, they say they have lots of water for me – but, I want to follow the house, so today is my 3^rd day. Of courses in-between you can sponge bath. I have an indoor toilet, sink and shower. The shower has a drain in the floor and the water ends up covering the entire floor when showering. The drain cannot handle all the water. If someone forgets and leaves the toilet paper on the floor, well you get the idea.  The other volunteers in the village have “out houses”, so I am very fortunate. However, when I go to their houses I use the “out house” What a joy that is; but it is doable. I have taken to wearing skirts as its easier to manage the outdoor plumbing. We carry toilet paper and wet wipes and often there is no water to wash. We are adjusting and coping with living in a very rural village. There are cows on the road (like India) – so its familiar.

The people are so friendly and welcoming. They are always pushing food at you. I have had so many great foods, but I cannot say the names. Potatoes, salad, cheese, bread, cheese and bread are just a sample of what is served. I hope the walking counters the food, as I was really counting on losing weight.

I am here with five other PC volunteers, we are called a cluster. We do lots of things together. We study as a group with our instructor and LCF (language and culture facilitator - her name is Ana). She lives here in the village with us and acts as our guide and cultural guide source, as well as language teacher.

Honestly, I am struggling. If not for Advil I would be in trouble. I should have trained better (I should have listened to my son); but I do manage to keep up.  My cluster consists of a married couple, two single women and a single guy and me. Six in all. They are between 20-30 years old. The language is also a challenge. I know I will eventually come to terms with it and reach the level that is needed; however, my group is much faster and has more background knowledge than me. I am a slow learner and they are all beyond me. I just don’t feel like I am carrying my weight in the group; but, as much frustration that I feel I don’t beat myself up about it. I’ve asked to be put in a slower group, so we shall see.

My room is lovely and I have a lock on the door (PC policy). I feel safe here.

My Host family is terrific. I have the entire 2^nd floor (they all live on the 1^st floor). What I find missing in Georgia is comfortable chairs…and yet I found one in my living room on the 2^nd floor. I don’t have much time to enjoy it as I am out the door at 8:30 am and usually I get back between 6:00pm and 7:00pm.  It’s a very ambitious schedule. My host father tends cows. I have not yet been in the cow shed, but very near I know there is manure. My host grandmother tends the house and the children, Maia and Giorgi are in school. All have treated me in such a gracious and inclusive way

I will fill in more details as time goes forward, but for now wanted to give some broad strokes.  I am really challenged and I know it is the beginning. I have a great support system and will use it to help me manage .

I miss America and all the ease that I had; but I am so glad to be retired and having this experience. More Later….

Catherine Lawrence, G14 – 5/6/14

Note:  The contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.

Hello (Hopefully I will be able to write that in Georgian soon!)

There is so much going on I've started to keep an agenda to keep up. 
I've started language class for Georgian. I don't have any doubt that I will attain the level of proficiency they require (low level functional); but it is going to take something to get there. The letters look like numbers. I've been paired with five of my team mates that all have way more facility around the language. Of course, they are all 20something and most have at least one other language under their belt. But I will do my best. You will hear more about this as time goes on.

Another fun adventure was the beginning of the shots that we need. We all have to have Rabies shot (or shots). Not clear on the number, only that my name is on the board and I go see the doctor. In addition to the Rabies shot today, I started the Hepatitis series. Up to the moment, no issues with the shot and hope it stays that way.  We received a medical kit that was so extensive (just don't know where I am going to pack it)--the dreaded luggage again....Also, had a long session on water and diarrhea. What a trip that was. We will receive a water filter system (again, where to pack it) that looks like a 20+cup coffee machine. A representation from the CDC as well as medical personnel from PC spoke about all the wonderful human indoor plumbing issues we can (or hopefully not) look forward to. It was so informative and laugh full...so here is a joke: "Why does toilet paper roll down hill...";
"To get to the end."  Lots of bathroom humor here.HA

To get onto a more professional topic. Because the Ambassador, Richard Norland, didn't make it to greet us at the airport, the Ambassador and some of his staff came to our training center and spoke to us for about an hour or so. They spoke on Georgia and the Big Picture. Of course, everyone is watching what is happening with Russia. That is a concern, but at the moment all feel that things are stable. What I didn't know was that Georgia currently is occupied (20%) by Russia. There are two regions that are currently impacted, as well as a 10K buffer around the occupied land impacted. All of that is an on-going conversation with more to come. Hopefully none of the antics of Russia will impact my service. I'm told that the occupied land is not to far from where I will be during my 11-weeks training; but not to worry - we will have enough time to make changes...Oh Brother.

A few other topics they spoke on was Georgia and NATO (becoming a member or not) and whether Georgia will be part of the European Union. All on-going conversations. I didn't know that Georgia is/or was the cradle of wine making; however, since I don't like wine its not important me. Georgia is being thought of as the link between Central Asia and Europe, as a possible "new" Silk Road. They left us with a disturbing thought...that Georgia is due for a earthquake...of joy!  Forget about "The Russians are Coming" and prepare for an earthquake. :-). Oh my, I must be very twisted, but all this is so much fun.

The PC has an award - its called "The Delta Award" as this award is given to people who so break the rules that they are given a one way ticket home...not so funny if you are the recipient. 

I could write more, but need to study the language before I fall asleep or the electricity goes off - which is lots of fun when you are in the shower). Keep good thoughts that my host family will have indoor plumbing and heat. And to think, I used to be worried about my nextflix being late. (Saturday we go to our host families).

Goodnight to all, Catherine Lawrence, G14

Note:  The contents of this blog are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.