First of all I must apologize for the long break between my last posting and this one. I guess the best explanation is that I’ve been going through the stage of my service where I don’t really feel the need to explain to people who aren’t here what’s going on because I feel like however I explain it they just won’t get it or understand it the way I do. Unfortunately that’s just the reality of being in Peace Corps and something you have to face. The other possible explanations include being much busier than I was during my first few months at my permanent site and whenever I haven’t been very busy I try to take advantage of that and be lazy and hang out with my friends or sit at home reading or watching some of the many American movies and TV series I brought with me.

The winter here has been really mild this year for the most part. It has only snowed two or three times in Telavi where I live and many times we have had days in the high 50s or even in the 60s on a few occasions! It’s on these days when it’s hard not to sing the praises of Global Warming. The downside of this has been the few times I’ve gone to the mountains to snowboard. While there is snow to board on it’s definitely not the best snow and the base is very little. A few places you can often see the grass peeking through the snow and one of the two ski resorts in Georgia in Gudauri is pretty much only open on the very top part of the mountain and even there I’ve heard the snow is pretty bad. I’m hoping this month or next we get hit with another big storm that dumps a ton of fresh new powder so I can get one more nice trip to the mountains in before spring.

I have managed to make it to Bakuriani to snowboard three times already and the landscape and mountains in Georgia are absolutely beautiful, especially when there isn’t a bunch of trash all over the place. We found a wonderful little guesthouse there for about $15 a night owned by a very nice family. We generally end up eating, drinking and partying with some of them whenever we’re there. A lift ticket costs about $12 for the entire day but a snowboard rental will set you back about $20 for the day so I decided t buy a used board when I go back home in June and carry it back with me to use next winter. Let’s hope we get better and more consistent snow next season! Here are a few pictures from my times in Bakuriani (notice the snow clothes…all purchased in Tbilisi at second hand shops!):

Check it out...it's Pizza Hut!...NOT!

Over New Years I went to Istanbul for a week to relax and party and of course check out the history and beauty of the city. While the city was definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to I have to admit I quickly tired of how touristy it was and of the high pressure to buy everything and visit every restaurant applied by the locals trying to take advantage of all the tourists. While I can’t say if this is generally how Turkish people are as Istanbul is the only place I have been in Turkey for any significant period of time I was definitely relieved to get out of there after a week and get back to true, heartfelt hospitality in Georgia. I was so excited when we finally crossed the border back into Georgia and made it to Batumi and I was able to communicate in my poor Georgian and feel welcomed by everyone. That being said we did have a great time hanging out with some of the many other volunteers also vacationing there and partying for New Years. Here are a few select pictures from my time in Istanbul:

Another thing that has happened since my last posting is that we (myself and my 5 other sitemates in Telavi) now have a weekly one hour radio show that is broadcast all over our region. It’s called Amerikis Khma, which means America’s Voice in Georgian. We have nearly complete creative control over our content so every show is completely different from the last. We spend a lot of time each week preparing dialogues, translating songs and movie scenes and other materials into Georgian as nearly all of the speaking aspects of the show are done in Georgian. The level of English here is just not high enough to be able to reach many people if we did everything in English. Our best show might have been our Valentines Day show when we all told heartbreak stories in Georgian and asked listeners to call in with their own stories, of which we got a few to call in. We have also done a Jazz history show as well as Rap and Hip-Hop. For the Rap show we translated Yo Mama by Pharcyde into Georgian, which was absolutely hysterical. We all figured hardly anyone would listen to us but we all get comments here and there around town from locals about that week’s show so that’s always funny. The owner of our favorite local café is a regular listener and always has comments and suggestions for us whenever we stop by.

A few weeks back we had a two day conference in Tbilisi to refresh and improve our Georgian language skills with some of the same great teachers we had during our initial training. While we were all busy stumbling over new words in our sessions we were interrupted by an armed gunman running through the halls of the hotel. We were all told to stay in our rooms by Peace Corps staff while local police forces, who had pursued the suspect to the hotel, searched the entire building for him. Apparently he was the son of the owner of the hotel and had come to the hotel seeking refuge. After the police eventually isolated him in the basement of the hotel we all had to go to our rooms with our own individual police escorts, pack up all our belongings in ten minutes and leave the hotel. Throughout the entire ordeal we had no idea what was going on or why we were being told to leave the hotel so fast under police escort. Only later we were told the information I laid out for you already about the armed gunman. Anyways, it was quite exciting and dramatic but thankfully everything worked out fine in the end. I even ended up at a nice hotel so I couldn’t complain too much.

That’s about all I have for now that’s appropriate, clean enough, and non-political for a public blog posting. There’s plenty more to talk about so feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you’re doing and we can talk more. I love hearing from people back in the States, or anywhere else for that matter. It keeps me feeling connected to the larger world outside of the small country of Georgia and the even smaller community of Peace Corps Georgia, which is pretty damn confining at times. I'm also eagerly willing to provide a list of cheap items I would love to receive in the mail that aren't available here if anyone feels overly generous or nice sometime :)

Here are a few pictures I took of Telavi recently with the King Irakli II statue that sits in the center of town by his castle (notice the beautiful Soviet styled block building in the first picture that was formerly the Intourist Hotel but now houses Internally Displaced People from the two conflict zones in Georgia):

I agree that while weather is mostly reserved for small talk the fact that I’m in Georgia living in a house with no insulation or central heating makes the weather a much bigger issue than it would in the States. With that said I’m pleased to tell you that as I write this on the 3rd of November it has been over 70 degrees the last 3 days and in the mid to high 60s for much of October. We did, however have a couple cold fronts blow through, one of which caused me to bust out my Peace Corps sleeping bag and start using it after my room was about 57 degrees for a couple nights. I admittedly labeled myself a pussy for doing such a thing but I’ve come to the painful conclusion that living in California for the second half of my life has taken some of my heartiness to cold I may have had living in New England and Michigan when I was young. Although I did spend a couple winters in New York recently one quickly sees, and feels, the differences in Georgia where very few houses have central heating or insulation. These are things we have definitely come to expect and feel entitlement to as Americans and have probably lost touch with reality about how hard life can be without them in places like Georgia. I’ve had a little California (or Global Warming) luck with me so far but it will get cold soon and hopefully some of my childhood experiences living in the cold will come back to help me.

I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted anything but I’ve quickly realized life gets a lot slower once you shift from training to your permanent site. I have quite a bit of free time to read my Economists and Foreign Affairs and to watch movies and TV shows I brought from home. (Anyone reading this who wants to contribute something to a poor Peace Corps Volunteer that is computer savvy in downloading feel free to contact me and I can give them some things to download and send me!)

I have had some chances to travel around a little bit on a few weekends. I checked out the second biggest church in Georgia in Alaverdi, which is about 45 minutes from my house. It was the biggest in Georgia until the recently finished Sameba Church in Tbilisi was finished with the intent to unseat Alaverdi as the biggest. It was built in the Thirteenth Century and was very beautiful, especially the paintings on the walls throughout the interior of the church. I was also very impressed that it is still a fully functioning monastery with monks living there full time. I also learned that producing alcohol is not only a favorite pastime for the Trappiste Monks who make great beer because the monks here have a winery on the grounds of the monastery.

I took a very interesting day trip to Signagi, which is 1-3 hours away from here depending on what transportation you can find. It’s a beautiful little town that Lonely Planet’s outdated guidebook to the Caucasus calls “the most attractive town in Kakheti” that has a “distinctly Italianate feel to it.” The town is high up in the hills overlooking the huge valley and Caucasus Mountains beyond it. It’s surrounded by ancient walls that were built by King Irakli II to keep out invaders from the Caucasus. As you can see the town is incredibly beautiful and historic but that’s not the main reason we decided to venture a day trip there. Our decision revolved around rumors of a Mexican Restaurant that we heard was there. It’s hard to describe in writing but believe me when I say that a small town of well less than 5,000 people in a remote location in the hills of the Kakheti Region of Georgia is about as random of a place for a Mexican Restaurant that I can think of. Well, when we finally got into Signagi we asked around and sure enough a couple locals pointed us in the right direction and we found our “holy grail”…Pancho Villa! Our excitement quickly turned to disappointment and frustration when we went to open the door only to find it closed! We soon saw hours posted on the door notifying us that normal hours (something I’ve only seen posted in Tbilisi) were 7-11. That mystified us even more as that would essentially force anyone that came from Tbilisi to stay overnight and we couldn’t think where else they could get a lot of business from besides Tbilisi. We managed to get the phone number of the owner and have since been organizing a 10-15 person overnight trip for later this month to eat at Pancho Villa because it must be done. Here are some pictures of Pancho Villa and Signagi to check out. I’ll be sure to post more from our upcoming trip including some from inside the restaurant.

Last weekend we had our Peace Corps Halloween party in Gori. We rented out a hotel for a night and probably around 40 Volunteers and 10 or so Georgians showed up. The costumes worth mentioning that fall outside the “only funny in Georgia” realm were probably a female PCV dressed as Kim Jong Ill, my buddy dressed as “God’s Gift to Women”, one of our Georgian teachers from training dressed as Stalin, the full set of Ninja Turtles, but the best of all was maybe the Arrested Development squad of Tobias, Michael, and G.O.B.

One of my site mates dressed as Tobias and went as far as shaving his head into the half bald halo look of Tobias and then, as you can see, covered his exposed face and hands with blue paint. That’s dedication! The next morning when I rolled over and opened my eyes my first reaction was “why is a member of the Blue Man Group in my room as he didn’t bother washing it off before crashing. The hotel crew was also baffled why there was blue paint all over our bathroom when they came to check it when we left but I think they just chalked it up to whatever. (I miss the oft used Fubar phrase “chalk it up”…and “miscellaneous” for that matter)

My trip to Gori last weekend also afforded me the opportunity to stay with my first host family on Friday night and catch up with them. Friday happened to be my host mother’s birthday and so of course we had a Supra and lots of guests. We downed a few liters of the new wine, which was quite delicious, and had a great time. My family in Gori is so loud and warm and will always be like my first home in Georgia. My host father told me during one of the countless toasts of the evening that he is now my official Patroni in Georgia and if I’m ever in trouble all I need to do is call him and he’ll be there ASAP to take care of it. A Patroni is something that is very much a part of Georgian culture and was especially important in self policing before the corrupt entire national police force was fired and reformed from the ground up successfully a few years ago. One’s Patroni is usually a male family member or relative that looks after their safety and interests and reacts “appropriately” when needed. Pretty much all young women in Georgia have Patronis to keep potential suitors with anything less than noble intents away. Anyways, I hope I never have to call on my Patroni but I felt honored and welcomed to be told that.

On Saturday before the Halloween party I had a chance to watch my host father and nephew make Chacha, or Georgian moonshine. It’s made from the leftovers of the wine making and still done very primitively and therefore quite interesting to observe. I wasn’t too interested in seeing it done but after my friend here texted me “when will you ever again have the chance to make moonshine” I agreed. My host father gave me the first small glass as it began dripping out, which I guess is an honor. I definitely didn’t feel honored though when I drank it as it may have been the strongest fire breathing drink I’ve ever had. My host father likes to ask me what my name is after drinking a shot of Chacha with him and he did this again. This was never really that difficult before but this shot was something else and when he was screaming “what’s your name” in Georgian my eyes were probably bugging out of my head and it took me a few seconds to put together a coherent response. I later learned from another Volunteer that the first stuff that comes out is essentially pure alcohol and is inadvisable to drink and I’ll be the first one to agree with that recommendation.

We have two upcoming conferences in a couple weeks in Tbilisi that are combined for us NGO folks that I’ll be in Tbilisi for 5-6 days at a nice hotel paid for by Peace Corps! I can’t wait for a nice hot shower everyday, or even twice a day if I want. We’ll also be really close to a lot of nice expat bars and restaurants, which is nice and dangerous in terms of spending a lot of money. I’ve spent a couple weekends in Tbilisi and I really enjoy the city but it’s nearly a different country from the town I live in a mere two hours away so it’s always strange going back to site even after only two days away.

One last thing I wanted to mention that’s been exciting around here. My 15 year old host sister has already passed the first two rounds of testing for an American Government sponsored program to study at an American high school for a year. She is incredibly excited about the opportunity and at this point I think she really has a chance to make it. Only 50 students from all of Georgia will depart for America in August next year so it’s quite competitive but I’m very optimistic at this point. She’s just now finishing her official application, which is only given to the 20% or so who past the first two rounds of testing. At this stage they give preference to those students from regions, i.e. outside of Tbilisi, so she has a good chance but she won’t here the final decision until April now so it will be a winter filled with anxious waiting I’m sure.

Here are two pictures of Telavi where I’m living…

This was a story I wrote for the in-country Peace Corps Volunteer only newsletter called "The Tamada". Enjoy!

Being the Peace Corps’ equivalent of boot camp I was eager to get as far away as possible from Gori and Pre-Service Training when we were given 100 GEL and a free weekend in the middle of PST to do just that. We were told by Tengo this was the result of many complaints by G5s last year about a complete lack of personal travel opportunities, so before I continue, thanks for bitching G5ers!

It didn’t take much research or thinking for Seke, Charles and I to realize Batumi was not only where we wanted to, but almost needed to go to. It served many purposes as it was far away, had beaches, and something we all had been missing in Peace Corps’ boot camp with our 9:00 curfew, nightlife! The fact that the Miss Georgia pageant fell on that weekend didn’t hurt either.

Our journey to and time in Batumi was far from dull and probably worthy of more stories but the most “hardcore” part was our journey home on Sunday. Seeing as we had to be home before 5:00 we were relegated to taking a Marshutka Sunday morning to Gori, although we were told we would have to jump on one to Tbilisi and get off at the highway by Gori. We managed to roll out of bed at about 8 after stumbling home from a beach disco only a few hours before before. Soon after we set off to find the Marshutka station, which we had no idea where it was after coming to Batumi by night train on Friday night, in Plaskarten with no coupe no less. Once we were literally led by the hand to the Marshutka station by an old Georgian man we were able to quickly find the Tbilisi Marshutka.

We walked up to the window and bought 3 tickets at 16GEL each. Almost immediately a giant of a man with more than just a passing resemblance to Joseph Stalin seemingly came out of nowhere. He asked us where we were headed and as soon as the words “Gori” left our lips his anger was instantaneous and he looked around for a poor victim to direct it at. What followed inspired me to want to learn this Georgian male art of yelling combined with an excessive amount of hand gestures, the most often used being the hands put together with both palms facing upwards and being waved uncontrollably towards the victim. The recipients of “Stalin’s” yelling and hand gestures were both the man behind the glass who just sold us the tickets and apparently our driver for the Tbilisi Marshutka. Both men tried feebly to compete with “Stalin” but to no avail. I was able to decipher from many uses of roots of the word mushaoba that “Stalin” was pissed because he was working the route to Gori and would go there directly for only 15GEL and that it was unacceptable to sell us tickets to Tbilisi. The man who sold us the tickets finally took our tickets and gave us our money back after five or so minutes filled with the aforementioned signature yelling. He followed this up with a cigarette to calm down as he was literally shaking. “Stalin” had been able to scare him bad enough to make him shake and grab a cigarette on the other side of the glass enclosure of the ticket window! Stalin was no man to be messed with and we followed him to his Marshutka. After waiting 45 minutes made painfully longer by my growing hangover we departed with only the three of us and two other girls in the Marshutka.

I quickly realized that besides scaring the “you know what” out of people with screaming and wild gestures “Stalin” was also proficient in this art with his driving skills. As we drove along the curvy roads heading east into the coastal mountains “Stalin” would lean into every turn as if he were Mario Andretti, many times even squealing the tires, and passing “slow” cars on blind turns. Any other driving tactic that might make you utter the words “Jesus Christ!” is probably applicable here as well. None of this was helped by my hangover either. I was stuck in the classic catch-22 situation as it felt better to sit up but looking out the front window scared me senseless and laying down on the open back seat made me feel sicker and sicker but did not allow me to look out the front window. I frequently switched between the two never quite settling on which was better.

After about an hour during a period I thought laying down on the back seat was better than staring at death out the front window I felt the Marshutka come to a stop. I sat up and saw the two girls traveling with us were getting off.

Soon after we set off again “Stalin” spoke to us for the first time since leaving Batumi. As the music was on I couldn’t really hear what he was saying but Seke answered his question in Georgian and then I quickly realized “Stalin” thought it was really cool that Seke knew Georgian. He turned down the music and I soon heard him ask Seke if we wanted to watch a movie. I have neglected to mention in my story so far that his Marshutka had a small TV perched on the shelf in the space above the driver’s head by the ceiling. All feeling hungover and knowing any movie would not be in English we politely declined. “Stalin” then proceeded to ask us “Sexy movie guindat?” None of us knew how to react immediately and we looked at each other and laughed while we were saying “ara madloba” in Georgian.

Our response didn’t seem to have any bearing because almost instantaneously the TV was on and a Russian porn was off and running. After being in Georgia for over a month already porn was really not what we needed. Nevertheless we thought it was hilarious and even snapped a few pictures! What made it even better was when we rolled into a gas station with all the windows rolled down and the volume cranked. Everyone in the station could hear moaning, slapping, and sounds generally associated with hardcore porn emanating from our Marshutka! “Stalin” seemed to think nothing of it as he left the volume level untouched and took his merry time filling up and relieving himself in the toilet. I thought to myself that nobody would actually dare say something to “Stalin” and that whoever was stupid enough to do so would end up shaking and smoking a cigarette at the very least. Not too long after getting back on the road we were flagged down and as he was slowing down “Stalin” suddenly had a flash of conscience and switched off the TV, which remained off all the way to Gori.

The rest of the journey which, on a side note, included killing a dog in Khashuri, included countless too close for comfort encounters with many automobiles, and the frequent sound of tires screeching around turns. We rumbled into the station in Gori with only the three of us left as anyone with half a brain had probably jumped ship long ago but we were on a schedule so no such option for us. “Stalin” turned to us and bellowed “Gori bichebo!” As we jumped out I realized what the New York Times travel journalist meant when he said Georgian drivers are the worst in the world. I immediately felt my heart rate drop significantly knowing I as finally safe. Seke jumped out and immediately got down on his knees and literally kissed the ground proclaiming, “We’re home!”

Well, I’m finally here in Telavi in the Kakheti Region of Georgia settling into my daily routine of work which started last week. I had about a week and a half free after our great swear in ceremony in Tbilisi. I spent that time sleeping in, relaxing, and definitely going in my pool as much as possible. The heat here has been quite oppressive on a daily basis since arriving on August 18th with temperatures hitting 40 degrees Celsius pretty much everyday. For those Fahrenheit readers that’s about 105 degrees! On top of that it’s humid and A/C is a foreign concept. This means my pool has been a blessed escape from the delirium brought on by the heat. My traveling alarm clock in my room has a temperature reading on it and it routinely reads 85-90 degrees even as late as midnight when I’m trying to go to sleep. I finally bought a fan the other day although that was an adventure in and of itself. I had to go to about ten different places in the market here before I found a place which sold me a fan that was currently being used by them for 30 GEL (approx. $18), which is enough money with our salary to think twice about it. What a great investment it was though as it’s made a world of difference! My last two nights of sleep have been much more comfortable. I even managed to get my room below 80 last night before going to sleep!

Work has been slow so far as we have been without electricity quite often and therefore unable to do much work on computers. I think they are doing a lot of repair work in the university here before classes start again in a few weeks so hopefully this won’t be a constant issue. I hear last year electricity was consistent throughout the winter here so that’s encouraging to here. (If you are interested in the situation that faced Tbilisi and Georgia as a whole in the 1990s you should check out the documentary “Power Trip”. I’m sure a used copy can be found on Amazon or Ebay for a reasonable price.)

My office is really nice as it’s on the 5th and top floor of the main building of the university here, which is up the hill from town, and therefore has an amazing view of the town and huge valley below that reminds me so much of Napa Valley. Beyond that are the imposing facades of the Caucasus Mountains, which unfortunately are difficult to see clearly now due to the heat and humidity but I promise a picture as soon as it clears up!

I was recently thinking the other day that I still sometimes don’t feel as though I’m in the Peace Corps in a “developing country.” Of course sometimes I do but on this past Monday we went to Tetri Girogi Church (White Giorgi) for Saint Miriam’s Day. The church and atmosphere there were fantastic but on the way there I was sitting in the back of my family’s “new” 90s Mercedes with my sister and cousin from Tbilisi speaking English and listening to Eminem. In this moment it was hard to believe I was in the Peace Corps honestly but there are plenty of other times when I definitely feel out of place. One of those was when we were at the church and having a Supra picnic outside the church and sheep were being slaughtered, or “sacrificed”, by the hundreds and a roving group of peasants with a drum and an accordion came by and played some tradition music for us I was prompted to try my luck with a little impromptu Georgian dancing. For those that don’t know Georgian dancing is incredibly difficult and of course not looking Georgian already draws some attention but then when the lone American in sight starts dancing it’s a whole different level of attention so I definitely felt a little out of place at that moment but nevertheless it was quite fun. I even was complemented on my attempt at some Georgian dancing and my host grandmother said I knew how better than either of her grandchildren that were with us!

The language and alphabet is always there as a constant reminder of being in a foreign land whenever you’re traveling especially but luckily I’ve reached at least some passable level of Georgian and therefore I’m able to handle the majority of travel situations or difficulties but my language is limited conversationally beyond a few common subjects. I speak English with my host sister and with my supervisor everyday, which limits me furthering my Georgian but does improve their English, which is part of my job here as a Peace Corps Volunteer so it’s a tough call. I will be starting private Russian classes with a tutor possibly tomorrow so it may get a little complicated between Georgian and Russian. My main reasoning behind starting Russian is that Georgian is obviously not self sustainable once I leave Georgia unfortunately and I know I can use Russian later on in graduate school or possibly in a job.

On Saturday night the French national soccer team was in Tbilisi to play Georgia in qualifying for Euro Cup 2008. I had planned to go but I saw about 4 days before on the evening news that tickets were already sold out. Many Georgians had even told me it wouldn’t sell out when I asked them specifically about this possibility but oh well. Instead I had to settle for watching the game on a “big screen” (which consisted of a large canvas with a projector) set up in the main town square in Telavi. It was quite festive with some people driving around with Georgian flags sticking out of their car and other people singing. The game itself unfortunately was a little lopsided with France winning 3-0. Georgia even somehow managed to score one of those goals against itself on an own goal. Italy will be here to play in October so I plan on buying tickets for that game in advance and definitely making it to the game. Georgia is playing Ukraine this Wednesday but the game is in Ukraine. Hopefully they can beat someone besides lowly Faroe Islands, which they beat a few weeks ago 6-0!

I’ve already decided I’m going to Istanbul for winter holidays for a week and I already bought my tickets yesterday! I will have to go all the way to Batumi in western Georgia on the Black Sea coast and then go with my friend across the border into Turkey and take a bus to Trabzone, a coastal city in Turkey and we’ll fly from there to Istanbul. The tickets this way were about a third of the price of flying from Tbilisi so well worth it. We ended up paying less than $120 round trip so definitely a good deal! I’m quite excited as Istanbul has been a city I’ve wanted to visit for a while. I know it will be nice to escape the extreme cold around here then as well.

I almost forgot about our swearing in ceremony in Tbilisi! It was in an incredibly nice theater called Rustaveli Theater and we had some beautiful Georgian dancing and singing performances for us. It was even covered by all the major TV networks in Georgia and made it onto the evening news programs. Two of my friends learned and sang the Georgian national anthem and that was incredibly popular with all the Georgians in attendance of course.

I should finally add that I will now be able to stay in much more constant contact with everyone as I now have everyday internet access at work! That’s another thing that doesn’t make me feel like I’m in Peace Corps I guess but again no complaints from me so please feel free to take advantage of me having internet and send me as many emails as possible! It’s really nice hearing from anyone and everyone about what’s going on…

Here are a few pictures as well to enjoy...

Cave city near Gori...

Same thing...

My three wonderful host sisters from Gori...

Some of our language teachers from training (my teacher Nino is on my left)...

Rustaveli Theater in Tbilisi where we had our swear in ceremony...

My friend and I in Gudauri, which is a ski resort in the Caucasus Mountains not too far from the Russian border. It was incredibly beautiful!

Hey everyone!

I know it's been quite a while since I posted anything but my time here as been stretched severely thin by training and filling out evaluations up the ying yang, including evaluations of evaluations (I'm not kidding here!).

Anyways, I now have my permanent site placement...I will be in Telavi in the Kakheti Region of Georgia. Here's a link to the wikipedia entry on Telavi:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telavi

Telavi is in the best wine region of Georgia and when I went for a 3 day site visit last weekend the whole valley totally reminded me of the Napa Valley in California so it's quite beautiful. The Caucasus Mountains on the sides of the valley are imposing yet amazing at the same time. I can't wait to see what they look like in winter! My NGO is called the International Student Advising Center and it is a spin off of the Open Society, which is a wing of the Soros Foundation. My office is in the university building in Telavi and I will primarily helping both students and faculty find opportunities and ways to study abroad for those that are interested. My supervisor is very nice so I'm definitely looking forward to getting started on my work in late August once the grueling training is over! It seems I'll even have a couple weeks to kick back in Telavi after swearing in on August 18th as my supervisor will be on vacation until the beginning of September!

Those 2 weeks will be a perfect time for me to explore my new town and region, which has the most historical sites in all of Georgia, as well as to relax in my pool! That's correct...I have a small pool at my new house in Telavi! My house is quite big and very nice. I live on the 2nd floor and there's a huge balcony overlooking the beautiful garden full of fruit trees, grapes and roses, as well as a wonderful view towards the Caucasus Mountains. The house also has a dedicated Supra room with warrior scenes depicted on the wall with large carvings and metal relief characters. It also has individual wooden seats carved into the wall for each person and in the middle of the huge wooden table that is also built in and cannot be moved are 3 holes. Into each hole goes a huge pottery jug full of wine. Then you use this long stick with a special scooper on the end to dip in and pour the wine from. I'll take pictures of all of it when I go back in August and definitely the first time we use this room but it's pretty tight! I did get a chance to drink from the 'Khantsi', which is the big cow horn they fill with wine and you must drink it 'bolomde' (to the last) before putting it down as it would spill otherwise. I now also have my very own Khantsi horn that was givin to me by one of my training host family's relatives when I recently went with them to their village. It's really quite cool!

My family seems really nice as well. I have a grandmother and grandfather and a 15 year old sister who is their granddaughter. She recently moved to Telavi from Tbilisi at the request of her father to help her grandparents as they are getting a little older. I think she's really happy to have me around as she was quite bored often living alone with her grandparents after living as a city girl in Tbilisi.

I had the opportunity to go to the seaside resort town of Batumi on the Black Sea a few weeks ago just for the weekend and that was a ton of fun. My two buddies and I happened to be there the same night as the Miss Georgia pageant was being held and we managed to get a picture with Miss Extravagance, which I will post asap!

The military actions being carried out recently by the Georgian Government in a remote region of Georgia along the border with Abkhazia, who is backed by Moscow and has Russian "Peacekeepers" in it, has been a topic of discussion and news here everyday. The Peace Corps went to the alert stage of our Emergency Action Plan for fear it would escalate and South Ossetia might be affected, which is only 20km north of Gori where I live now. It now seems to be cooled off and has de-escalated so that's good.

Anyways, here are a few photos from earlier in my training...I'll add more as soon as possible...

So I’m finally here in Gori with my host family for the next 2 months. I have 3 host sisters, Natia (21), Tamuna (16), and Tinico (15) from oldest to youngest and host mother Lia and host father Koba (pronounced Goba with a hard G). They are incredibly sweet and my host sisters are all amazing. Natia is studying at university in Tbilisi to become a doctor, Tamuna won a countrywide short film contest with some friends from school and is waiting to hear about possibly going to Australia as a prize if her film is selected in the international competition in Amsterdam. She has also been studying English very hard with Nino, my Georgian language teacher who happens to live 4 floors above me right now. Tinico doesn’t like school or studying but absolutely loves music and she already played piano and sang for me the first night and she is extremely talented. She has performed with some well known people in Georgia already and was a DJ last year I think. My father Koba is a lawyer in the local courts here and my mother Lia is a nurse. They have a nice house with a large garden right across the street that has everything from delicious white cherries to tomatoes, potatoes, beans, etc. They live on the edge of Gori and it’s supposedly about a 30 min walk to my training site. I already had a wonderful meal with them tonight and of course I was toasted to. They asked a million questions about me and my family and my life back home and we exchanged many pictures as well.

We have been stuck in Tabakhmela in the mountains since we arrived at the airport on Saturday morning at a hotel compound for orientation so besides today I really haven’t seen much of Georgia. The nature is very pretty and many of the rolling hills around Tbilisi remind me of some of the California coastal range.

My group of Peace Corps trainees has been really nice overall. While there are always a few people I wouldn’t probably hang out with under normal circumstances we all seem to get along very well and there are a few people I’m already quite good friends with, although we’re sure to hang out less now that we’re with our host families every evening. The training sites are spread out around Gori, which is where I am, within in a relatively small area and every Friday we have a hub day in Gori when everyone is coming together for overall training. The rest of the week I have language lessons for 4 hours a day and technical training every other afternoon with some other things mixed in and a lot of homework for the language that hopefully Tamuna can help me with! I already learned enough simple phrases to greet my family and conduct extremely simple conversations but tomorrow we’ll start learning to alphabet and grammar so that should help in terms of starting to understand the basic structure of Georgian. I’m still not sure but there seem to be some encouraging things so far in terms of being confident I can learn it enough to swear in August 19th. We are expected to test at an Intermediate – Low level by the end of training.

Gori also happens to be the birthplace of Stalin and also the location of the last remaining statue of Stalin in the world. I saw the statue in the main square on the way home with my host family and I can’t wait to explore it further. Supposedly a couple years ago when Bush was here a PC Volunteer snapped a picture of the Stalin statue with a huge Jumbotron image of Bush directly behind him and for some reason I thought that was hilarious. There’s also a Stalin museum that I will have to check out as well.

The only really bad thing to happen to me so far is that I still don’t have one of my bags. It’s kind of a long story but anyways it never came out in Tbilisi and we’re still inquiring and trying to track it down but today I filled out a contents form just in case they can’t find it I should be reimbursed. I would really rather just have the bag and not go through the hassle of having to buy a bunch of stuff here but we’ll see. I’m trying ti remain optimistic.

By the way, Georgian drivers are just as crazy as I read they might be. Just watching people pass each other in the way to Gori on the bus was very entertaining. For Georgians it seems normal but I definitely would not consider it normal in America under any circumstance. In the city centers there are roundabouts like London but without any right of way or respected rules. It seems to be every man for himself and it’s very hard to follow what’s going on.

I’m sure I have lots more to talk about but I have to get some sleep before my first 4 hour Georgian language lesson tomorrow morning. I finally have a cell phone please feel free to call me if you want as I have free incoming calls from anywhere in the world. My number is 011 (+ on cell phone) 995 895 25 69 88.

Well, I finally finished staging in Philadelphia and I'm sitting here in the lobby of the hotel waiting to board our bus to JFK. Staging seemed like an episode of 'scare tactics' about Peace Corps in general so I guess the fact that I'm still feeling as excited and anxious about just getting over there is a good sign of my commitment. The Peace Corps attrition rate is over 30% so hopefully I won't be a part of that statistic.

We found out we'll be heading to Gori from the airport in Tbilisi. Just to inform all my readers, Gori is the birthplace of Stalin and has the sole remaining standing statue of Stalin to go along with a museum dedicated to the man.

Anyways, I gotta wrap it up to start boarding the bus to NYC and off into oblivion...

I will have limited internet access for a few weeks so until my next posting...ciao!

I'm in Phily with my staging group and enjoying my last couple days in America.

I mainly just wanted to post a picture and a video from Sunday's Red Sox game I went to see in Boston. I was last at Fenway when I was about 10 years old so it was quite something to see it again in person. And the game was just awesome...Big Papi hit a 3 run walk off home run with 2 outs and 2 strikes with the Sox down by 2 runs...just classic! The fact that he just looked absolutely aweful on the first 2 strikes made it even more unbelievable. It was definitely an amazing game to pick as my last Sox game to see for 2+ years. After the game it was even revealed that Ortiz called his home run to Mike Lowell (a teammate on the Red Sox). Anyways, enough from me...here's a couple pics and a video take immediately after the Ortiz home run. It's a little shaky but it was the best I could do.

It's crazy to think that I'll be on the other side of the world in less than a week!

I've been traveling for over a week visiting my Dad in Portland and some old friends from my days in New York City in DC. I've been impressed with DC and definitely could see myself in grad school here at some point.

I also picked up two travel guides to Georgia and the Caucasus in Portland and the more I read about the region the more excited I am to finally get over there and get started.

There's not much to say right now really. I feel like I'm in this weird limbo state between two phases of my life. My adventure in Georgia hasn't truly started but I've said goodbye to my friends and family for at least a year and I sold my car. It's a strange feeling having no place to call home and no car (my keychain is completely empty save for my bottle opener).

Hopefully my next posting will be from Georgia with all my first impressions and observations. I can't say I'm looking forward to the 36+ hour trip to Tbilisi but I am looking forward to a day in Vienna!

Until next time (in Georgia!)

P.S. I also get to see one last Sox game in Fenway on Sunday!!! Only downer is that neither Beckett or Schilling is pitching...Instead I get to see the $24 million Matt Clement pitch. Somehow Pedro seems like such a better deal at $5 million more a season.

Tomorrow is my last day of work as a Realtor! I have to say that while I've enjoyed some aspects of my work over the last 5+ months it's just really not something for me. I don't know why but right now I need something more and hopefully my upcoming adventure will provide some needed excitement and exhiliration.

I'm officially under a month left to go in the States...craziness! I found out I'll be staging in Philadelphia and leaving through JFK in NYC on June 15. We're flying through Vienna and have an 11 hour layover there, which will be a nice opportunity to relax and explore the city a little bit before continuing onto Georgia where we'll arrive in Tbilisi at nearly 4 in the morning! For some reason the few international carriers that somehow have flights in and out of Georgia seemed to have gotten screwed with the flight slots. They all arrive in the dead of night and turn around a leave before the sun comes up. Should be fun when I have to fly half way around thw world next summer to be best man in my friend's wedding. That's right...I'm gonna fly half way around the world back to San Fran. next June, barring an obscene cost of the plane ticket, to be in one of my best friend's wedding so that should be interesting.

As for current preparation I feel like I have most of what I'll be taking with me for the next couple years. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the inordinate amount of stuff I definitely don't need. Hopefully I can sell or throw out most of it and not have to store much.

While I still have much to do after my last day of work tomorrow(!!!), I definitely need to chill with my boys as much as possible in the next couple weeks! I know the one thing I'll miss as much as anything is chillin' with the fellas in FUBAR...

These are all the fellas (minus D Money) at New Years...

Here's a picture of the place I'm leaving behind....tear...

Well, no matter how much I do to prepare or how much I talk about it I still have trouble believing it's actually happening and that I'll be in Georgia in under a month!!! It's officially T-minus!

Time for bed but they'll be more to follow soon...especially from Georgia!!!

So I've finally decided on my date of departure from Sacramento....June 1st to go visit my Dad in Portland OR. I'm gonna go up there for a week or so before going back east to visit a few friends and hopefully catch a Sox game in Fenway before heading off into the unknown.

I know I haven't written much for a while but honestly there isn't much to say sometimes right now. I'm still very stressed about getting shit done that needs to get done before I leave. I finally told ONE of my jobs yesterday that I won't be working anymore after 2 weeks but I still need to inform my broker sometime this week that I'm leaving soon. We'll see how that goes but unfortunately he definitely does NOT see this coming so it will be interesting.

It's definitely not easy to get anything done right now because I want to spend all my free time with my friends but hopefully as Georgia continues to loom closer and closer it may be easier to actually make some progress on getting ready to spend 2 years in the random Rep. of Georgia...chalk it up! (inside Fubar house joke!)

I found out my staging will be in Philadelphia on June 13-14 and that I'll be flying to Georgia from there on June 15th so it's pretty much down to 45 days or so until I will officially be in Georgia trying to learn their random alphabet and language as best I can.

All I can say is the next month and a half is gonna be crazy, as is the 2 plus years after that for sure. All I can say is I'm looking forward to it more than anything. I'm a junkie for excitement and change and this is definitely exciting. I seriously can't wait for my first glimpse and taste of Georgia on June 15th!

This has been cirulating a Yahoo Group message board on Georgia. It offers some insight into the country and the expat community. Plus, it's kind of funny, although I don't know how encouraging some of it is so I'll just have to wait and see!

YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN IN GEORGIA TOO LONG IF. . .

You know you've been in Georgia too long if . . .

People can tell you live in Vake because of your accent.

You have a favorite khashi place.

You start scanning movie credits for Armenian names.

You remember when the average Georgian under 30 did not have a mobile telephone.

You can distinguish between Kazbegi and Argo in a blind taste test (or between Borjomi and Nabeglavi).

You recoil in horror if somebody punctures a khinkali.

You hand taxi drivers the proper fare for any ride without any negotiation or asking the price.

You find nothing romantic in candle lighting.

You never go anywhere without a small flashlight.

You’re disposed to sit in a taxicab for 45 minutes at your destination without budging if the driver is unwilling to give you the proper change.

You consider amoebic dysentery to be a weight loss strategy.

You actually believe that Borjomi water has curative properties.

You think you can get a cheaper fare if the taxi driver doesn’t notice your accent.

You don't mind eating dinner or showering in complete darkness.

You own a Niva that you bought at the car market for cash, and you think you got ripped off.

You get annoyed if the waiter doesn’t change your plate every 5 minutes.

You get annoyed if the waiter doesn’t take empty bottles off the table within 30 seconds.

You find yourself criticizing Georgians’ khinkali eating technique.

You can’t drink a glass of wine without a toast even when dining alone.

You are not taken aback when a complete stranger at a supra kisses you and professes eternal love.

You find yourself complaining that the tamada’s toasts are too short.

You appoint someone tamada even when dining with foreigners.

A few shots of chacha don't even give you a buzz.

You're at an expensive restaurant and don't even notice the guy at the next table yelling into his cell phone.

You have grown used to the picture quality of pirated DVDs.

You find sit-down toilets uncomfortable.

You think you speak Georgian fluently.

You can't put a proper sentence together in your native language.

You aren't aware that one is supposed to pay for software.

A PhD in Nuclear Physics fluent in 7 languages irons your socks for a pittance.

Walking across the street against the light, in and out of traffic is a piece of cake.

When you go to the toilet you bring your own toilet paper.

The footprints on the toilet seat are your own.

It is no longer surprising that the only decision made at a meeting is the time and venue for the next meeting.

You no longer wonder how someone who earns $400.00 per month can drive a Mercedes.

You find that it saves time to stand and retrieve your hand luggage while the plane is on final approach.

You throw your trash out the window of your apartment, car or bus.

You would rather SMS someone than actually meet to talk 'face to face'.

You honk your horn at people because they are in your way as you drive down the sidewalk.

You have figured out that it is actually the Russians who are running this country.

You get your first case of bronchitis and you have never smoked a cigarette in your life.

You have learned how to detect someone in a hurry behind you, and have the ability to not only walk very slowly but also grow eyes in the back of your head, so when they start to overtake on the right hand side, you automatically cut in and walk very slowly directly in front of them.

You are able to jump the queue because the idiot foreigner left 2 centimeters between himself and the person in front of him.

You don't have to speak to taxi drivers. Every cab in town has taken you home at least once, so they all know where you live.

You buy a round trip air ticket in Georgia.

Other foreigners seem foreign to you.

You consider McDonald's a treat.

You ask how much people are making and expect to hear an answer.

You are the last of your first group of friends still in Georgia.

Your first group of friends in Georgia has already left and come back again three times.

Georgian fashion starts looking hip.

You think Kobuleti is a nice place for a holiday.

The last time you visited your mother, you gave her your business card.

You start to enjoy the taste of chacha.

You go back home for a short visit, get in a car and start giving the driver directions in Georgian.

You have to pause and translate your phone number into English before telling it to someone.

You ask fellow foreigners the all-important question "How long have you been here?" in order to be able to properly categorize them.

You buy the local newspaper because you forget that you can't read Georgian.

You stop enjoying telling newcomers to Georgia "all about Georgia".

Your family stops asking when you'll be coming back.

Smoking is one of the dinner courses.

People who knew you when you first arrived don't recognize you.

Georgians stop you on the street to ask for directions.

People who haven't seen you for months don't ask where you've been.

You get homesick for Georgian food when away from Georgia.

Other foreigners give you a funny look when you tell them how long you've been here.

The word “salad” first brings to mind mayonnaise.

You don't notice your gastrointestinal problems anymore.

Your collection of business cards has outgrown your apartment.

You speak enough Georgian to make your colleagues laugh their heads off (attempts with anyone else still only draw blank stares).

You start recognizing the Russian songs on the radio and sing along to them with the taxi driver.

You give a 10% tip only if the waiter has been really exceptional.

You are relieved when the guy standing next to you on the bus actually uses a handkerchief.

You change into slippers and wash your hands as soon as you walk into your apartment.

You drink the brine from empty pickle jars.

You know more than 20 Tamunas, 30 Ninos and 60 Giorgis.

Your sister writes to you about the best prime rib she’s ever had and you can’t remember what it looks or tastes like.

You catch yourself whistling indoors and feel guilty.

You never smile in public when you’re alone.

You are no longer surprised when your taxi driver tells you that in Soviet times he worked as a rocket scientist.

You can only jaywalk across a busy street without looking exactly in places where there is an underpass.

You think Pele coffee tastes good.

You consider holding a supra to celebrate the purchase of a new TV set.

You know what Chavchavadze's favorite color was.

You are curious as to when they might start exporting Kazbegi beer to your home country.

You speak to other expats in your native language, but forget some of the simplest words and are forced to throw in Georgian/Russian ones instead.

You think that the Trade Center is a real shopping mall.

You specify "no gas" when asking for mineral water.

You think a bus with 200 people on it is "empty".

You walk down the street holding hands with your buddy.

You know all the words to the Georgian National Anthem and enjoy singing it.

You start believing that you can blend into a large crowd of Georgians.

You answer "ho" even when speaking English to non-Georgian friends.

You somehow always have money to go for a drink despite being broke, and think that that's a paradox.

You swear at a taxi driver for stopping at a red light even when there's nobody coming.

You can think of at least fifteen medical conditions that can be cured by chacha (sorting out a blocked ear by pouring chacha into it is my personal favourite).

Back in your home country, you automatically put a candle next to your bed.

You feel more bored than annoyed when some drunken idiot holds a gun to your head at a party.

You start speculating that Georgia might join the EU before the millennium is out.

Your father-in-law is secretly jealous of your mother-in-law's moustache.

You park your car two blocks from the office because you feel ashamed of not having tinted windows.

You have become convinced that Georgian music, poetry or literature has made an immense contribution to world culture.

You finally understand that it's culturally insensitive to come to the office before 11 AM.

You lend your best friend your car keys so he can get home safely when he is too drunk to make it back on foot.

You third daughter is born and you can't think of a name to give her.

You notice that your wallet has been stolen and your first thought is that, come to think of it, the guy behind you on the bus sort of looked Armenian.

Your long-standing girlfriend pecks you on the cheek and you think it's one of those life-defining moments you will never forget.

Your chacha vendor greets you like a long-lost brother and asks, 'How many liters today?'

Your oldest foreign friends stop bothering to pretend that they're not working for the CIA.

Back in your home country, you smugly lecture the policeman on how it only counts as drunk driving if you're actually swigging behind the wheel, before giving him a dollar anyway because he looks like a nice guy.

You take foreign guests around Gori and feel compelled to point out that Stalin really liked small children.

You start learning Georgian because you're anxious that God might not understand your prayers if they're in a foreign language.

You remember the days when the traffic police took bribes.

You can order food at most restaurants in Tbilisi without looking at the menu.

You can navigate five flights of stairs, find the door to your apartment, and fit the key in the lock in complete darkness.

Your taxi driver boasts to you about how badly he would rip you off if you were a foreigner (this happened to John Horan).

Your travel agent asks you if you are 'allowed to go to America,' implying that you need to get a visa first (also, John Horan).

You think most important road rule is where your bumper is in relation to everyone else.

You think Nivas are the all time best SUVs.

You’ve given your Niva a name.

You answer your phone "Allo?" even when outside of Georgia (or ‘gisment’).

You tell others your phone number in two-digit sequences: i.e. ninety-nine, seventeen, forty-three.

You try to bargain over the price of tomatoes while in a grocery store back home.

You’re no longer surprised when a building that looks like a Beirut crackhouse gives way to a sumptuous apartment inside.

You worry about not being able to find or make tqemali when you go back home.

You carry a lighter just in case your flashlight gives out.

You give your mobile phone number half in Georgian, half in Russian.

When lending money, you prefer to dispense large bills rather than small ones.

You feel self-indulgent and pampered checking into a flight during the daytime.

While making a left hand turn, you feel that making a U-turn would put you on firmer ethical ground.

You end English sentences with “ra”.

Your first question on making a new Georgian acquaintance is “How many khinkali can you eat?” (“And is that with or without kebabi and salata?”)

You’ve traveled to Pasanauri for the sole purpose of eating khinkali.

You know that Ajaran khachapuri isn’t necessarily better in Ajara.

You express skepticism by involuntarily muttering “kargi, ra” even when there is no Georgian-speaker around to hear you (and express surprise by shouting “vaimay!”).

There is a brass plaque with your name on it on the bar at Smugglers.

You correct waitresses’ Russian grammar mistakes.

You call random cell phone numbers and demand “romeli khar?!!”

You turn off your car engine at stoplights to save fuel.

You say things like “The city looks so much cleaner now,” confusing the hell out of newly arrived expats.

You have ten different responses to the question, "Do you like Georgia?"

You blame the Russian FSB for unfavorable weather changes.

You’re appalled when a foreigner who has been in Georgia long enough to know better tries to “go dutch” at his/her own birthday supra.

After living in Georgia for X number of years, you've decided it might be a good idea to start learning the Georgian alphabet.

You bump into a newly arrived foreign businessman in the pub and decide it might as well be you who rips him off.

You can't stop staring at that black guy walking down Rustaveli.

You seriously consider founding an NGO yourself because you are fed up with having to work.

Your surviving friends look really worried when you start pouring yourself drinks.

You are unable to explain to your mother what your job actually is.

Your eyes see the strings moving Misha's arms and legs despite the glare of the stage lights.

You know more acronyms than normal words.

The lady in your local corner shop stops asking when you are going to get married.

You can't remember your last weekend in Gudauri that wasn't funded by Soros.

Your wardrobe is shimmering with a million hues of black.

You don’t double up with laughter while reading (or writing) 'good governance' proposals.

You think that commandeering a big white jeep is your birthright.

Your weight has doubled despite the near-disappearance of several internal organs.

The two hardcore communist Peace Corps volunteers you met in your first year here are now heading the World Bank and the IMF.

You spend more time deleting Megobrebs messages than doing your job ...

The other day I bought a nice backpack off Craigslist for Georgia and it keeps hitting me everytime I look at it sitting in my room that it's really happening...I'm going to Georgia. Of course nearly everyone assumes I'm going to the state of Georgia rather than for the former Soviet state of Georgia so that gets a little old explaining it over and over again. I've had people tell me to eat a lot of peaches and bbq while I'm there and other people ask when and why the Peace Corps started sending people to places that aren't overseas. Some assume it has something to do with Katrina. It's too bad this country's education system doesn't do a better job of informing young people about the world, especially the developing world and places like Georgia. It's not like nothing has happened in Georgia recently...they had a civil conflict quite recently that was never officially ended and yet almost nobody seems to know that there's a country named Georgia and not just a state. Even people who have heard of it can't seem to place it on a map with any accuracy so I end up explaining over and over again. Sometimes it can get a little annoying but I'm glad I can help even just a little bit in broadening some people's horizons and as long as they're truly interested I'll be glad to tell them as much as I know at this point, which in my mind feels like so little still.

Right now my preparation seems to be in limbo. I'm waiting for my staging kit, which will tell me exactly where my staging and departure from the US will be. I think once I receive that I'll shift into another gear in terms of feeling the pressure to get ready. I've already started thinking about things like selling my car and where I'm gonna put all my stuff for the next 2 years and have yet to come up with many good answers but that doesn't bother me for now at least. Right now I still spend more time thinking about what my everyday life is gonna be like for the next 2+ years in Georgia. Anyway you slice it it's gonna be one crazy, life changing, adventure!

There it is...Republic of Georgia for the next 2 years...

As most of you know, although some may not, I'll be leaving for Georgia in June...not the land of peaches and southern bbq but rather the former Soviet Republic situated between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea along the Caucasus Mountains. I will be serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer working with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in helping them grow and become more effective in achieving their objectives. I will be in Georgia for 27 months until August of 2008. I'll be posting stories and experiences here as much as possible, depending on the consistency of my internet connection in Georgia.

Trying to sneak a peak of my final destination!

Here's a shot of the boys taking a good luck shot before opening my official Peace Corps invitation...

Since my Sophmore year at Whittier College I have been seriously considering the Peace Corps. I always had plenty of good reasons to go and not look back but of course with such a huge decision and commitment there are always some second thoughts and so I didn't apply immediately following graduation. Once I finally submitted my application it was almost a year after graduation and I finally felt I was ready to make the commitment. Here I am almost a year later and getting ready to depart for Georgia and feeling 'excitedly nervous' about the whole thing.

I received my invitation to Georgia a little over a month ago after waiting for quite some time.I sat down with all my roommates and we all had a good luck shot before opening the invitation. From talking to my Placement Officer in DC a couple weeks before and the questions he had asked me before sending me an invitation I had narrowed it down to Romania, Moldova, Albania, and Georgia. I was ready and excited to serve in any of those countries but now the more and more I think about it and learn about it Georgia seems like it's gonna be a great experience.