Jenna and I have made it to McDonald's in Kutaisi for some quality time with internet finally. We just spent the last hour with a nice gentleman who drove us all the way here. First, naturally, we had to stop near Bagdati so he could unload his supply of pipes he needed to drop off, an additional 30 minute side trip we weren't quite expecting but we're here now and I finally have time to tell you more about what's been going on. Here's a bit more info about my life at home I wrote a few days ago:
It is remarkable how after only a few weeks living with these absolute strangers, each day, I feel more and more like part of the family. I absolutely adore my ojakhi (family). Tik’o is like my shadow, everywhere I go she goes. We spend hours trying to communicate in broken Georgian and English slowly gaining a precise rhythm that helps to get each of our points across. We went for a “run” together the other day which basically involved running up and down 3 different small hills at which point she was spent and ready to eat breakfast. That wasn’t quite the workout I was hoping for and so I decided to try out the Insanity that’s been on my computer for some time now. Shortly thereafter Tik’o joined in and did as best she could while I was sweating buckets and felt ready to throw up. Needless to say I was sore for about 4 days after that. Each morning she knocks on my door at 7:45 to wake me up, always surprised to find I’m already awake. I’m not sure they realize I have an alarm clock, but I don’t mind. Everyone here is an early riser so typically I wake up at various points to the next door rooster crowing or my families raised voices (it’s true what they say, Georgians are loud/passionate talkers). Shortly thereafter I’m brought some coffee to sip on while I get ready. Breakfast typically consists of Ramen noodles, which a part of me now looks forward to in the mornings and then we all head off to school. I still don’t understand how they’re always waiting for me in the mornings. Granted, yes it’s me and typically I’m always running late. Here, however, I’m always ready to go on time, even early. It’s about a 10 minute walk to school and yet by 8:30 (30 minutes before school start time) they’re all ready to head out. That is one question I really wish I could ask them.
School is a whole different monster. A part of me really enjoys school and the other part not so much. I like that it’s a challenge, not just due to lack of materials, or the language barrier, but also because it challenges me as an individual - my patience level, persistence, ability to handle uncomfortable situations, and so on. I am basically the center of attention for the entire student body, which entails being stared at constantly and whispered about as well as saying hello an absurd amount of times every day. It’s surprisingly easy to know when people are talking about you plus the whole staring, whispering, staring some more routine makes it pretty easy to figure out. Sometimes the staring becomes so uncomfortable I wish I could leave the class, or else turn the tables and just stare at them nonstop for 45 minutes and see how much they like it (the thing is I think some might and therefore I’m not sure trying that tactic would be all that effective). The teachers are overall stand-offish. An occasional hello is about all I receive from most of them, granted no one except my co-teachers speak any English. I have 2 co-teachers, Ana and Ani (those aren’t there actually names, but TLG asked that we not disclose them). Ani is a warmer individual who seems more interested in my opinion and a more well-practiced teacher, however, she lacks creativity in the classroom. Her classes are the standard read from the book, answer the questions, read from the workbook, answer the questions, that’s about it. Ana on the other hand rolls through the lessons without really noticing all the blank stares of confused children. She dismisses particular students claiming they are lazy. She breezes through the pages of the book without first ensuring the students understand what it is they’re being taught. I can tell she enjoys kids in general I just think she gets frustrated easily. Coming up with spontaneous games for the kids is something I’ve come to expect on a regular basis. Lesson planning is practically impossible. With Ana it’s a total surprise what we’ll be doing in class that day since she never lets me know ahead of time. I will soon try a new tactic I hope is successful in which I go to them with preconceived ideas for lessons and ask what they think. Not quite the lesson planning sessions I had in mind, but at this point I think that’s the best it’s going to get. More than likely they’ll say they think it’s great, my theory is because they didn’t have to plan it themselves. Despite my overwhelming frustration at times, which is probably evident given my description above about school, I am still enjoying it and with time everything about it gets easier, a trend I hope continues. I have to be persistent to get a word in with my teachers, to make them at least attempt to involve me in the class at times. I have to rely on my own creativity and ingenuity when there appears to be nothing for me to do (because there always is). I have to be ever aware of the students who excel and those who are far behind. It’s the students that are behind I hope to help the most. All of this I already know is making me a stronger and more self-reliant person.
I’m pleasantly surprised with how busy I stay after school, not really succumbing to overwhelming boredom like I thought might happen at times. I’ve already introduced volleyball to Givi, Tik’o, and Lizi along with quite a few neighborhood kids. They’re overall pretty good and I hope by the time I leave to have ‘peppering’ or as Steph would put it ‘playing pepper’ =) down pat. As of now we play with a heavy soccer ball or a really flat soccer ball, but I hope after my next out of town trip I’ll be able to return with a volleyball. I spend some time reading on my Kindle, which I’m so glad to have, probably more so come winter. I’ve managed to teach Tik’o the card games Speed, Golf, and Egyptian Rat-screw through words I’ve picked up so far/elaborate charades, which I have to say is an accomplishment I’m pretty proud of. I’m now tutoring a boy who lives down the street in English along with Tik’o and Givi. Although with those 2 I’ve been doing that from the beginning. Occasionally I here a ‘Carly, modi (come)’ and at that point I already know more than likely we’re headed to a neighbor’s/extended family’s home for a bit of socializing. My actual socializing is limited of course, but we’re always greeted the same way - cookies and candies on the table along with coffee. Despite my silent presence and complete lack of conversational understanding I even enjoy these little side trips. All of this, along with a movie or reading before bed, fills up my afternoons and evenings at home.
As a side-note, here’s a perfect example of some of my current frustration with school. Givi, Tik’o, and I were reviewing homework last night, reading an excerpt from their English books, each of them in turn practicing their pronunciation. I asked if they understood it and of course they said yes (hint: they were lying). I expected as much and so decided that instead of moving on to answer the homework questions first we would read through each sentence individually, figuring out what each meant in Georgian (qartuli). This is a perfect example of how flawed the English teaching is, in my village at least, though I expect elsewhere as well. Students read English practicing pronouncing the words correctly without understanding any of it. There is no calculated final grade for the students and homework isn’t turned in to be graded, so if they get a question wrong or their entire homework assignment for that matter it makes no difference. So long as it looks like they did it they receive no scolding from the teacher, sometimes not doing any homework also produces no scolding depending on the teacher. They show up for the next class with homework completed (maybe), answers they’re totally unsure of, and then all together the homework is reviewed. The few students who understand answer correctly, those that don’t answer incorrectly, but then receive the right one, and then the whole class moves on through the list without ever explaining what they’ve read, why the right answer was the right answer, etc. It’s a vicious cycle of ignorance and misunderstanding and I’m afraid my brother and sister are caught up in that, which explains why their English is so poor. Perhaps that paints a better picture of what I’m up against.
Anyways, the weekend is approaching and Jenna and I have plans to hang out at each other’s homes which I’m really looking forward to. It will be nice to have someone to explore my village with as I really haven’t done that yet. As Jenna puts it, just walking around the village produces a lot of stares as if she has 8 eyes and so I figured it’d be a goal best tackled with another in tow. We’re also looking forward to an upcoming trip to Batumi and the Black Sea, which I’m especially looking forward to. Being away from the beach so long after living on it for years isn’t easy! Missing all of you back home and hope you’re all well, until next time, K’argad! (bye!)
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Oh, I could sit here all day...
I'm having a really hard time thinking about where to even begin in describing this past week and all that has happened. Going from a semi-decent hotel in Tbilisi surrounded by fellow English speakers to village life where the only English words I hear all day (with the exception being in class of course) are 'eat' and 'hello' for the most part has been...interesting to say the least. A lot has happened over the course of this week so I'll try and recap the key bits:
We were all handed off to our host families on Sunday afternoon and myself and another volunteer actually rode in the same van to our respective homes. I was greeted by my host mother (deda), Iza, and my host father (mama), Valeri. It was a 3 hour ride to my village of Tsitelkhevi in the Baghdati district of the Imereti region (you can google map it if you like). I learned the words 'ghurzeni' (grape) and 'vashli' (apple) along the way as we ate food gathered from roadside stands. There was also an amazing sweetened bread we bought as well although I can't remember the name of it. I was greeted at my new home by my sister (da) T'iko, brother (dzma) Givi, grandmother (bebia), cousin (bedzashvili) Lizi, aunt (mamida) Nino, and some neighbors as well. I was very excited to discover that a supra (feast) had been prepared for my arrival. Next time a supra occurs I'll be sure to document it with some pictures, I don't feel that simply describing it here would paint the most accurate picture. Needless to say, the food was great, communication was lacking making for a somewhat awkward evening, but thankfully the English-Georgian dictionary I had purchased became a lifesaver. I began trying to tell them things about myself as best I could with the few words I already knew along with words I found in the book and so by the end of dinner had the kids sitting close waiting to see what next word I'd attempt to say in my broken Georgian pronunciation. While difficult it's definitely not impossibly to tell people a lot about yourself using few key words. Unfortunately, I haven't yet taken pictures of my home and a lot of my family/neighbors here, but will do so before my next post or at least try to. I first wanted to acclimate myself to my new surroundings and new family before I began documenting every little bit of village life here. Some key things I feel needs mentioning now however are:
-There are cows everywhere, along with geese, chickens, and stray dogs. I'll see them wandering around the school grounds, along the side of the road, on the road, everywhere.
- I have a turkish toilet, that's right full on squat to a hole in the ground. I came across a regular toilet when I was attending an intro meeting in Bagdati and found myself thinking 'Oh, I could sit here all day', hence the title of my post. Oddly enough, after only one week I feel rather comfortable in that squat position.
- In my family, eating is an all day occasion. I have Ramen noodles for breakfast along with an extremely tasty instant coffee, lunch comes after school and T'iko essentially pulls out whatever cold dishes are leftover from the supra to eat while bebia peels apples and keeps insisting I eat more. Random hot and cold dishes appear throughout the afternoon as T'iko and I spend most of our time sitting on the porch at the table, me practicing my Georgian, and she practicing her English.
-Spanish soap operas are here and they are...your standard soap opera, dubbed in Georgian. There's terrible acting, ridiculous plot lines and yet somehow very entertaining and slightly addictive. From what I've gathered my host family follows them pretty regularly while attending to other household tasks during the hour it's on.
-Majority of family life that can't be communicated is a mystery to me. With a language barrier there's only so much data you can gather from observation so I'll include what info I've learned in my next post.
In terms of what my first few days in school have been like, here's some key mentionings:
-The break time between classes is chaos - running, screaming, all that fun stuff. I feel like a celebrity and am stared at constantly, which after awhile it gets really difficult to pretend to be oblivious to it, as well as the constant whispering to each other/staring by the high school aged boys in my classes.
-Just because you don't know the language doesn't mean you don't know exactly when everyone around you is talking about you
-School here (or at least all the classes I've seen) lacks all forms of creativity. For English class, some kids have the books, others I'm not sure about and both of my co-teachers just follow along with what's in the book. It appears to me that whatever requires the least outside thought or effort is what they go with. I've already had to create several different games on the spot to do with the children because either my teachers don't feel like teaching or I feel so bad for the kids monotonous routine I want to help add a little excitement.
Let me emphasize that despite what might sound like me complaining is actually just general observations I've made. I really do love it here a lot right now and am really excited about this year and all the crazy/fun/laughable/awkward stuff I'll be sure to encounter along the way. I think school is going to be a challenge, but in a good way. The students are crazy, but also adorable and fun. My family sometimes really misunderstands or flat out does not understand what I'm trying to get across to them, but I love spending time with them in the afternoons and evenings practicing Georgian/English, watching TV or of course eating together. I'm also looking forward to exploring more of Georgia with Jenna and other friends from the program. I'll do better in future posts to give you specifics on family life, school life, etc. but for now the idea of trying to condense that all into one post is just a little too overwhelming. I did introduce t'iko, givi, and lizi to photobooth though so I at least have a few pictures of them to share.
We were all handed off to our host families on Sunday afternoon and myself and another volunteer actually rode in the same van to our respective homes. I was greeted by my host mother (deda), Iza, and my host father (mama), Valeri. It was a 3 hour ride to my village of Tsitelkhevi in the Baghdati district of the Imereti region (you can google map it if you like). I learned the words 'ghurzeni' (grape) and 'vashli' (apple) along the way as we ate food gathered from roadside stands. There was also an amazing sweetened bread we bought as well although I can't remember the name of it. I was greeted at my new home by my sister (da) T'iko, brother (dzma) Givi, grandmother (bebia), cousin (bedzashvili) Lizi, aunt (mamida) Nino, and some neighbors as well. I was very excited to discover that a supra (feast) had been prepared for my arrival. Next time a supra occurs I'll be sure to document it with some pictures, I don't feel that simply describing it here would paint the most accurate picture. Needless to say, the food was great, communication was lacking making for a somewhat awkward evening, but thankfully the English-Georgian dictionary I had purchased became a lifesaver. I began trying to tell them things about myself as best I could with the few words I already knew along with words I found in the book and so by the end of dinner had the kids sitting close waiting to see what next word I'd attempt to say in my broken Georgian pronunciation. While difficult it's definitely not impossibly to tell people a lot about yourself using few key words. Unfortunately, I haven't yet taken pictures of my home and a lot of my family/neighbors here, but will do so before my next post or at least try to. I first wanted to acclimate myself to my new surroundings and new family before I began documenting every little bit of village life here. Some key things I feel needs mentioning now however are:
-There are cows everywhere, along with geese, chickens, and stray dogs. I'll see them wandering around the school grounds, along the side of the road, on the road, everywhere.
- I have a turkish toilet, that's right full on squat to a hole in the ground. I came across a regular toilet when I was attending an intro meeting in Bagdati and found myself thinking 'Oh, I could sit here all day', hence the title of my post. Oddly enough, after only one week I feel rather comfortable in that squat position.
- In my family, eating is an all day occasion. I have Ramen noodles for breakfast along with an extremely tasty instant coffee, lunch comes after school and T'iko essentially pulls out whatever cold dishes are leftover from the supra to eat while bebia peels apples and keeps insisting I eat more. Random hot and cold dishes appear throughout the afternoon as T'iko and I spend most of our time sitting on the porch at the table, me practicing my Georgian, and she practicing her English.
-Spanish soap operas are here and they are...your standard soap opera, dubbed in Georgian. There's terrible acting, ridiculous plot lines and yet somehow very entertaining and slightly addictive. From what I've gathered my host family follows them pretty regularly while attending to other household tasks during the hour it's on.
-Majority of family life that can't be communicated is a mystery to me. With a language barrier there's only so much data you can gather from observation so I'll include what info I've learned in my next post.
In terms of what my first few days in school have been like, here's some key mentionings:
-The break time between classes is chaos - running, screaming, all that fun stuff. I feel like a celebrity and am stared at constantly, which after awhile it gets really difficult to pretend to be oblivious to it, as well as the constant whispering to each other/staring by the high school aged boys in my classes.
-Just because you don't know the language doesn't mean you don't know exactly when everyone around you is talking about you
-School here (or at least all the classes I've seen) lacks all forms of creativity. For English class, some kids have the books, others I'm not sure about and both of my co-teachers just follow along with what's in the book. It appears to me that whatever requires the least outside thought or effort is what they go with. I've already had to create several different games on the spot to do with the children because either my teachers don't feel like teaching or I feel so bad for the kids monotonous routine I want to help add a little excitement.
Let me emphasize that despite what might sound like me complaining is actually just general observations I've made. I really do love it here a lot right now and am really excited about this year and all the crazy/fun/laughable/awkward stuff I'll be sure to encounter along the way. I think school is going to be a challenge, but in a good way. The students are crazy, but also adorable and fun. My family sometimes really misunderstands or flat out does not understand what I'm trying to get across to them, but I love spending time with them in the afternoons and evenings practicing Georgian/English, watching TV or of course eating together. I'm also looking forward to exploring more of Georgia with Jenna and other friends from the program. I'll do better in future posts to give you specifics on family life, school life, etc. but for now the idea of trying to condense that all into one post is just a little too overwhelming. I did introduce t'iko, givi, and lizi to photobooth though so I at least have a few pictures of them to share.
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| They all seemed to be a bit unsure of the whole photobooth thing, so there wasn't a lot of smiling. |
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| After about 6 takes, I finally got her to start cracking a smile. |
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Saturday, September 22, 2012
Mayor Moody's new cigarette currency
So here is what I know:
Starting tomorrow I will be introduced to the family I will be living with for the next 9 months. There will be several awkward exchanges as volunteers and families names are called out, meeting in the middle of the crowd to exchange greetings and as they approach one another asking themselves do I go in for a handshake, hug, or what? I personally think a Michael Scott slow shun-nun-nun-nun run should do the trick. I will be getting in a marshut'k'a, car, or whatever transportation means they've used to get to Tbilisi to meet me and for the next 3 hours we will spend some quality bonding time getting to know one another. I'm really hoping for just one person to know basic English, but I'll just have to wait and see. I will be living in the Imereti region of Georgia, sort of mid-west on a map, in the Baghdati district, and in the village, that's right village of Tsitelkhevi (google map it if you like). I have a host mother, father, grandmother, 12 year old sister, and 13 year old brother...and outdoor plumbing! Cold winter toilet runs here I come! At some point I may resort to keeping a bucket in my room should an emergency ever arise late at night, or it just gets too damn cold and obnoxious to layer up at 3 am just to pee =). I can't say for sure, but I also believe that means those winter months I will be heating a pot of hot water and going the sponge bath route yippee...oh adventures what crazy twists and turns you've taken me on. Two great things about my particular location assignment.
1) It looks like a cool place to be. I have the mountains to my south and a forest reserve to my north. To the southeast I have the town of Baghdati, not too far away for those needed coffee/wi-fi trips (yep no internet at home I'm afraid). To the northeast, about a 30 minute drive is Kutaisi, the second largest city in Georgia (score), and the Black Sea coastline is about an hour drive away to the west.
2) There were 62 people in our orientation group who got assigned all over the country and just 12ish short km down the road is my friend Jenna, who of all the places in the whole country to be assigned to is literally a village away! I think overall I got the long end of the stick, er, whichever ends the better one to be on.
So a new chapter of this journey begins......starting tomorrow. For now, to reminisce on my time spent here at the hotel here's a recap of the things I've learned:
1) A fair number of Georgian men are under the impression that foreign women will happily jump into a car with them and gladly have a 'sleepover' as well.
2) Georgian men are under the very strong impression foreign women will happily jump into a car with them...and won't stop trying for a solid 6 minutes despite the constant 'arra' (no) and flipping them the bird.
3) It doesn't go over so well when you accidentally take a dump in someone's closet (important note: this wasn't me personally).
4) Eating the same flavored food for every meal, 7 straight days is not fun, but the minimizing of such food is a fantastic way to shed some pounds.
5) Walking past the same people you just said goodbye to 10 minutes ago is awkward in any country and should try and be avoided if possible.
6) Should you come across a rabid dog, don't get to a high point or move away, simply curl into a ball and avoid eye contact.
7) If you're a dude especially working in this program then you are going to be drinking a lot of alcohol.
8) It's not as hard as one might think to drift off to sleep with the soothing sounds of Georgian karaoke wafting through the air, a cat either in the process of dying or just delirious, and random dog packs fighting for their territory.
9) When you lack a defined postal system, simply send luggage, packages, or whatever with the long distance marshut'k'a drivers (cross between taxi and bus) and they will actually deliver those things to where they need to be.
10) Salt is really popular at this hotel.
11) Make critters in your room feel welcome by creating a cozy home for them...taped to the wall (see picture).
12) Ladies, don't smoke outside or you will have a Georgian man assume, as they naturally should, you must be a prostitute.
13) Apparently Mcdonald's is expensive here and where all the teens take their dates for a fancy night out.
14) If you think you're lost, take a minute to walk each way for about 30 seconds because you may find yourself paying a taxi driver to basically just drive you those 50 steps you really could've made on your own had you continued going the way you were already walking.
So that about sums up what I've taken away so far. Overall, most of the orientation was helpful some of it boring, but that's to be expected. We spent time learning about cultural differences, teaching in the classrooms, and practicing our Georgian language skills (challenging language I got to say). I've met some great people, made good friends and so I'm sure we'll have some fun weekend trips to look forward to in everyone's respective regions. Next time I should have plenty more to share as I will be in an entirely new place with all new people. Until then I bid you adieu.
Starting tomorrow I will be introduced to the family I will be living with for the next 9 months. There will be several awkward exchanges as volunteers and families names are called out, meeting in the middle of the crowd to exchange greetings and as they approach one another asking themselves do I go in for a handshake, hug, or what? I personally think a Michael Scott slow shun-nun-nun-nun run should do the trick. I will be getting in a marshut'k'a, car, or whatever transportation means they've used to get to Tbilisi to meet me and for the next 3 hours we will spend some quality bonding time getting to know one another. I'm really hoping for just one person to know basic English, but I'll just have to wait and see. I will be living in the Imereti region of Georgia, sort of mid-west on a map, in the Baghdati district, and in the village, that's right village of Tsitelkhevi (google map it if you like). I have a host mother, father, grandmother, 12 year old sister, and 13 year old brother...and outdoor plumbing! Cold winter toilet runs here I come! At some point I may resort to keeping a bucket in my room should an emergency ever arise late at night, or it just gets too damn cold and obnoxious to layer up at 3 am just to pee =). I can't say for sure, but I also believe that means those winter months I will be heating a pot of hot water and going the sponge bath route yippee...oh adventures what crazy twists and turns you've taken me on. Two great things about my particular location assignment.
1) It looks like a cool place to be. I have the mountains to my south and a forest reserve to my north. To the southeast I have the town of Baghdati, not too far away for those needed coffee/wi-fi trips (yep no internet at home I'm afraid). To the northeast, about a 30 minute drive is Kutaisi, the second largest city in Georgia (score), and the Black Sea coastline is about an hour drive away to the west.
2) There were 62 people in our orientation group who got assigned all over the country and just 12ish short km down the road is my friend Jenna, who of all the places in the whole country to be assigned to is literally a village away! I think overall I got the long end of the stick, er, whichever ends the better one to be on.
So a new chapter of this journey begins......starting tomorrow. For now, to reminisce on my time spent here at the hotel here's a recap of the things I've learned:
1) A fair number of Georgian men are under the impression that foreign women will happily jump into a car with them and gladly have a 'sleepover' as well.
2) Georgian men are under the very strong impression foreign women will happily jump into a car with them...and won't stop trying for a solid 6 minutes despite the constant 'arra' (no) and flipping them the bird.
3) It doesn't go over so well when you accidentally take a dump in someone's closet (important note: this wasn't me personally).
4) Eating the same flavored food for every meal, 7 straight days is not fun, but the minimizing of such food is a fantastic way to shed some pounds.
5) Walking past the same people you just said goodbye to 10 minutes ago is awkward in any country and should try and be avoided if possible.
6) Should you come across a rabid dog, don't get to a high point or move away, simply curl into a ball and avoid eye contact.
7) If you're a dude especially working in this program then you are going to be drinking a lot of alcohol.
8) It's not as hard as one might think to drift off to sleep with the soothing sounds of Georgian karaoke wafting through the air, a cat either in the process of dying or just delirious, and random dog packs fighting for their territory.
9) When you lack a defined postal system, simply send luggage, packages, or whatever with the long distance marshut'k'a drivers (cross between taxi and bus) and they will actually deliver those things to where they need to be.
10) Salt is really popular at this hotel.
11) Make critters in your room feel welcome by creating a cozy home for them...taped to the wall (see picture).
12) Ladies, don't smoke outside or you will have a Georgian man assume, as they naturally should, you must be a prostitute.
13) Apparently Mcdonald's is expensive here and where all the teens take their dates for a fancy night out.
14) If you think you're lost, take a minute to walk each way for about 30 seconds because you may find yourself paying a taxi driver to basically just drive you those 50 steps you really could've made on your own had you continued going the way you were already walking.
So that about sums up what I've taken away so far. Overall, most of the orientation was helpful some of it boring, but that's to be expected. We spent time learning about cultural differences, teaching in the classrooms, and practicing our Georgian language skills (challenging language I got to say). I've met some great people, made good friends and so I'm sure we'll have some fun weekend trips to look forward to in everyone's respective regions. Next time I should have plenty more to share as I will be in an entirely new place with all new people. Until then I bid you adieu.
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| Freedom square location |
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| Tbilisi at night |
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| If you give a mouse a cake...or just tape a bag to the wall and put a trash bag in front of it. |
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
...And a Kindle stuffed under my bra.
(I meant to publish this earlier but realized I never had, hence why it's a bit out of order)
I've created a nice little song to accompany my first bit of traveling...
On the 1st day of my journey, I had to stuff on my body (because I didn't take the weight restriction for carry on luggage seriously) --- A Kindle stuffed under my bra.
For the 2nd hidden item I stuffed on my body --- 2 long sleeve shirts and a Kindle stuffed under my bra.
For the 3rd hidden item I stuffed on my body --- 3 extra pairs of underwear, 2 long sleeve shirts, and a Kindle stuffed under my bra...
You get the idea, I thought it was catchy. So flying out of Chicago I came to realize my backpack and carry on bag were both too heavy. Since I refuse to spend more money than necessary on baggage I went ahead and did what any cheap person would do and stuffed as much excess stuff on my body as possible right before I got my 2 bags weighed. Here is the final list of what excess clothing and items found a temporary resting place on my body:
-3 pairs of underwear
-1 pair of sweatpants
-2 long sleeve shirts
-2 sweaters
-1 windbreaker
-My wallet and journal stuffed into my boots
-Laptop charger stuffed in my pants
-Kindle stuffed under my bra
-iPod, wall plug, and external hard drive stuffed into my pockets
-Swimsuit top over my bra (and Kindle)
-5 necklaces
-1 scarf
Needless to say it was a great start to my trip. After that debacle everything else seemed to go pretty smooth from there. I met Jenna, Mary, and Max at the airport. The flight to Warsaw was around 9 hours and then we had 12 hours to kill in Warsaw. Figuring out navigating the city was interesting but still we seemed to make do. We really just spent about 6 hours wandering around between the new town area and Old Town, which definitely had more character to offer.
I've created a nice little song to accompany my first bit of traveling...
On the 1st day of my journey, I had to stuff on my body (because I didn't take the weight restriction for carry on luggage seriously) --- A Kindle stuffed under my bra.
For the 2nd hidden item I stuffed on my body --- 2 long sleeve shirts and a Kindle stuffed under my bra.
For the 3rd hidden item I stuffed on my body --- 3 extra pairs of underwear, 2 long sleeve shirts, and a Kindle stuffed under my bra...
You get the idea, I thought it was catchy. So flying out of Chicago I came to realize my backpack and carry on bag were both too heavy. Since I refuse to spend more money than necessary on baggage I went ahead and did what any cheap person would do and stuffed as much excess stuff on my body as possible right before I got my 2 bags weighed. Here is the final list of what excess clothing and items found a temporary resting place on my body:
-3 pairs of underwear
-1 pair of sweatpants
-2 long sleeve shirts
-2 sweaters
-1 windbreaker
-My wallet and journal stuffed into my boots
-Laptop charger stuffed in my pants
-Kindle stuffed under my bra
-iPod, wall plug, and external hard drive stuffed into my pockets
-Swimsuit top over my bra (and Kindle)
-5 necklaces
-1 scarf
Needless to say it was a great start to my trip. After that debacle everything else seemed to go pretty smooth from there. I met Jenna, Mary, and Max at the airport. The flight to Warsaw was around 9 hours and then we had 12 hours to kill in Warsaw. Figuring out navigating the city was interesting but still we seemed to make do. We really just spent about 6 hours wandering around between the new town area and Old Town, which definitely had more character to offer.
Well if I have to be tested for AIDS, I'm glad I could share it with all of you
Since our Warsaw trip, most of the time spent here in Tbilisi has been in a classroom. For the first few days we had some readjustment time, which gave all us volunteers time to explore the city. That first day Jenna, my roommate, and I ventured out for a brief walk and later that night ended up going downtown with a big group. The Old City area of Tbilisi is really cool and has all sorts of restaurants and bars open really late with great outdoor seating areas, a basketful of blankets to help yourself to while you're there should you get cold, and some live music mixed in too. All the different places run along these narrow pedestrian streets giving it that quintessential European town feel. We all spent time at one restaurant where to my surprise the drink menu is more varied than in the US - I had my choice of margaritas, daiquiris, you name it. While some wrapped up smoking an apple-flavored hookah others of us ventured to another bar with some grand old techno music. The rest of the night was spent exploring quieter streets of Tbilisi as well as a nearby park and then finally seeking out some great late night 'dodgy' food which came in the form of a surprisingly tasty kebab. The following day Jenna and I took to exploring more of the Old City area in daylight as well as hiking up to the Narikala Fort, which rests on top of a huge hill overlooking the city, built in the 4th century.
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| I spent a lot of time trying to figure out my camera =) |
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| Our night on the town |
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| That was a surprise |
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| Different views from the Narikala Fortress |
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| Notice the giant cylinder things next the bridge...still no clue what those are |
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| Jenna! |
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| Mother of Kartli statue, a symbol of the city - in her left hand she holds a bowl of wine to greet those who come as friends, and in her right hand is a sword for those who come as enemies. |
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| One of the best iced coffees ever! And not just because it was free. |
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| Our friend who treated us to the coffees |
Monday, September 17, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
TLG
For those of you just hearing about my trip, or others who have heard about it several times, in fact, and still ask me the same questions (you know who you are =) let me get you all up to speed on what I'm about to go do for the next year-ish of my life. I am teaching through a program called Teach and Learn with Georgia (www.tlg.gov.ge). It is a program the Ministry of Science and Education in Georgia developed approximately 3 years ago. The reason I chose this program over others is because I liked the fact that round trip airfare was provided not once, but twice and so I'll get to come back to the US for a few weeks around the Christmas holiday season. You get a basic stipend of 500 lari, ~$300 USD which is apparently double what teachers in the country typically make, which I thought was interesting. With that stipend 100 lari goes to my host family for room and board, the other 400 is to spend as I see fit. I will be living with a host family ideally for the duration of my stay in Georgia. I say ideally because I know past participants have at times not gotten along well with the family or for various reasons needed/wanted to move out, either to a new family or their own apartment. I've also read other blogs of past participants who got along exceptionally well with their families and developed a very close and personal relationship with each family member and so I hope to fit into that latter category. As of now I have no idea who my family will be or even where I'll be living in the country, that all comes later during orientation. I think another reason I liked this program was for that reason as well- I could have said where I preferred to live in the country, but I like not knowing and just going where the wind blows me so to speak. It feels a little more adventurous and I am after all a firm believer in that things in life happen for a reason and I'll end up exactly where I'm supposed to be. I've spent a lot of time describing to people where Georgia is and what kind of climate I'll be living in. No, it's not like Siberia, mother and no it's not the desert either despite being relatively close to Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. From the information I've gathered via past participant blogs, etc. the weather reminds me a lot of Colorado and I've also seen it compared it to the northeastern states. The weather will first and foremost vary by where I'm placed in the country itself. I may be closer to the mountain range there and therefore weather will be slightly cooler (though I imagine the scenery is absolutely incredible) even in summertime, or closer to the Black Sea where weather is semi-tropical (if you look up pictures you see palm tress lining the downtown streets of Batumi) and doesn't get quite so cool in the winter. The reason so many people have commented on how cold the winters are is due to the fact that central heating isn't really something Georgia homes and businesses and schools offer. This is something I think I will have the hardest time transitioning too since I hate being cold, especially waking up to a cold house in the morning, but I'll take it all in stride. Some homes don't have indoor plumbing, the water or electricity may shut off completely at random times during the day, and my winter showers may simply involve a pot of hot water heated stove-side and a sponge (bow-chicka-bow-wow) but you know what, I'm still looking forward to every single minute! I welcome a slower pace of life where my days will revolve around teaching and my nights sitting fireside chatting with my Georgian family or painting or reading those books I've always told myself I'd get around to one day or another. With my new Kindle (thank you Katie) I've acquired several free books including Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland' and let me tell you that is one weird freaking book! The one thing I will say is if you're ever curious what my crazy dreams are like (which I have on a regular basis, just ask Mike), search no further than that book, it feels very familiar. The reason I bring this up is to simply explain for the title of my blog. Alice is constantly running into the most bizarre and unexpected things and her total flabbergasted-ness leads her to coin the phrase 'curiouser and curiouser' and I just love that. I have a feeling I may come across surprises like that over the next year (though I'm pretty sure Georgia doesn't have any growth enhancing or diminishing sweets or pothead caterpillars) and find myself reminiscing about the curiousness of it all. Beginning Thursday my adventure first begins with a plane ride to Chicago, then a 12-hour layover in Warsaw, and then finally arriving in Georgia's capital of T'bilisi so stay tuned for my next update!
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