New Blog

I have moved on to a new blog. gretchenkeepsmoving.blogspot.com

Ireland

So I email my parents to say hello from Ireland...my dad's response was the following:

"Gretch: you need to update your blog...everyone is asking. "

Hahaha. Here it is DAD! Hilarious. Ireland is beautiful, duh. We have gone around the entire island and met lots of amazing people. It has been a nice distraction. We started in Dublin and are back for a couple nights. Our flight is on Tuesday and I am actually a tad bit happy to be going back to America. If for no other reason than the dollar sucks.

We went to Belfast- talk about intense. Then we stayed in County Donegal, in a little town, Dunfanaghy. From there we headed to Galway for a few days. After Galway, Cork. From Cork we headed to Kilkenny. We got to Dublin last night and we are SICK of buses. Tomorrow we are doing a tour of Wicklow.

Last night we went to a comedy show and I laughed hard. Then we headed to a pub where a man tried to steal my purse. I proceeded to walk up to him, start random conversation and then asked him why he was trying to steal my purse. He just gave me a blank look and walked away quickly. It was a very satisfying moment to say the least. Amanda and Chris got a good laugh out of it because they didn't know that I had gone over to call him out. I think I found my new path in life...fighting petty crime one pub at a time. The Guiness is just amazing here (I may or may not have gained 25 pounds from it) haha.

I am going to go now, euros don't grow on trees and internet cafes are not cheap! I look forward to seeing people, at least briefly while I am home.

2 more days...

Armenia

For a person that loves to travel and wants to see the world...I am pretty sad to be in Armenia. Peace Corps Armenia has been incredibly kind to us. The country is pretty and we are staying in a safe place.
I am at a loss for words right now, so I apologize if this is boring in comparison to older posts. The news leaves our ability to re-enter completely up in the air. Basically we are all sitting ducks, hoping that Washington D.C. will tell us what our options are soon. We are all really safe.
Returning to America is not something I even want to consider...if I have to I may just hitch-hike to Egypt, check out a camel or two.
My heart hurts for the people of Georgia right now. Our staff is absolutely amazing and I am beyond grateful. There is not much more to say right now. There are about 80 volunteers hanging out in this random hotel in Armenia...but we're safe. :(

Start watching CNN World News!

For those of you who have already forgotten about me, shame on you. haha. Just kidding! Things here are heating up, and I am not sure how concerned I should be seeing as this conflict has been going on for 15 years...
All the trainees have been consolidated and will be staying in Bakuriani (the mountians where orientation week occured). It is frustrating to be so cut off from the outside world. Especially when the information I want concerns the country I am IN! haha. Oh well.
Please keep up with the news, even if you find it boring. I miss and love you all.

Word on the street is...

Hello! If this actually posts it will be a miracle. I am attepmting to do this via my phone. I love technology...sometimes.
Things are plugging along. Job shadowing was fun. I got to go swimming in the Black Sea, it was super duper! We were near Turkey so I said what's up to the boarder patrol. :)
I got my permanent site placement. I will be near Turkey and Armenia, in Akhaltsikhe. What? You have never heard of it? Shame on you...get a map! Haha. My host family is really sweet and my school is brand new. My host mom is half Armenian and teaches it. Naturally everyone speaks Russian also. My georgian is sick nasty...JUST KIDDING!!! I am studying and trying my best.
We just had summer camp for the teachers training. It was pretty awesome. Physical fitness day, teamwork/ leadership skills day and Environmental day. The kids were really into it which was nice because we needed an energy boost. One girl wrote us the nicest thank you note I have ever read.
My host family now is still rockin out. Their house is coming along nicely. Oh! Funny side note- my new host family's house is under construction too!! Woohoo. Actually it is really cool because it means indoor plumbing. Holler at your girl! The winter may suck here but I will have a toilet in the house. Yea I said it.
I have really missed people from home lately. It is hard not being able to just call anyone I want. It's all good though, you know how I do!
Amanda and I visit each other like we have visitation rights. It is pretty funny but I love it. Speaking of, she got placed...wait for it...wait for it...BATUMI. Yea, you heard me, BATUMI!!! The beach resort haven for Georgians. Haha. It is cool for me. She will be doing tourism development there, and I will have a free vacation spot. Feels me??
All in all things are great. I am alive and well. Still no major illnesses so things are looking up. I'm poor but that is the point so...everything is as it should be! Haha.
One last thing for those of you that know me- don't worry everyone here knows that I am crazy. I am surviving because of my random noises, faces and BAD jokes. (Sarcasm too, however that does not translate as well...) Haha.
Aight home boys and girls. Gretch Out.
P.S. I want a chipotle burrito and Pizza. SO badly...

July 11, 2008 Word up? Not only class but a TEST on Saturday? SUPER DUUUPPERRRR!

…NOT! (Insert Borat accent here). It is another fabulous Friday here in Kveshkheti. I am posted up in chemis sakhali (my house) doing my mass amounts of work and yes, that’s correct – studying for a teaching test. No big deal really common sense material.

This week has been crazy insane- insane crazy. Yea, that’s right, I said it! So Monday was my first day teaching. I rocked out. Tuesday I taught 7-9^th grade. I did not rock out. Wednesday I taught a double session in the 5-6^th grade. I rocked out hard. This pattern has been a steady sin wave in all honesty. There is a comfort in knowing that no matter how hard I try (and how much I have my supervisor translate) the counter part I work with for the 7-9^th graders just does not know english. It becomes awkwardly apparent when the lesson starts and she is not doing her part. I am learning a lot about my strengths and weaknesses at a rapid pace. My already existing respect for teachers has grown exponentially this past week. For all of us that never cared in class, or gave our teachers a hard time…try teaching and you will probably want to shoot yourself in the foot for ever being rude. Hahahaha. 35 minutes has never been so bi-polar – it can be the shortest or LONGEST amount of time I have ever experience all in one day.

Teaching methods here are still very Soviet-oriented. This is the biggest challenge for us, as we are pushed to use rather controversial methods. There is not a grading system in the schools here, and students are just given passing grades and pushed through to the next grade. Although frustrating, it is the only reality the teachers and students know. It is going to take quite a bit of time to change the larger issues. I have faith that over time things will improve, there are so many bright teachers that have a willingness to promote change.

Our lesson planning takes up most of our evenings now. Add language assignments, cross-cultural assignments, evaluations and the multiple tests we are given and it equals the BEST WEEK EVER! (Insert sarcastic tone here). I personally enjoy having a lot of work to do but I know a lot of people have hit a wall. It is difficult to truly integrate into our communities and families when we literally have over an 80 hour work week. We are so focused right now that our perspective is very narrow. This makes it quite difficult to see the bigger picture – volunteering is not going to be like training, and training is going to make volunteering possible. I have faith in our staff, they are all very smart and helpful. Five weeks from now and into my service I hope that I can look back on this time and appreciate all the silly tasks I had to complete.

The spiders are multiplying in the shower, naturally I started to name them all: Fred, Bono, Brett, Giorgi, Alfred, Igor and Zed. I am pretty sure they are all making babies with Shaniqua because there are more every stinkin’ day. I contintue to administer a no tolerance policy with insects in my bedroom and no I do not discriminate!

Tomorrow I have a four hour language class, then my technical test. Afterwards I am heading to Khashuri to use the internet! I am going to spend the night at Amanda’s and we are having lunch with Tyler’s family on Sunday. Next week is going to be packed too- we have teaching Mon- Thurs, a Hub session all day Friday and then TEFL has job shadowing that weekend. We get our permanent site assignments on July 25^th! I am SO excited.

OH SNAP! I almost forgot the most exciting thing! Yesterday I got to wake up at 4am to travel to Tbilisi…to meet Condoleezza Rice!!! She came to town and decided to shout a holler at some U.S. volunteer agencies in Georgia. Nah, I’m just kiddin’ she was here on some official business but she did fit in a session to talk and shake hands with some volunteer groups currently serving. Not everyone got to go due to a limited capacity so I was excited to have the opportunity. I got to get out of language class for a day and we got our driver to stop at McDonalds. A BIGMAC AND NUGGETS HAVE NEVER TASTED SO GOOD! Haha.

OK, now I am done. I have to study and sleep. Tomorrow demands way too much as it is!

PEACE OUT.

July 6, 2008 Super Duperrrr

I am started my fourth week of training today! I cannot believe how quickly things are moving along. The language is becoming really fun and all in all I was being a little dramatic in terms of my struggles. I am doing well with it all. I am actually really lucky to be doing as well as I am with the grammar/vocabulary retention. Technical training is the more stressful – I teach my first english class tomorrow. Of course I got placed with 10^th /11th grade, how exactly do I make grammar fun for 15-17 year olds during the summer? I will let you know after my first creative lesson plan. Haha.

Saturday I met Amanda in Khashuri. We played on the internet for awhile in the Peace Corps office there with a few other clusters. A bunch of us then went next door to grab some beverages and snacks. It was really quite fun to see some new clusters that are further away from the west-siders. Yeah, that’s right, for the first time in my life I can say “WESTSIDE!” and have it actually apply. Holler at a player when you see her in the streets. Haha. Anyway, Amanda and I had a lovely time with my family and stayed up most of the night chatting. We are freakishly similar and I will leave it at that. She is a ball of energy and my family absolutely adores her. Today we walked around the village and took lots of cool pictures with my sisters.

Tyler came to meet up with us this afternoon, and we all went to Brad’s house for some attempted Mexican food. Kathleen and Jen did their best to cook up some Mexican…pretty impossible here. They did an awesome job! It was a lot of fun. Garrick, a fellow trainee in a neighboring village, came over with his guitar! He sang songs, we stuffed our faces and relaxed all afternoon. Pretty sweet day. Amanda, Tyler and I came back to my place and chilled out for an hour or so then they hit the road back to Ruisi. We have to be in our villages by 8pm, (for those of you that may not know me- I am not the biggest fan of being told what to do and have never had a curfew in my life) needless to say, that has become quite challenging for most of us to abide by! In any event things are peaceful but never dull. I am learning so much and hope it never stops. Georgian culture is so intriguing. My host family rocks my world, I can only pray my permanent site placement is as awesome!!

Droebit Ojakhi da Megobarebi! Stavlob kartuls! (See you later family and friends! I need to study Georgian!) If only I could write that with the Georgian alphabet…than you would really see what I have learned. Too bad I didn’t install it on my computer before I left, oh well.

July 4, 2008 Independence Day, a day early?

For whatever reason, Peace Corps Georgia decided to have a 4^th of July picnic, on July 3^rd. haha. A bunch of current G6’s and G7’s were there, and the Tbilisi staff. The G6’s have 2 weeks until they are able to go home for good, so most of them were pretty excited! There were information tables set up for current secondary projects etc. There is quite a bit going on here- we are all excited to get involved. The actual picnic could have been better, however it was not a total waste. It was outside of Gori (Stalin’s birthplace). A bunch of us went into Gori afterwards to relax, some went to the Stalin museum. I was not in the mood, so I joined the bar crowd. We ended up sitting outside on a nice patio where there were some G7’s. They were really inviting and talkative. We all shared a big table and lots of stories. They are a really fun group of people, I hope we get to spend more time with them.

Today we had class and technical training involved lesson planning. I start teaching on Monday! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I am hoping for the best…preparing for the worst! It will be interesting. My host siblings are signed up for the summer school so that should be fun.

Tomorrow I am going into Khashuri to go to the bank and the school to use the wireless internet there. Amanda is going to meet me there, she is coming home with me. Slumber party! Woohoo. Then on Sunday we are making mexican food at Brad’s house. Hopefully all will turn out well this weekend. I just need to make sure to stay on top of all my work. BLAH.

July 1, 2008 Georgia has how many kinds of spiders?

Today was relatively low-key. Training was intense and we all seemed to hit a wall. Technical training went very well…we meet our summer counterparts tomorrow! That is exciting because we are a few days away from actually teaching a classroom of Georgian children for the first time.

Lizi and Nona reminded me that tomorrow is my birthday. And they made it very clear that I was encouraged to invite any friends over to help celebrate. Nona also made sure I was free tomorrow night because they are doing dinner for me at our bebia’s (grandma’s) house.

Tonight, while taking one of the hottest showers I have ever taken in my life, I was introduced to roughly 5 different types of spiders. I have never been so scared to shower! I still have goosebumps just thinking about it. I was so frightened that I didn’t even put my clothes on; I ran out into the dark in my towel, across the front yard into my room. The spiders here are SO gross. I am going to say that ignorance is bliss, and I wish I had never been confronted with this reality. Quick FYI, there are over 500 different spiders in this country. FIVE HUNDRED?!!! If there were ever a time for me to get over my fear of spiders, I suppose it is NOW. One small step in the right direction- shower with a few and do not have a panic attack. Check plus for Gretch! I am praying that I don’t have anymore nightmares about them. Hahaha. Pathetic, I know…alas, I have already had a few terribly upsetting dreams about spiders. They are SO CREEPY. Ok, enough is enough. I just turned 22. That may in fact be worse than spiders…

July 2, 2008 “Welcome to the stage of life where every birthday is one more step downhill.” –Phil

The caption for this entry is a text message I received from my friend Phil this morning. Thanks bubba. Haha. I suppose he is right. JUST KIDDING. Well, another birthday abroad and I must say it was lovely. I had class all morning and technical in the afternoon. Today we met our temporary counterparts for summer school, which starts…MONDAY! It is three weeks long and the students ask to participate. The level of motivation is definitely skewed but I am not protesting! Haha. I need all the practice I can get. Working with actual Georgian English teachers for the first time was interesting to say the least. It made it very evident to us that learning Georgian is a must.

After class my cluster came back to my house to study together before going to my bebias house for my birthday. My host mom told me to invite whomever I wanted over, as long as we were there at 6pm. As we were studying Travis got a call and left quickly…very strange behavior for him. Come to find out Amanda and Tyler showed up, with flowers to boot!!!! They are in a village about an hour away. I was SO surprised to see them. It was the best gift I could have received. Tyler’s host brother drove them from Ruisi, their village outside of Gori. He got lost on the way and they took over two hours to get to me. Talk about dedication! J

We headed to my bebias (Grandma) house for dinner. They had a MASSIVE barbiedoll cake on the table for me, with my name written in Georgian across the front. It was amazing. I have never seem a cake that intricate…and definitely never that size. I am talking wedding cake status here people. They gave me gifts and made toasts to me (and my family/friends in America). The Georgian champagne was very good! Everyone is so caring here, it really touched me a great deal. Not only my friends taking it upon themselves to surprise me on a weeknight when we have curfew, but my host family as well. The food was amazing, as usual, the cake was astonishing, and the company was priceless. I felt so genuinely loved. It is remarkable considering I have only been here for two weeks, and have only known my fellow trainees for little over three weeks. It really feels like much longer.

On top of all that gloriousness, I got to talk to my parents, brother and one set of Grandparents! I also received wonderfully considerate emails from family and friends. Thank you to everyone that thought of me, it really brought a huge smile to my face all day. And will continue to do so when I am feeling lonely. I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!!!

June 30, 2008 Order in the classroom?

Today was a great day overall. Another rollercoaster ride of emotions ranging from enthusiastic, confident, tired, frustrated, joyful, grateful, and finally utterly exhausted.

Language class was great because we had an enormous amount of information thrown at us. It made it fun because we actually had decent things to add to a conversation now…relatively speaking of course. The past tense has never been so rewarding! The moral of the story is that class seemed to pass by a bit faster today. We went to the store for break because I wanted Koka Kola somethin’ fierce and a snickers bar. The store owner thinks I am a ‘gizhi gogo’ (crazy girl)! I made her laugh until she cried the other day…ok, fine I’ll tell the story.

I had just learned how to pronounce the word Tsitsila the night before and really like saying it. SO we were in the store and I asked the lady for water (Tskhali). She looked at me with confused eyes and I realized that I had said tsitsila which means CHICKEN, not tskhali. Hahaha. And as she handed me my bag, instead of Madloba (thank you), I said gamarjoba (hello) for a third time! I attempted to play it off by pretending that I had been talking to myself. I looked up and said madloba but it was not enough to save me. Needless to say, my brain was done processing Georgian that day. It was funny and we all still get a good laugh out of it.

Technical training was interesting today. We learned how to manage a classroom. And to answer your questions- being a teacher is similar to running for president. I have never been introduced to so many “theories” and “middle areas” in my life. IT ALL DEPENDS, is the theme of the next 2 years of my life. It was a frustrating lesson to say the least.

When I got home I hung out with Salome and Lizi. We worked on my homework, played cards and watched spanish soap operas in georgian. Haha. At least I can understand the spanish! Then we went for a walk with Travis and his host sister, while Nona started dinner. When we came back in I noticed their piano. I played a few songs and the girls got very excited. Salome played a song, she is very good. They encouraged their mom to come play- Nona is amazing!!! Her tiny fingers owned that instrument. From classical to traditional Georgian music, she played and sang until her fingers quit. I took pictures and watching in awe. Afterwards we continued to cook dinner as Salome played her songs. Nona had not had a chance to eat all day long so she devoured her dinner. Poor thing works so hard, I am constantly amazed by her.

I could write for hours about how awesome these people are but I have to wake up early. Ugh. Wake up early to attempt to cram in as much of this language as humanly possibly before August. SUPER DUPER. Haha. In all honesty it has been a lot of fun so far, I have no complaints. NOT ONE! Thumbs up Peace Corps. Oh, and we lost one more today. My roommate from Philly went home this morning apparently. She is in the east TEFL cluster so I do not get to see her to know but I received a few messages today. We have exceeded the 10% marker for early termination. This is beginning to seem a lot like survivor yo. Let me just say once more, this is the time for people to really decide if this is what they want to do for two years. And it is much better to decide to go home now than during our actual service time. Either way it is not an easy decision for any of us and I wish everyone that left the best of luck!

June 29, 2008 Instant K’ava

Saturday morning Travis and I get to Skola and the door is locked, hard. We were so excited! Haha. Tea, our teacher, showed up and promptly called the school director to open the doors. At least it knocked off like 20 minutes from the lesson. ;) Class was hard for all of us – not only was it Saturday, it was Kathleen’s birthday! Ironically and completely by chance her birthday was the day we were scheduled to have lunch at her house. Her family lives on a farm, all of their food is made by hand. They make their own jam, bread, meat patties from the pigs, chickens and cows in their yard. They made her an awesome birthday cake. It was coffee flavored…I had 4 pieces and a cup of instant coffee. After having about 5 pieces of lobiani (bean bread with cilantro) it is fabulous.

The five of us hung out for about 4 hours after lunch. It was very relaxing and fun to talk about something other than our assignments. We walked to the maghazhia to get some koka kola and tskhali (water). After that I headed home, and made it just in time. There was a massive thunderstorm! It was beautiful to see the pouring rain across the mountains. I sat with chems debi da deda (my sisters and mom) in the kitchen while it rained. I then decided to work on my homework a bit and to work on my homework.

Sunday Kathleen, Travis, Jen, Brad and I met at the Marshutka stop and went into Khashuri. Amanda, Tyler, Phil and Mike met me. Lucy and Jessica met up with Travis. Later we met up with Katie, Garrick, Kirsten, Cate and Katelyn. It was hilarious when we all ended up in the same resturanshi we ate at on Friday as a huge group. So much fun to see so many trainees outside of training!! Things are much cheaper in Khashuri and it is relatively easy to get around. Minus the fact that it was HOT and HUMID…and I have to wear PANTS, it was tons of fun. Haha.

The bazeri (bazaar) has anything you could ever need…it is like a collaboration between the farmers market and the lambertville flea market. When we went to the restaurant I ended up taking charge and ordering. Everyone else became quite timid. Somehow my language pulled through and everyone thanked me for doing it…keep in mind it is very intimidating to be in a place where no one speaks english. And being American doesn’t mean people love you. Anyway, I did it and somehow lunch for 7 people only cost $10. Pretty SUPER DUPER AWESOME if ya ask me.

When I got home my host sisters helped me correct my homework and then Lizi asked me to take a walk with her. We walked through a neighboring village, to a school where I had been last week for technical training on Monday. Lizi and I worked on my Georgian language skills, and I helped her learn the English translations. We sat on a bench outside of the school for a long time and played with her dogs. It was funny to see all the kids in the village stroll through and look at the American girl.

After awhile we began to walk again. Chappy, the smaller dog went buck wild on a chicken in the road and had it by its throat! Hahaha. We called him and he let go, turned around and looked at us with a mouth full of feathers. HILARIOUS. Then he proceeded to chase down every single stinkin’ droha (cow) in the road. Lizi and I were pretty scared as the cows began to run toward us. Lizi had me wait in a field as she disappeared in the woods. She came running out with a huge boquet of flowers for me. It was so cute. J

She then told me that part of the field was her’s, and a few fields down were Giorgi’s and Salome’s. A few dirt paths later and we ended up in her bebias da papas (grandma and grandpa’s) house. I was really excited because I hadn’t met them yet. They are Deviko’s parents, and are quite possibly the cutest people I have ever met, Dali and Ofto. Ofto was disappointed to hear that I did not speak Russian well because he could. Anyone over the age of 20 speaks Russian here because until recently Russian was obviously manditory in schools. Now only some schools still teach it, and many people do not admit that they can even speak it.

Dali showed me pictures of Daniel, the volunteer they had in 2005. He lived with Dali and Ofto; at the time Deviko and Nona were living there as well with their children. It is a part of Georgian culture for people to remain living with the husband’s parents. Most families are very large and live with each other. In any event, it was evident that Daniel really made an impression on Dali. Her eyes were full of love and pride as she shared her pictures of him.

The girls and I wandered around eating grapes off the vine. Cherries, plums and pears from the trees in the yard. It was so much fun. Women and girls do all the fruit picking here- Salome was like a spidermonkey in the cherry tree! I was very impressed with her climbing abilities. She got excited because I love cherries. We all ate dinner together outside and they toasted to victory and a friendship between Georgian and America. They then proceeded to talk about my birthday in Georgian because they didn’t want me to know they are planning something. I learned how to say birthday because two trainees had birthdays this past week so I caught on rather quickly. Nona started to notice and laughed. They are absolutely adorable. Salome and Lizi begged me to stay with their family my two years of service. That would be so amazing!

June 27, 2008 Week One Down.

Last night Travis was over to work on our safety and security documents and our practice lesson plans. I am pretty sure my host parents think we are dating, and as they put it, “Travisi is aris kargi bitchi” – Travis is a good boy. One thing that will be hard to get used to is the gender role issue here. Girls are not friends with boys, nor women with men the same way we are in the States. So, for Travis to come over after 6pm to work on assignments is not common. Luckily, I have a very liberal deda (mom) so she was not upset at all. They made him stay for a second dinner, hospitality has been taken to a new level in Georgia. I love it.

This morning we traveled by ourselves for the first time and all went well. We arrived to our Hub session (group meeting with the entire training class). It was so awesome to see everyone again! It seems like we are all so much closer than we are…it feels like I have known some people my whole life. I am amazed at how quickly people can bond in situations like this.

Meetings consisted of serious topics- sexual assault, safe transportation, HIV etc. PC has done a great job of preparing us for every worst-case situation. We got our debit cards, and had more vaccination shots. My arms are KILLING ME! The nurses laughed at me because I made a few funny noises while receiving the shots. I said it felt like they were giving me rabies, not a vaccination to prevent it! Haha. In any event, it was a great day all–in-all. When I got back I read a bit and finished my laundry. When I heard Nona in the kitchen I decided to go help her with dinner. She was so excited and let me jump right in, I was very excited to cook a bit.

I made the eggplant fried in a skillet. Then chopped cilantro and fresh garlic, mixed them to create a sauce of sorts. Then I spread it on the pieces of eggplant and folded them in half, making a beautiful platter! It was so delicious. Nona was so happy I helped her that she made a joke to Salome about switching me for Lizi who will not be bothered in the kitchen. She is an 11 year old girl with a vibrant, outgoing, imaginative personality…she will not be caged in to say the least! Nona told me tonight that Lizi wants to move to New York at some point. Fitting, huh? Salome on the other hand is considering law school, which is not common in Georgia. She is a very bright girl. She is quiet but a patient georgian teacher. I appreciate her efforts, and I teach her english.

I got to talk to my dad, mom and brother tonight! It was awesome to hear about life at home and to describe some experiences without having to type it all! Hah. I took a LONG shower tonight. It was SUPER DUPER AWESOME. I went all out and even shaved my legs. WOOP WOOP. I had a snickers bar the other day, I don’t think I even tasted one bite of it. In fact, it is very likely that I swallowed it whole. Hahaha. Just playin. Oh snap! Tonight at dinner chemi deda pulled out these mini twix bars. I am dead serious!! They were in a case like oreos- 30 mini twix bars. I went buck wild on those things. SO GOOD.

Ok it is after midnight and I have…yup, you guessed it…CLASS at 9am. Holla at a playa when you see her in the streets. At least I am done at 2:30pm tomorrow not 6pm. Haha.

Gretchen OUT.

June 26, 2008 T’chame, T’chame!

Things are plugging along here on this side of the pond. Classes are long and the work is crazy draining. We are all surviving and that is what counts. Yes things are different here- we do not use toilets, nor do we have showers in the same room as the latrine. Time seems to stand still a lot longer in Kveshkheti, but I like it. Minus the overwhelming amounts of mandatory, logistical information we have to go through for the PC I have been so relaxed. Take this moment for instance…I am chillin’ in my bed it is about 10:45pm here (about 2:45pm at home). I am listening to some sweet tunes on my Ipizzod and documenting some of my experiences to the best of my abilities. It is taking a long time because I keep watching these bugs on my computer screen, clean themselves. Or maybe they have an itch? All I know is the cutest one keeps moving its little legs together and it is adorable. I can honestly say that I never thought I would come to a point in my life where I found a bug cute. Hahaha. It was hot today for the first time in about a week so the bugs are out to play if you know what I’m sayin’. I have my lights out because I am very close to bedtime, thus bugs on my computer screen! Sweet. It is funny how much I took for granted at home, and how much I have come to appreciate in just one week in a village.

Chemi deda (my mom) is so kind and loving. I have had so much fun getting to know her and her family! We had lunch at my house today with my cluster and Nona made Khikhali (Meat Dumplings, a traditional Georgian Dish). For those of you that do not know- I LOVE DUMPLINGS! And I miss Mr. Dumpling Man sooooooo much. What an awesome surprise, and the people in my cluster got to partake in an awesome lunch. The dumplings were the size of my face and had a little spice to them. It was so tasty. Nona has really made sure that I know how much she wants me here, and really makes me feel so wanted!

We get to meet up with the other 45 volunteers tomorrow for a group training day and more vaccinations. Awesome. I love needles…NOT. Eh, I guess I’d rather have a few shots before I’d want a disease. Haha. I get to see some of the people I get along with the most, who just happen to be in the village furthest from me. Hah. Go figure. It makes it more exciting when we do get to see one another I suppose. J To be honest, I know it is better that I am not very close to the people in my cluster because I would not be integrating at all!

Pizza minda!

June 24, 2008 Cry Me a River

I had my first semi-breakdown today…in class of course. We were just introduced to the Georgian alphabet yesterday, and today we were putting together full written text dialogues in pairs that our teacher had mixed up. It was a great exercise! Just try to imagine being the most physically exhausted, emotionally drained, and mentally strained you have ever been in your life-then add 4 straight hours of language training with people you barely know. Awesome. Needless to say, I have been frustrated that the language isn’t coming quickly. I have been holding it together pretty well until today, I started crying in class. Haha. My co-trainee, Travis, kindly just handed me a napkin to wipe my tears. It is hard for all of us. This is new for me, and it goes without saying, good for my pride! Hah. Talk about humbling…reading like a 4 year old and having a complete blank with every other character. I know I will get it eventually. “Keep yo head up Bubba” is all I keep telling myself.

We lost two more people today from other clusters. This whole training time is set up for people to determine if it is really something they want to do for the next 2 years. Kind of genius if you ask me! The teaching training is interesting to say the least. It should be interesting to actually attempt to teach my first set of Georgian children, I hope I am capable enough. They learn British English here, so on top of learning Georgian we are all going to have to learn British spelling, vocabulary and grammar in order to affectively convey American English. Or, rather to be able to properly distinguish between British and American English. Bring it on. That is all I have to say.

Chemi megobari Salome Khartvelidan.

June 22, 2008 Say What!

This morning I woke up before my entire family did. I had to go to the bathroom last night but it is outside and I was literally scared of the dark. It is funny how much I take for granted. My host mother, Nona woke up and started making breakfast around 10am. Sunday is her only day off so she likes to sleep in a bit. It rained in the morning, creating a beautiful fog across the mountains. Salome and Lizi ate with Nona and I, Giorgi and Deviko stayed at the house next door with Deviko’s parents because this house is under construction. It should be done if a few weeks.

Nona sent the girls and I for a walk so that I could see the village. Travis, a trainee in my language and technical class is staying with my neighbors. The girls took me past the school where my training will be and then to a local store where I bought a couple phone cards. I stick out like a sore thumb and I do not know a lick of Georgian but the store owner was very nice. We stopped by to say hi to Travis and his host brother and sister and my sisters took us for a long hike up the mountain. It was so gorgeous. I could see our whole village plus two others! Amazing. Chappi, one of my family’s dogs came running out of the woods with branches and leaves all over him – so adorable!

When we came back the girls surprised me with their version of koke kola because I had mentioned that I liked it (Kari that is a shout out to you). And they gave me a bunch of fruit and waffer cookies. It was adorable so I got a gift for them out of my bag. I bought Twislers and a deck of cards and figured the girls would appreciate them the most. They showed them to everyone and Nona came in with a gift for me. A Hello Kitty pajama tank and underwear. I then proceeded to go over the alphabet with Lizi, I happen to be extrodinarily bad at this language. I showed them how to play War (Mommom and Tim I thought of you both and playing for hours by the fireplace!) Then they taught me a Georgian card game but I am still a little unclear on the rules.

Their shower is outside and is heated by a wood furnace. It was one of the best showers I have ever taken because I LOVE the smell of wood burning on a cool night. The water is really clean here, I am hoping that my body adjusts so that I can stop spending my living allowance on bottled water! Haha. (Don’t worry I am not planning on that any time soon) I am looking forward to classes tomorrow, this integration thing is a whole lot more demanding than one imagines. Lizi and Samole both sat with me and taught me how to write the Georgian alphabet, children are really such a blessing. They ask their mom to translate really cute things to me. Nona and Samole both had english work to do tonight so they helped me and I, them. Lizi is a ball of energy and a real shot of life. If I had to compare her to someone it would most definitely be me. Samole is a bit more shy, and Giorgi just laughs at my lack of knowledge…and don’t worry I laugh with him! They all got SO excited when they found out that my birthday is going to occur while I am living with them. Lizi wants to have a party with a HUGE cake and a pinata. My stomach hurt from laughing at her excitement. My host mother says hello to all my family and friends in America. If anyone wants good food, come to Georgia. It is amazing…fo real. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!

Me Var Gretcheni da Amerikelidan.

Until next time…

*Funny additional information – kids love Tupac here. I think this is where he must have ran off to when people thought he was dead. Haha. Oh and Eminem, 50 Cent and Rhianna naturally. I can’t get away from that Umbrella song no matter how hard I try!

June 21, 2008 What? I don’t have to live out of my suitcase for a couple months?!

Today we had lots of logistical stuff to manage in the morning. Then lunch, then last minute language training, and then we packed up and drove to meet our Pre-Service Training host families. All of us were incredibly nervous. I must say that for someone that does not like to admit when I am feeling weak – this experience has already broken that as we all are feeling the exact same things. It is really like a breath of fresh air.

Tonight is my first night without 57 other Americans. I was introduced to my new family and we packed their car and drove off to their village. Talk about reality slapping you in the face! My host mother, Nona, speaks some english which is nice but I really have to kick it into gear now. It’s on like Donkey Kong now! I have a host father, Deviko, a 12 year old sister, Samole, an 11 year old sister Lizi and a 15 year old brother, Giorgi. Their cousin was also over tonight, a 12 year old boy named Dedo. Dinner was great lots of bread, vegetables, potatoes sauteed with onions and Grama will be proud…prunes. Haha. And yes, I ate them. They were very good!

My room has a separate entrance to the house which is nice but it also connects right to the kitchen (also very convienient for me haha). The bathroom is outside and their house is undergoing a ton of contruction right now. Lots going on for them it seems!

The kids were shy at first but so was I seeing as we don’t understand each other at all yet. After dinner I showed them some pictures of my immediate family because that is the only vocabulary I have so far haha. They loved it and started to show me their photos. I sat with the kids and Nona and pointed out things on a picture book. They taught me the Georgian words and I taught them the english! They are very fun and helpful. I am hoping to learning a great deal from them. I am going to sleep now because Lizi wants to take me for a walk tomorrow after breakfast and I have to study!

Nakhvamdis!

June 19, 2008 Orientation is OVER.

A week went by in a way I cannot describe. I went from two jam-packed days of introductions in Philadephia to a whirlwind experience when landing in Tbilisi. The group of PCT’s (Peace Corps Trainees) was taken to dinner, orientation breifings in the restaurant, and finally our hotels. Once we were done with our walking tour and our logistical office tasks on Monday, we had a wonderful picinic with current PCV’s (Peace Corps Volunteers). It was fun to meet the surviving group and to see their excitement as they interacted with each other. Apparently most of them get to see each other a decent amount due to the size of the country…especially considering the fact that a bunch of the country is not able to be visited, hence no PCV’s being stationed in those parts of the country!

On Wednesday we finished our orientation to orientation at the University of Georgia haha. We then packed onto three buses and were taken to Bakuriani about three hours away from the capital. We stayed in a beautiful ski resort and finished the week full of safety, language, culture, and training breifings. The week went by quickly and my brain is ready to explode. On top of having all the Georgian information, we had policies to learn, not to mention we are all excited about getting to know one another!

All the volunteers that have made it this far are awesome, and I do miss the ones who did not make it any further. I have been incredibly blessed to have met a few people I really relate to and one is particularly like me (it is on the verge of creepy). Amanda is what God decided to make me if I were from Texas haha. I can’t wait to travel with her more. I also found a girl Katie who has my same spiritual views so it is awesome to have chill people that I know have my back, ya heard?! Haha. Even being here until now I have a feeling I will not know for some time just how difficult my life is going to become. Adaptation is not always quick or painless, even for people who are especially gifted in that area…I have a lot to learn!

The language is so difficult that my brain is nearly rejecting it at this point. Add some teacher training and basic emotional development and I feel like a tornado! My english grammar has already started to become terrible as I attempt to learn Georgian. All in all this is going to be so awesome.

16 hours later...

So we woke up SUPER early on Sunday to get to the airport where we had plenty of time to kill. That was fine with me...better than being stressed. We then borded the air plane and proceeded to wait for 2.5 hours on the runway. AWESOME. Needless to say, the 56 trainees were beyond ready to arrive in Georgia! I sat next to an awesome guy in the program and we chatted until we both passed out.

We made it with just enough time in Istanbul to jump on our connecting flight, what a relief. Once we arrived in Georgia, Peace Corps staff took us to dinner. After dinner we received lots of important information about this crazy week of orientation. We were all exhausted and ready for a good nights sleep!

Language class today was rough but I have high hopes. Everyone is wonderful here!!!! The country is beautiful. I have to run, people need the computer. I will write more later.

Staging is Over!

I arrived in Philadelphia on Friday, the 13th! haha. Everything went very smoothly at check-in and during our ice breakers. The people in this group of trainees are absolutely amazing. Our staging staff was so nice and helpful, it was great to hear about their experiences as PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers). If I thought I was excited at any point during the application process - there are no words for how I feel now. Putting faces on all the people that chose to do what I have wanted to do for so long is remarkable. 57 completely different people from all over the country, all from very different walks of life, all ages and levels of wisdom.

We went out to dinner both nights, for the most part the groups were mixed up a bit. My brother happened to be visiting Temple University tonight and stopped by the restaurant where we were eating! It was awesome to see him one last time, and to get to introduce him to some of the tremendous people I have been fortunate enough to meet. I even got lucky enough to find a few people that are as obsessed with sports as I am...I still can't believe I am missing the Celtics win the series. haha. NO really, they will. Not having ESPN for a long time is actually the one thing that is starting to hit hard. I am going to be so lost without it! So if anyone reading this happens to be a sports fan, please don't hesitate to keep me posted.

Tomorrow is the big flight! I am so excited to finally step foot on Georgian soil in two days. We get a big welcome dinner at a traditional Georgian restaurant with the Peace Corps when we land. I am really excited to finally try the food! We have an intense orientation in Country so I will be without any mode of communication for at least a week. *A little shout out to my family - NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS! So Ciao for now and I miss everyone at home already!

One Day and Counting

Today is my final day at home for 27 months. Honestly, it really has not hit me yet. Sure I packed my bags and keep saying my goodbyes...it just doesn't seem real. Everyone keeps asking me how I feel and I feel like I should lie and just tell them I am shaking in my boots.

The reality is that it will not hit me until I am living alone with a strange new family in Georgia. Until then I have the excitement of talking to people I am completely comfortable with about living abroad. It probably won't even hit me as hard during training because I will have so much to do!

I have been trying to relax, spending quality time with all the people I love. My brother and mom threw me an awesome surprise party last Saturday. I couldn't believe how many people came from all over the place. Thanks to everyone who made an effort to come visit, it really meant so much to me!! Lots of random stuff to do before I head to Philadelphia on Friday morning. I am starting to get very excited!!!!

Yes, I have to wear dresses.

I have received more materials from the PC in the past couple weeks. I have also started emailing back and forth with about 6 volunteers currently serving in Georgia. It is becoming quite real.

My Grandma helped me pick out some teaching supplies the other day. Taylor came with me to EMS to pick out a good backpack, and I went with Dana, Tim and Ray to buy some appropriate teaching attire. They got their share of laughs in as I attempted to pick out dresses, skirts and blouses for the summer-utterly ridiculous to see me in this clothing.

I read a blurb from current Georgian volunteers (G7's), they all strongly suggested that I learn the Georgian alphabet, and common phrases before arriving in Philly on the 13th. Apparently the language is nearly impossible and taking initiative now will help me during training...so I started to work on it. Learning Georgian = Frustration.

I am part of the 8th group to go to Georgia through the Peace Corps. It is the newest service destination for the PC, very exciting! My staging event is in Philadelphia, my flight is from New York to Istanbul, I have a 10 hour layover and then finally fly into Tbilisi, Georgia on June 16/17 depending.

There is an intense amount of information I could share but I will wait until I have something interesting to share!

Nakhvamdis! (Goodbye)

Preparation

I graduated and moved back home a few days after. Being home has been awesome because I am actually able to spend time with people! My whole life has been filled with work, work, work. So even when I am home I rarely see my family and friends as much as I would like. Having a few weeks to calm down at the end of my college career has been a blessing.

Now that I am all unpacked, the hard part begins! I have to prioritize all my things in an efficient way so that I have what I need for the next 27 months. Although I know I can have things sent to me, I hate to rely on that. I am a chronic under-packer. Usually that is fine - I feel like this time I might need to take a little more time to really think about what I bring with me.

It is really difficult to prepare for something I have no real knowledge of - it is a crap shoot. Hopefully I will be able to pack things that will keep me comfortable and happy! I am not really all that worried about it.

I already miss my friends at school a lot and New York SO MUCH! But I am very excited for this experience abroad. Talk about a new learning experience!!