If you care to follow my new adventures Stateside...here's mah new blog!

http://atexandthecity.blogspot.com/

As it turns out, I didn't get to write my goodbye post when I was back in Georgia. I meant to put to words how profound the entire PC Georgia experience has been, how hard it was to leave certain people, and how strange it feels to know I have closed another chapter in my life.

The last night in Georgia was a bit of a whirlwind, since it involved getting everything together, going out for a few pre-flight drinks (where laughter and then crying ensued...there were some big moments), and then waiting at the airport alone for hours before my flight left for Kiev.

As excited as I was to get back to the US, I also felt uneasy and just, odd...I was really tired (staying up 24 hours straight can do that I guess), and I was very sad to leave behind Danielle, who was been the best friend I could have asked for and will be staying another year. I hate traveling long distances alone, and it made me feel lonely to go my own way. I guess I've been pretty dependent on people the last couple of years, and that may prove a hard habit to break. I was worried about being broke, about finding an apartment and a job, and I was/am very aware that there is a possibility things won't turn out like I hoped. These are daunting thoughts, and they are things that only I, myself, can make happen.

Anyway, I was grateful and relieved to touch down in NYC, where I would meet my friend Sandy, who had flown in from Texas an hour earlier. Except it turned out that her flight had been delayed, and she was coming to JFK from Newark, so a pay phone call later determined that I would wait for an hour or so before she would be there to meet me. During that time I re-discovered that people in airports love to talk--especially the older folk. I think people are concerned when they see a single girl traveling alone and assume she probably needs to hear some stories. At least people are friendly...

Fast forward to a big hug from Sandy, and we're on an airport shuttle headed for her friend's apartment in Hell's Kitchen, NYC. And then the car battery died. My fellow PCVs will see the irony in this, as I found myself tired and cranky on a Sprinter van that wasn't working after we made lots of stops to pick people up. And you know, no battery=no AC. All I could think was, 'THAT WAS MY LIFE FOR 2 YEARS AND NOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DIFFERENT! WHYYYYYYYYY?'

But never fear. A jump and we were on our way. Stepping out in Hell's Kitchen on a Friday summer night, the first sensation is being enveloped in stifling heat. Meanwhile, bright lights and people everywhere walking to weekend festivities arrest the ears and eyes. Yep, I had made it to New York.

And what can I say about New York that hasn't already been said? Nothing, basically. It's huge, and expensive, and overwhelming and crazy. I have to find an apartment and a job and LIVE MY LIFE like I belong here. What? But, in just 3 days I've met some pretty cool people, gotten lots of good advice and even been on a few adventures. Add in brunch, an off-broadway show and today's upcoming food tour and I think it will be a good start to my NYC residency. I'm still looking at neighborhoods, but fortunately have narrowed things down a bit so when I come back in August it may not be so difficult.

Now, let's talk about life in the US after being gone for 2 years. From what I've experienced, people don't talk on the phone. No. They text. Everything is texting. Which reminds me, I got a smart phone-that I use like a toddler. And I don't like texting, because it takes forever to push all those little buttons.

Message: Hi, how are things going? Where are you? Reply: I am in Williamsburg. Do you want to meet up in an hour? Message: Yes. I am on the Upper East Side. Let's meet at Pony Bar in an hour and a half. Reply: Ok. How do I get there? Message: Use your phone, the map function. I showed it to you.Reply: I can't get it to work. I don't understand this thing. It tells me I have to get to the subway. It doesn't tell me HOW to get to the subway.Message: Uggggggggggggggh.

These things can be solved by a 2 minute conversation! Don't even get me started on Auto Text. My name is not Laurence, phone! Stop putting that automatically and making me re-type everything. Oh, AND, you can barely have face to face conversations because no one is listening. They are texting, or Googling, or 4-squaring or tweeting on their phones instead. HEY EVERYBODY, I'M HAVING BRUNCH RIGHT NOW, ANNOUNCEMENTS. Maybe we could just have brunch? Like...just the people at brunch, maybe?

And the response: Oh, Lauren. You just have to get used to it. That's just the way we/people/Americans work now!

Oh boy.

As I continue my journey to being an obnoxious American, tomorrow morning I leave for the Lone Star State and my family/friends/Tex-Mex.

Could not be happier or more excited.

Until next time...

Hey all!

Nope, this isn't quite the goodbye post. I'm going to save that one for a little later, when I feel like I'm reaaaaally leaving (less than 48 hours to departure at this point)!

I just wanted to make sure and update about my English room renovation project and thank everyone who donated to help make it happen. Unfortunately, it's not finished yet, so I couldn't get pictures before I had to leave site, but I promise to get them when it's finished!

Just as a recap, a while back I applied for a Peace Corps Partnership Program grant in order to renovate a room in my school for a much-needed space for kids to learn English. Before the grant, the intended room for use had broken floors, holes in the walls, no electricity, and a broken door. Needless to say, it was a mess.

However, in the nick of time, my wonderful friends, family and church community from back home were able to help raise money to breathe new life into the school.

The donors probably don't know this, but I got a list of names and some really sweet messages from people who donated. I was so grateful and humbled by the sacrifices of some of the incredible people back home. Some donors were family, others childhood friends, some college friends, some significant others of friends, and then a big fat donation from St. Mark's United Methodist Women. Either way, I know that most of the donors my age are/were completing degrees, in between jobs, having new babies!, and/or strapped for cash in general, as people our age in this economy tend to be.

So I can't thank you enough for your sacrifice and your support. I know sometimes people think that Peace Corps Volunteers are these totally selfless people who give up a lot to help, but the truth is that I often feel unworthy of the praise from back home, though it makes me strive to do better, and be better--to make you proud of me and what I can accomplish.

So, to my family Mom, Charlsey, Aunt Thebe and Maman; my college friends Carl K. (BPPFL!), Tom B. (OA 05 and TFA badass), Katie M (my PC inspiration), and Joel (best friend's bf for the win!), Alan (un persona generosa); my Fulbright friend Chase (seriously? You're awesome); and my hometown friends Miles (dude...thank you!), Kendall (just had a baby!), Andrew, Jamie, Rachel, Nathan (BFFs and professionals now, all out of school!):

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

Love you and can't wait to see you soon!

All the best,

Lauren

Happy day after the 4th of July, fellow Americans!

I just wanted to add an addendum to a couple of my last posts by referring you to some extra reading by other PCV's, if you are so inclined.

They did a much better job of going into detail about GLOW here and the hiking trip from hell here.

Happy reading! Two and a half weeks to FREEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOM (preach!).

Also, if you have any leads on a New York apartment (Brooklyn is ok, Jersey City is not), let me know.

Much love,Lauren

Well dear readers,

I've been meaning to update per the usual procrastination (and my mom won't get off my back about it either...hi Mom!), but I've been pretty busy and haven't had the time/electricity until now.

So I'm taking a breather and I'll recap the last few weeks for the loyal fans out there (who let me know after the last post that they are, in fact, still reading...apparently I sounded angry before. I'm sorry, I'm not, I promise!).

After one of the most harrowing hikes of my life--ok, I'll get real. I don't actually enjoy hiking that much, so I should rephrase: After one of the only harrowing hikes of my life, it took some recovery time after scaling mountains in my town's backyard. Something I've figured out being in a country surrounded by mountains is that I don't particularly care for them. Maybe it's the fact that I find beauty in Texas' rolling plains and the Hill Country, and the lakes, rivers and Gulf that I'm used to, or maybe there is just something wrong with me, but I really don't get the mountain lovers.

I mean, they're nice to look at, but do we REALLY need to hurt ourselves by climbing to the top, relieving ourselves in the woods, and subsisting on what we can carry on our backs for extended periods of time? You know people modernized the world to get AWAY from all that sleeping on the ground stuff, right? I'm not saying it's not beautiful, but maybe we could just take a car up there, have a nice look around, and come back to a somewhat decent bed (we aren't exactly living in luxury, after all).

My wariness of mountains aside, it was an experience I'm glad I got to have.

In a bit of good news, I am now officially done with the Girls Leading Our World camp that has been in the making for over a year now. A fellow volunteer and I started about a year ago, planning for the making of an unofficial committee and the ideas behind what we wanted it to look like. Through funding problems (we basically didn't get any money despite many grants that were written), counselor changes and the logistical battle of getting 30 girls to a camp and stay at homestays, I can say that it was a GREAT SUCCESS! With the help of 4 Georgian co-counselors, 5 PCVs ran a camp/summer school that discussed topics on self esteem, leadership, gender roles, exercise and nutrition, reproductive health, teambuilding and more.

Several of the girls cried today because they didn't want to leave, and all of them asked why we couldn't have made it a longer camp (we originally planned a week-long camp, but couldn't sustain that with the little funding we had). The great thing is that I feel confident next year the camp will be bigger and better. The G10's involved are highly capable ladies, and we even had G11 trainees come for a few hours to observe and get familiar with the camp.

One of the most difficult things even a cynical PCV has to face is the idea that projects near and dear to their hearts may not continue on. We attempt to plan for sustainability and leaving things in good hands, but when it comes down to it, once we leave, there's not much we can do. So at the same time I'm learning to let things go, it does feel nice to know that I helped create something that meant something to others--something worth working hard to do again year after year.

Here's a funny story about triumphs and tribulations as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Just as we were about to kick off the very first day of camp, I get a call from my neighbor telling me that my apartment has been flooded from water coming from the apartment above me. As I had the keys and was not in town, no one could get into the apartment and see the damage. So I took a marshutka back to site to find the floor of my living room soaked.

Luckily, most of my things escaped unscathed (a few books are goners, unfortunately), but it's now 4 days later and the carpet is still wet and smelling musty. Yep. My apartment is gross. When I came back in today, I noticed that the power was also off. Needless to say, I could barely contain my joy at this stroke of good luck, since the smell coming from the fridge was ripe and trash pick up won't be until Monday at the earliest (I will skip the very long and rant-filled story about how I can't just throw my trash away but must wait for the trash truck to come at 7 AM on various days of the week and bring it to them personally while the neighbors look on).

Six hours after my arrival, as I was eating my Ramen noodle soup by candlelight (romantic!), I glanced out of the window to see that the apartments across the way had electricity. This was odd, as generally a power outage affects my building and the one across from me as well. It dawned on me that I should check the breaker. Sure enough, someone had turned the breaker off and failed to tell me (never mind that I asked my neighbor why my electricity was off and she had no idea. DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE YOU TURNED OFF MY BREAKER WHEN I WAS GONE AND THEN FAILED TO TELL ME?).

Let's just say that I am thankful for electricity, but I am even more thankful that there are flushing toilets, hot showers and electricity 24/7 where I'm going in less than 3 WEEKS!

3 WEEKS you guys. It's going to be awesome.

I'll leave it here for now, but stay tuned for an update on my last and final Georgia project...the English study room!

Until next time,

Lauren

Is anyone still reading this blog anymore?

I mean, it's nice to have a chronicle of sorts of the triumphs and tribulations of my almost-finished PC life, but I could have jotted down some notes in the 1 of 3 journals I never bothered to write in rather than foolishly typing into a public space. Oh well...I suppose at this point I'll continue writing for posterity's sake.

Since my last update, things have been busy (always a good thing in the PC world). After the successful spelling bee adventure (I had 18 students, 1 parent and my counterpart making the trip), I was able to celebrate a friend's birthday and retrieve medicine for what is/was either tonsillitis or strep throat. Good times! For some reason my body has a hard time adjusting in the Spring, since I usually tend to get sick around the time of the seasons changing.

The main point is that I'm alive and I have special German gargle to fight off the last vestiges of the stingy throat ache still occasionally plaguing me.

But enough of this sick talk! On to more interesting subjects...

This past weekend, my sitemate and I hosted a total of 4 new trainees in the part of their Pre-Service Training called "Job Shadowing." We had a nice group here for a few days and were able to enjoy a hike, show off our work places and bask in the trainees' unbridled optimism we lost so long ago.

Despite a small setback due to political protests and a little violence in Tbilisi which meant the trainees had to leave a day early, all in all it was a really nice weekend. A couple of days ago I had an especially surprising and fun day, as I made the acquaintance of two intrepid Swedish explorers who accompanied me and other nearby Westerners to a concert in my town. These two guys travel around driving "Rachel," a reliable old broad also known to some as a red Land Rover.

As I danced with several of my students in the town square to Beach Boys songs sung in French by some over-the-hill French dudes in leopard jackets (yikes...), I had a moment of sheer and unrelenting happiness.

These are the moments I came to live abroad for. We had a great time and I met some amazing people. Yes...this is definitely the "adventure" part of PC I like (the adventures when I have to figure out what I'm going to eat because there's no gas or electricity...not so much).

And speaking on the subject of adventures, today I realized just how little time I have left in this grand PC experiment. As school ends June 15th, I only have 2.5 more weeks of school. Then a little over a month before I make my comeback entrance at JFK in NYC (acronyms!).

I wish I could say that knowing the time will fly makes it easier, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was antsy. Ever since I can remember, when it comes down to the end of things, I've been ready for the next step. When I graduated from high school, then college, then my first "grown up" job, then my DC job, I was always anxious to get into whatever came next. And this life milestone in some ways is worse than others, because I know I'll be saying goodbye to people and things that have been such an integral part of my life for over 2 years.

I know no one LIKES goodbyes, but I have to tell you--I hate them. If I could just slip out unseen, I would much prefer going silently in the night than endure the drawn out, sad process of recognizing the momentousness of my going and the memories I'm leaving behind. The countdowns have begun and I've already said goodbye to two friends who were dear to me this past year. People who have consumed many of my thoughts and shared in my joys and sorrows I may see a handful of times before we part ways.

We tell ourselves that our friendships are important, that we'll make time for the people we care about, and I know from past experience that's true. But I also know that realistically and logistically, I may never see some of these friends in person again. The laughs shared over a beer or a particularly rough time period will become a part of the cloth that makes up the memory of my PC experience, rather than an easily made reality.

I know the usual comforting on-the-way-home-from-school phone call will disappear like the cow parades on the street I've come to love so much. The familiarity of sharing common problems and goals from lives inextricably linked in a strange and wonderful place will fade away with time. That is a very sad thought for me, and something I know I'll miss. I worry that I may not miss it consciously--that it may exist as a discomfort in the back of my mind that I can't quite place when I feel melancholy and don't know why.

I'm trying to make sense of everything even as I try to escape it. As I prepare for the end of this journey, I'm afraid I don't know yet how to really say goodbye. The finality of it all seems too complicated and sad to express in words.

And yet I know that rationally, this ending will become like many of the other major endings I described: sad to leave, but glad to go. We carry on and eventually find a place for ourselves somewhere else, with a new group of people and adventures to sustain us until the next big move. I'm not trying to minimize the significance of this experience...just put it in its proper place.

So for me and everyone else transitioning in a big way, I'll see you in your proper place...or maybe we'll send each other postcards.

Spring is truly a beautiful time in Georgia. The once brown and grey landscape has been transformed in an explosion of bright colors evident in the grass, trees, flowers and plants celebrating life in their new forms.

Needless to say, these things are a lovely and welcome sight to behold in the last few months of my service. The cliche about spring and new beginnings always seems to resonate regardless when I witness what seems to be no less than a joyous return to life at its best.

Unlike the beginning of the year, when the calendar and every gym commercial ever tells us it's time to set goals and become better versions of ourselves, Spring literally surrounds us with evidence of life and the world's rebirth. Despite the back and forth of rain vs. sunshine on any given day, the fact that the SUN IS SHINING really moves me to transform along with my new surroundings.

To try and justify this draft of my latest self-help book (coming to a dollar bin near you!), a majority of Peace Corps Volunteers (myself included) find themselves victim to the difficult conditions of the places where they live. Education reform, power outages, gas shortages and community development in general is hard! Couple that with cold winter weather and a steady diet of beets and potatoes and you have yourself a grumpy person. The point of this is to say that beyond the dissipating cold, most of those problems are still an issue (no gas to cook with for over a week now...sigh), but there is also a sense that change (though slow) can happen. That is a very powerful concept.

More importantly for me, the time for being sad is over. If my attitude must mirror the seasons, let it fully mirror Spring, the season of miracles. It's like someone used the world as a Paint By Number! That's incredible! I want to enjoy my remaining time here looking back at the good times I've had and good friends I've made as a result of this life-changing experience, not mired in the insignificant tribulations I probably won't remember in a few months.

I have a busy couple of months finishing out my service, and I want to go full-speed ahead with the positive attitude and starry-eyed idealism I arrived here with almost 2 years ago.

I will try to update more often, as different events transpire that I believe will be good capstone projects to end my time here.

So, until the next post, stay happy and warm and enjoy a Starbucks Chai Frappucino (the first thing I'll be purchasing when I get a chance!).

Much love,

Lauren

Spring is truly a beautiful time in Georgia. What was once a world of grey and sickly browns transforms magically into a sea of green and brightly colored flowers and trees.

More than anything, Spring reminds us of the power of renewed life and the miracle of possibilities. Although it may sound like the beginning of my new self help book (coming to a dollar bin near you!), it's actually just an observation that happens to fit in nicely with my life right now.

Given the big changes coming my way soon, it's nice to have a visual, environmental reminder that the world is full of incredible things. Sometimes in winter, as the long cold months drag on, you forget how beautiful things can be when change finally comes around. And one day you wake up and realize that things are different, that the time for being sad is over. Springtime is a chance for positive change, and I hope that my last couple of months here in Georgia are full of that.

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Gurjaani for a regional spelling bee, a last-minute project put together with the help of a few other PCVs and some students with competitive spirits. Assuming transportation works out ok, it should be a good time. Thankfully my sitemate was able to help negotiate a private marshutka to haul people an hour away. The concept of parents driving for an hour to support their children in competition is really not the norm here, something that can be really frustrating for someone who grew up participating in activities where parents drove 15 hours, paid for hotel rooms and had t-shirts and signs made. America.

Speaking of social norms, today I really had a harrowing experience. After not getting much sleep the night before due to allover body aches, a sore throat and hot and cold flashes, I was eager to spend the day in the comfort of my bed relaxing and willing my body to repair itself in time for the spelling competition. But some of my 6th grade students had other ideas.

Now, it's a pretty well-known cultural truth that Georgians simply do not value privacy the way that Americans do. It is a foreign concept to them, and it makes a lot of their behavior seem rude or outright inappropriate to your average American. So today, a few of my 6th graders decided that it was IMPERATIVE to talk to me AT ANY COST. The result: 30 (literally, I only wish I was kidding) missed phone calls and continuous yelling, banging, kicking, screaming, bell-ringing at my door ALL. DAY. LONG. Some people may not believe in hell, but I've experienced it.

You may ask yourself, "why not just answer the phone/door?" A perfectly good question! The problem was two-fold: The first problem is that I knew that I would not understand what the children were saying. They have a terrible habit of talking very quickly, in high-pitched voices, and all at the same time. I had already experienced this earlier in the week, when they came by and I gave into the loud banging and screaming. The second problem is that THE VERY LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE ILL IS DEAL WITH INSOLENT CHILDREN WHO HAVE TERRIBLE MANNERS AND NO SENSE OF PROPERTY VALUE.

As my sitemate (who speaks much better Georgian than me) was out of town for the weekend and I had no other friends staying over who could cover for me, I had to endure the horrifying racket throughout the day until he returned home and dealt with them. I had texted a neighbor earlier in the day asking for assistance, but she was at work. She claimed that she called the next-door neighbors to come to my aid, but they either didn't get the memo or just didn't care, as they allowed the children to literally try to break into my apartment when the door and phone went unanswered. So there you have it: a Georgian child's solution to someone not answering a locked door: BREAK IN. THAT WILL MAKE THEM TALK TO YOU! I'm sure there's not a REASON that person isn't coming to the door.

As it turned out, they believed I had agreed to let them "re-take" the spelling contest since they had not placed in the top 3 spots which would allow them to go to the regional contest. I don't even need to get into how ridiculous of a concept that is, and yet, this is how things work here. SO. The long and short of it is that I will try very hard to not strangle them tomorrow since they will apparently be traveling to Gurjaani for the contest tomorrow.

And that's my anecdote for the week.

Wishing good things for everyone back home (and even a few people here as well)!

See you soon.

Lauren

Well, I should have updated earlier, because there's been a lot of things going on lately that are worth sharing.

The first is that the day finally came for my sitemate Tom's big environmental project. Last Saturday, town citizens, students, PCVs, our TLG friend, and even our Country Director gathered in the town center to celebrate Earth day and bring awareness to one of Georgia's issues: littering.

I was really proud of Tom, as he had worked with some of my students to plan out activities and, though it wasn't the best turnout the town has ever seen for a public event, around 40 kids showed up to paint a mural, plant trees, and pick up trash in specific areas in town.

Even more than the activities of the day, Tom has worked hard to create a 50-day project focused on reusable bags in stores around town. Basically, he has set up a program that discourages customers from taking the small plastic bags which usually end up in trees, the river, or lining the ground. He offered to pay stores who wanted to participate a small sum in exchange for giving receipts to patrons who refuse a plastic bag for their purchased items. These receipts are worth 10 tetri a piece (like a dime), and customers can earn up to 5 lari total by the end of the 50-day program.

It hasn't been easy working to collaborate the whole thing, but I do think that awareness has been raised about the issue and my counterpart at school says that a lot of people are talking about it at least. While they may not be running out to hold clean-up days, maybe they'll think next time about throwing trash directly on the ground.

In other news, I was recently in Tbilisi for a Safety and Security meeting where we discussed PST (Pre-Service Training) for the G11s, who will be here in less than 2 weeks! I think we have a good program, and we also filmed a video to help describe some issues they may face during service. In addition to giving my acting chops some work, I think it will be a fun and useful way to understand staying safe in certain situations.

So, as I've heard is the case from past volunteers, the last few months tend to go by quickly, especially because it seems like there's a lot of things going on. I'm attempting to organize a school spelling bee by grade, and hopefully a regional one as well, in order to help the kids focus a little more as the school year winds down (and keep my sanity in check as they lose that focus).

Of course, my last 2 big projects will be starting and finishing the renovation of my English classroom, and the Girls Leading Our World camp.

As far as my English room is concerned, I STILL NEED MONEY, YOU GUYS! I know times are hard, and the economy is terrible. But perhaps you have a rich uncle who is looking for a tax write-off, or a school group dying to give some money from a volunteer fundraising project to a school across the world? Maybe you are still working out that New Year's resolution to eat healthier, and instead of buying the Taco Bell meal, you should donate the money to my project! It will keep you slim AND you're helping people, yeah! Whatever the case may be, I still need around $1000 for everything to happen, and time is getting shorter and shorter to do that. So PLEASE consider donating at this link:

Click and donate to change some lives!

So, as you can see, there are some fun things coming up on the horizon. In the meantime, I'm getting really excited about moving to New York, starting classes, and living the (poor, but) good life. I have already been informed that some people will be visiting. I can tell this is going to be a popular place to move, and I am excited to be a tour guide!

Ok, I have work to do the rest of the day, so until the next update, ciao and good day, sirs and madams!

Updates! Updates! We all love updates! Or maybe it was ice cream...which is NOW available in the villages after a long winter hibernation! Woohoo, Spring! Ok, terrible segue. Anyway.

It's been a little while since I've written on this thing, and I find that it's nice to jot down a few things every now and then to collect and settle my thoughts, especially when I find it difficult to sleep. Not sure how many of these things were after-midnight posts, but I'm sure the number is up there. So hopefully this will be less rambly than 1:15 AM entries usually are.

I'll start with something weighing on my mind recently.

My friend, a Moldova PCV I met in Ukraine, recently decided to make a stopover in Georgia on her way to Armenia to visit our friend Danny. While she was only here for a couple of days, it forced me to take in a strenuous hike (which I needed, if for no other reason than to kick my butt to getting back into shape, but that's another post) and appreciate the perspective of my life from a (semi) outsider's point of view. She provided a lot of insight for me through our conversations contrasting our two PC countries, and gave me a lot to think about in terms of our service and life choices.

As my friend is a fellow Texan and Longhorn, we both began this adventure around the same time period (i.e., we've both been living in our countries for almost 2 years now). I think when we started out, we may have wanted the same things: to be development workers, staking possible life careers living abroad doing international work that helps others, seeing new things and becoming one with our new environments to the point that the US, our original home, becomes what is foreign or exotic to us.

And when we spoke, I realized that we now wanted different things. Simply put, I saw myself at a crossroads of my (still young...right?) life. Because I'm not the person who came into this experience 22 months ago. I won't say that I'm better or worse, but I think I may be wiser in some ways.

I no longer see my future playing the role of an ex-pat, putting in lots of hard, sometimes impossible work while taking in the joys of a new culture. A fellow PCV once commented to me that in order to achieve even the basic goal of completing our service by staying the full term, we had to be masochists. When it comes down to it, we choose to put our jobs, our community, host family, and country friends above the comfort of the home that we left behind. We miss birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and get-togethers in the vain hope that we might make a difference to people whose lives we may never really understand, despite years of integration and friendship.

The truth is, I'm tired of being a masochist. The ex-pat life, even on its best days, revolves around a very small world, often very lonely and in constant flux. If it's not you yourself it's the people around you, in addition to location, language, jobs, friends, and lovers. Speaking honestly, I miss the country and aspects of the life that I left behind, with all of the great moments (and let's be honest--annoyances and trivialities) that sometimes go with it. In some ways I don't want to admit this, because to some ears, even my own, this may sound like failure. It was disappointing for me to grasp this realization--the realization that my goals, my career aspirations, have changed yet again when I was so sure this was the path for me.

I question myself: Didn't I want to live a life of adventure? Wasn't this supposed to be the experience that catapulted me into the Foreign Service or steady overseas work? Am I really just a sheltered girl after all, who craves the things I used to scoff at--pillars of stability and normalcy? Of course, the answers to these questions are complicated...

The best I can come up with is this: I still love and want adventure in my life, but for right now (or, more specifically, about 3 months from now) it is an adventure of a different kind. While this experience may have shown me that I may not be Foreign Service or long-term "ex pat" material in this moment, I don't think this is the end of living overseas for me. And maybe in some ways I am sheltered, and as usually happens when you find yourself in a culture foreign from your own, I learned a lot about why where I come from matters to me. Most importantly, the knowledge that I gained from this entire experience is something irreplaceable and valuable in a way that only I can truly understand.

Coming down to the last few months of service, I guess it's normal to become thoughtful or sentimental. And I guess the point is that, even as I lie here with more questions and doubts about my future than I had 2 years ago, I am so glad to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. Whatever my accomplishments were, it's too soon to see anything concrete or sustainable right now.

And so I will do my best not to leave here with a heavy heart full of regret for the things I didn't do, the hearts I didn't capture, the projects that didn't get done, and the grants that weren't awarded. I will leave knowing at the very least, that my path is long and winding, with lots of surprises in store. And the things I've learned from this experience will serve like lampposts when the road gets dark, as it no doubt will, on my journey to finding what I'm looking for.

So this was definitely a rambly 1 AM (now 2 AM) post...and those who began it may have left it unfinished (and I wouldn't blame you).

I hope to post more goings-on soon, and I promise to make it more "things going on" than "things that rattle around in my overwrought head at night."

Cheers, and sweet dreams!

Heyyyyy guyz!

Finally updating after a pretty busy March!

So, what's been going on. After a really nice week break, I went to Kutaisi to help my friend Tom with Writing Olympics out there.

It was nice to get away and we also had a great time hanging out with TLG volunteers and our Fulbright friend who lives in the area. Being in the far eastern reaches of the country, it's not often enough that I've been able to get out west. Hopefully that will change when my school year is over and before I head back to the States for good.

Speaking of which, I just finished attending our Close of Service conference in Tbilisi. We got to stay at a nice hotel and eat good food, and of course it's always nice to catch up with other volunteers. We also got to meet the Prime Minister of Georgia in a fancy room at the Chancellory, and he even asked for our comments and suggestions! Pretty cool stuff.

Additionally, there were lots of cameras and the US Ambassador in attendance at our ceremony where we were thanked for our service and given certificates. It was odd to be celebrating our service when we still have another 4 months or so left, but a lot of the information has to be disseminated and paper work taken care of well in advance of our departure. As a member of the conference committee, I got to facilitate a few sessions, which was a lot of fun but also took some time to prepare.

As a result, I'm more behind than I want to be planning for GLOW, so I'm playing catch up to get everything prepared for printing. So far we're still waiting on funding, but I'm hopeful everything will come together soon.

And a bit of good news: I got into the Food Studies Master's program at NYU! Since most people probably don't know what that means, here's a brief summary:

It's not a cooking program. I don't have any desire to become a chef. Essentially the purpose of the program is to look at food and the food industry from several lenses, including economics, anthropology, ecology, marketing, etc.

I was drawn to the program because I'd like to learn more about the restrictions and regulations regarding international importing and exporting, with the idea that certain specialty items from developing countries like Georgia can be produced on a small scale and make money and livelihoods for farming families. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I also get to learn about food history and culture. Overall, it's very exciting and I'm anxious to see where this new (and basically unexpected) course will take me.

However, I do have to figure out what I'm going to do about finding a job that allows me to attend grad school part time AND pay rent. FUN TIMES! So if anyone out there has any ideas, let me know! Let it be noted that Lauren needs: a place to live, a job and new friends to show me the city!

And to end the post, of course I have to plug my Peace Corps project to build a new English study at my school! I have until May 1st to come up with about $2000 USD. LET'S DO THIS!

Check it out and donate here!

Catch you on the flip side!

L

PS, just an added note that I always appreciate the continued support of friends and family. I haven't said it in a while, but THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO TO MAKE MY LIFE BETTER! XOXO

Hey everyone! I am interrupting my bout of web inactivity to make a VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.

Remember how my school really needs an English cabinet? Yes? Remember how we REALLY NEED SOME MONEY?

Here is the link where you can donate!

Please help my school build an English classroom!

Even $5 helps A LOT.

I will update more soon, but I wanted to get this up ASAP because we only have about a month to collect over $2000.

Remember that your contribution would be tax deductible and would benefit a Georgian school and students for years to come!

Greetings all,

While I don't know that this post will contain much useful information, as the month of March has arrived in Georgia, I figured that it was time for a new one.

So...what do I know?

I've been having days off from school because the "Mother's Day" and "Women's Day" holidays fall somewhat close to each other, so we got essentially a week off. Yes! It's been a good thing because I actually had a lot of work I needed to do without the distraction of teaching some gremlins at school.

I'm mostly kidding about the gremlins.

I had a very unfortunate situation with my 7th graders last week where I basically broke up with them. Being left alone in the room without my counterpart, they proceeded to act like wild animals (but not the cool honey badger kind). After unsuccessfully attempting to yell at them to sit down and be quiet, eventually something in the classroom (possibly a falling desk or something of that nature) made a loud bang-type noise, silencing everyone. I used the opportunity to tell them in Georgian that I wasn't coming back to their class, which acts worse than 4th graders. Then I promptly stomped out of the classroom, leaving behind a wake of incredulity and sorrowful students.

Despite protests and later being met at the bottom of the stairs as I attempted to walk out of school to convince me they won't do it again, I think I'm done. There are too many things in this place that I put up with, and that class doesn't have to be one of them. So long, 7th graders! It was...real? Annoying? Let's go with that.

On a different note, I will be asking for money to build an English study room (aka English cabinet) at my school as one of my last acts as a PC Georgia Volunteer. The process allows money to go through a PC program and is tax deductible for all donators. Once everything is approved I will send the link your way. I know we're all poor, but you have electricity, right? Yeah.

Also, we are preparing for our Close of Service Conference, which will be held towards the end of the month. And yes, you don't have to tell me that I'm leaving in August, which is 5 months away, so why would we have the conference in March?

The idea is that we need information and then time to prepare for "life after Peace Corps," the next chapter of our lives. The chapter that hopefully includes working out regularly and shopping for a new dress to make ourselves feel better when something bad happens...but I digress. Are we ready for the freak out? I HAVE TO GET A JOB BUT THE ECONOMY IS TERRIBLE AND I AM GOING TO MOVE SOMEWHERE I WILL BE SO POOR I CAN BARELY AFFORD THE RENT AND I WON'T KNOW ANYONE AND THEN I'M GOING TO HAVE TO START ALL OVER BUT NO ONE IS GOING TO UNDERSTAND HALF THE THINGS I TALK ABOUT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN LIVING IN BIZARRO WORLD OH GEEZ OH GEEZ SOMEONE GET THE BROWN BAG I'M HYPERVENTILATING!

Cool. Cool freak out. I'll be ok, I think. Right now I'm trying to think more about the awesome trip I'm taking to NYC to check out some digs and stuff with my friend, and then the tropical paradise I'll be visiting with hometown friends before getting down to the grindstone. Pina colada vacation and massage therapy! HOORAY! Who cares if I'm poor? L'oreal tells me I'm worth it.

Anyway, I'm in a small group of people who volunteered to help at this COS Conference, so I'm doing a lot of research on different things to attempt to be useful to others. It's kind of fun. I always thought it would be really sweet to be a life coach, but then I also thought that someone paying me for that is not going to happen, so I had to let it go.

Something I've thought about over the course of preparing to leave is that Peace Corps life, like "regular life," involves a lot of waiting. We wait for the next holiday, vacation, weekend, boyfriend, phase of life, grant application, marshutka, hot batch of khatchapuri, conference, hot water, electricity, package with hot sauce and Oreos. You know, normal things! Okay, so maybe those last things are mostly things PCVs wait for, but the point is that sometimes waiting can be really frustrating.

Maybe pointing that out seems pointless and obvious. But sometimes just knowing that the waiting is there makes it easier to push past it somehow-do what we need to do to get by.

That's all I've got for now.

Talk to you soon,

-Lauren

There is comfort in what we are used to.

This is an obvious statement. But it's something I really didn't think about until I became a Peace Corps Volunteer and I was faced with that thought everyday.

This phrase helps me remember that people do the things they do because it's what they've done for so long and it's really hard to change. It reminds me that people don't understand me because I am unlike other people or anyone they've ever met. It tells me that some day soon (5 months guys!), I will be back around people who understand me better than anyone else in the world and love me for all my faults in addition to my good qualities.

The point is, it's easy to lose yourself out here in the many spheres we traverse as PCV's...village foreigner, school teacher, PC community member, ex-pat, etc.

I've spent so much time over the course of my PC stint trying to fit the mold of many or all of the above categories, and lately I think I've realized that I liked the person who joined PC. Have I changed in a lot of ways? Yes, probably. But I've also gone back to some things and I feel really good about that. I guess what I'm saying is that I think I'm going to come out of this whole experience with a welcome, but unexpected idea about who I am, what I want to be, and who I want to be around. I'm pretty excited.

To segue not-so-smoothly into a less existential topic, what's been going on over here anyway?

I just got back from Armenia. It was good fun. I went with Georgia PCV friends and we hung out with Armenia PCVs. I got to see some old friends' faces and meet new people too. I ate real Pizza Hut pizza and it was glorious. In so many places Armenia was covered in miles of white snow, something I'd never seen before. It was like driving through this otherworldly atmosphere.

After the initial disappointment (frustration, anger, etc.) of being denied a grant for my school which is determined by a volunteer committee (thanks guys! Not really, you are terrible), I'm bucking up to get the money another way. More details on that soon.

Continued working on GLOW, after-school activities, gearing up for the next group of volunteers arriving in April, staying warm and getting ready for Spring.

So that's it! I should get back to work before I settle in for the night.

Love to everyone Stateside.

L

So I've been wanting to update, but to be honest I haven't felt like I had much to contribute to the blogosphere. I guess that's the difference between me and 4.7 billion YouTube commenters, AMIRIGHT?

Anyway...things have just not been going my way the past week. So I was going to try and wait until I had good news before I posted again on the olde blogge (

Every January all over the world people are talking about weather.

A snow storm here, a sleetfest there, here a hail, there a gale, everywhere a weather fail...I think we get it.

Well along those lines, my town finally got snowed on, and it was very pleasant for one day. It really is amazing how peaceful and beautiful it can be when flurries of white fall gently from the sky to form a pristine and otherworldly landscape. The problem is that when it stops snowing, it all turns to a gross mush that looks terrible and is awful to walk in.

At least in the US you get snow days. I'm probably going to get some negative feedback for this, but what's so bad about snowstorms in the US anyway? It's super warm inside and you get to take off from work and school! You hole up with your friends and drink delicious hot drinks, after you have an epic snowball fight and make a snowman who may or may not be anatomically correct.

"But Lauren, it's awful! We went to the store and they were all out of Swiss Miss with jumbo marshmallows so we had to settle for Nestle Hot Chocolate with mini marshmallows. And they were all out of bottled water so we had to drink straight from our Brita filters! It is just the WORST!"

Just kidding, I know you get your hot chocolate from Starbucks. What are you supposed to do, mix pre-packaged deliciousness with hot water you put in the microwave YOURSELF? Don't be ridiculous.

Damn. I miss America.

So anyway, back to what's happening here...school goes on, though the children are either a. restless because it's snowing and they want to hit each other with snow-man sized snowballs or b. cold and tired of school and not all that interested in gerunds. Meanwhile my counterpart wants to plan a Valentine's Day party for the 14th, so I'm kind of interested to see how that goes. I tried to explain that we don't really have parties for Valentine's Day (don't people usually spend it being disappointed, one way or another? Oh it's you, cynicism, my ever-present friend). So we'll throw some decorations together, bathe the place in pink and red, and see what happens afterwards.

Otherwise I'm just trying to keep warm, stay motivated to plan for GLOW and a possible new English cabinet (pending approval of a grant and the cooperation of my school).

So yeah...that's it for now. Enjoy the weather (whatever it may be), and send an email my way if you get a chance.

PS, fun fact:Food items I would eat today if I had a choice: La Madeleine's Tomato bisque soup and a Founder's Favorite cheesesteak sandwich from Texadelphia. See what I am talking about here.

Hey worldwideweb friends!

Just a quick update from this side of the Atlantic.

School has begun again, albeit a shortened version. Because of the cold weather, classes have been shortened to 35 minutes a pop, and school starts 30 minutes later. I'm not really complaining, because it does get pretty cold in a concrete building with only a tiny woodstove to heat each room.

Additionally, I have been given a new class to teach this semester...the 3rd grade!

I should mention that I've never taught English to children so small. They are super cute and they have these large eyes that stare up at you and when I walked into their room they said (in English) "YES! YES!"

Despite the adorableness of said children, I feel slightly out of my element, as they don't read or write in English yet. So if anyone has any good ideas on songs or nice picture activities, do let me know! I'm hoping I can get some paper bags mailed to make little puppets to entertain them with. Sock puppets work too, but given that I can't hop on over to Hobby Lobby for googly eyes and such, I think paper bags would work better.

So, plans for the semester: build an English cabinet for our school! And by cabinet, I mean room where students go to study and learn English. So I have to get some grant money for that, which should be a BLAST!!!111!! ForMz!

Also still working on GLOW curriculum, FLEX club, intermediate and beginner after-school English clubs for students and adults, and being a good human being. So I have my work cut out for me this semester! It will be busy, but rewarding, and I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be happy about the work I've done when I leave this summer.

What else? My friend and nearby PCV Danielle recently had a birthday, and we celebrated with a supra at her house. Since I live alone now, it's not as often that I participate in supras, and I found myself really having a good time with toasts and Georgian dancing. So take heart, volunteers, I think we're on the upside of things!

Although it's winter, the weather has been pretty mild on my side of the country, and we still have yet to see a snowfall. I'm not really complaining, because winter is part of what can make being a volunteer here hard. However, a mouse did chew his way through one of my wool sweaters, so if anyone would like to donate one to me, that would be appreciated...

That's all I can think of for right now. Also, random note: Jonsi's (relatively new) album Go is pretty great. I highly recommend it.

Will post later with more info. Have a good one. Eat a cheesesteak and drink a michelada for me if you can.

The lighthearted fare I usually enjoy writing will be interrupted today, as this post is about a very serious topic.

This week a special aired on 20/20 that talked about the murder of a female Volunteer in Benin, Kate Puzey, in addition to accounts of sexual assaults experienced by female Peace Corps Volunteers in various countries.

In case anyone saw the special and are particularly worried about me, or if someone is thinking about or in the process of becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer, I wanted to address the issue of sexual assault and safety here.

I will spare you the details of the special, as I have included the link above if you wish to watch it yourself, but suffice to say that several of the accounts sound like one of the most horrific and terrifying things a human being can experience, and my full compassion goes out to all Peace Corps women who have been victims of sexual assault and harassment.

Secondly, I want to recognize that these women are certainly brave for coming forward on a national TV program to talk about what happened to them, and I think it says something that they feel strongly enough in their views toward the Peace Corps that they decided to speak out.

I want to say that even as a female Peace Corps Volunteer myself, I cannot personally understand what these women went through. Every country, post and experience is as different and varied as the volunteers and countries themselves. Therefore, I don't particularly like it when statements are made that begin with "The Peace Corps is like this" or "Peace Corps Volunteers feel that" or "The Peace Corps is at fault for this." While there may be SOME overarching themes that unite Peace Corps and Volunteer experiences, there are many more that contribute to an experience which is very unique to individuals in those countries.

Obviously, as a governmental organization, when something bad happens the entire agency is deemed to be at fault. There are reasons for this and many of those are valid, so I am in no way trivializing what was said by the victims. My main point is that I am deeply saddened that these reports might deter a really great volunteer candidate because they are led to believe that "Peace Corps" or "insert country here" is not safe for female American Volunteers. It's possible that in some or all of the cases mentioned on 20/20 there was a problem with a single staff member at a country post who wasn't doing an adequate job or in some way failed to truly understand how dangerous the situation was. I cannot speak to the stories because I have no idea what transpired, but this is a guess I'm venturing given what it sounds like the women were saying.

As for my own experience, personally during Training we had many hours of presentations on all safety and security topics, with an entire day devoted to sexual harassment, assault, reporting it and Georgian law regarding it. These sessions have been rehashed during trainings we receive once a year at our All Volunteer Conferences. Additionally, we are continually reminded about safety and security through emails, newsletters, text messages and the actions of the Volunteer Safety and Security committee (of which I am a member), which is led by our Safety and Security Coordinator. Her sole job is to deal with all aspects of Georgia Volunteer safety and security. As a Georgian woman, I feel that she understands the issues volunteers face, particularly females.

Every time I have had even a small problem, I've always felt comfortable knowing that I could inform her of the situation and knowing she would help me resolve it. I can also say that there have been situations where volunteers felt unsafe and were subsequently moved as a result. So I felt it was worth sharing that I and other female PCVs in Georgia (I can't speak for everyone, but at least those that I've talked to) feel relatively safe on a daily basis and feel that we have options if we feel threatened in some way.

One very unfortunate thing missing from the 20/20 expose is the fact that we have some MAJOR issues in many/most developing countries with the way that women are seen/treated in society. Peace Corps as an organization works to better itself internally based on all volunteer feedback and country-specific issues (trust me, I fill out PLENTY of these forms) without the aid of 20/20. I think the program squandered an opportunity to help women worldwide by mentioning what viewers can do to help ensure that these kinds of actions don't occur because of the "lower status" of women in the countries where PCV's serve.

I find it incredible that many/most of the men involved in these heinous crimes will NEVER be punished for their actions, either because these actions are deemed "societally acceptable" or because of corruption in the police force that ensures "friends" won't be challenged, much less convicted. Viewers of the program (many of whom were no doubt outraged and have made some pretty ignorant remarks about the organization as a result) can use this as an opportunity for GOOD by donating to international women's funds that encourage women's education, leadership, fitness and business development.

By creating options for women's upward mobility and introducing educational programs in these countries, we can help eliminate the sexist and often disgusting tragedies that occur as a result of the narrow-minded thinking that helped create these dangerous situations in the first place.

To sum everything up, given a lot of the terrible things that happen in today's world both in the US and abroad, I hope that if we cannot move past the actions that devastate so many, we can at least do better as a society. We can spread less hate and condescension, and more love and understanding. Maybe we can't solve all the problems of the world, but we can make a positive impact on those around us and those we care for. My challenge for 2011 is to be a part of the solution, and I hope you will make it yours as well.

Hey everybody--New year, new blog!

Just kidding, it's the same one! Haha, got ya, I'm sure.

Anyway, hello again from the future! Oh I'm sorry, it's just that the jetlag from my incredible journey to the END OF THE WORLD hasn't quite abated yet, and my internal clock is all kinds of confused.

So as you may know, I left my comfortable Post Soviet confines this joyful holiday season to venture out to one of the countries closest to Antarctica. No big deal.

It was, as you might imagine, pretty great. My cousin's wedding was incredible-beautiful, fun, loving, and 12 hours long in deference to the Argentine tradition. So I fought back my inner elderly woman and stayed up until 7 AM dancing the night/next day of the wedding. And following other Argentine traditions, stayed out until 2 or 3 AM going out the days following. For someone who has largely given up my college late-night habits, this was not an easy feat. But I did it, and I'm proud, and I'm telling the world [those who read this blog]!

You may be wondering what the travel was like. Despite many wonderful advances in our world, and (as Louis CK would say) our ability to FLY THROUGH THE AIR, it's still not fun to spend 25+ largely uninterrupted hours on planes and several more in airports. So while I am VERY grateful for the modern technology that allowed me to get from Tbilisi to Buenos Aires in 72 hours, it was not a fun trip to take alone. Since there are no flights from Georgia to South America, I had to do some creative travel agent-ing and book 2 flight segments.

The first was from Tbilisi to London (with a stop in Istanbul), and the second from London to Buenos Aires (with stops in Toronto, as in CANADA, and Santiago, Chile). If you think you could have done better and matched the price, then my hat is off to you, Airline Master King of the Skies. As it was I spent a lot of time catching up on movies I would never watch and some TV shows that were surprisingly delightful. Thank you, airline touch screen inventors!

It was nice to spend a little time in London as well, where I have never been, and I found it to be quite charming. Everyone is so friendly, which I wasn't expecting. Is that a thing? That the British are friendly? Because they really were, and I liked that! Also, my old friend from college who lived there for grad school was stranded due to airport weather problems, so I got a really great tour of the city and had good company as well. I will definitely go back, so if you're down for some fish and chips, let me know. We'll make a date of it.

Buenos Aires is also a cool city. I bummed around for a few days and got to spend time with my younger cousin and his buds, plus the college friends of Ashley, the lovely bride. I did a LOT of walking and some shopping as well. I just really miss big cities, and I'm excited that when I go back to the States this summer I get to live in one again. There's always stuff to do and see, and the public transportation is great. People are really fun to watch, and that is a free, fun activity! That may be the motto of stalkers, actually, so maybe I should refrain from making that observation.

So now I'm back in Georgia, and I'm enjoying working from home on a few projects, since school won't start up again until the 20th. This last round of Peace Corps should go by quickly, since there are several things in the works that have to be completed, including my biggest project yet, the Girls Leading Our World (GLOW!) camp/summer school, for which I am putting together a curriculum. Despite the cold weather here, it has yet to snow and stick. I'm waiting for that to happen so my sitemate and I can use his sled (he's from Seattle, so he has a sled, duh).

To sum up, I guess I will say that while I missed most of the Georgian holiday traditions, I got to experience a whole new set, and I'm very happy about that! Here's hoping everyone had a fun and safe holiday, and that you are still keeping up with those New Year's resolutions almost 2 weeks in.

Adios!

I'm taking advantage of a little bit of insomnia to catch up on my blog writing.

I meant to write much earlier about the amazing Thanksgiving food my friends and I made, but it seems like it's a little late now to talk about spicy pumpkin soup, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes, apple cobbler, brownies and rosemary chicken in lieu of a turkey...man that was some good stuff. Whoops.

So I can fast forward to my birthday, which seemed surprisingly fitting given that I'm growing up (at least that's what the numbers say. The jury is still out. I'll let you know). I went to school and had some lovely surprises from my students and a small supra thrown by the teachers. I now have more stuffed animals than I know what to do with and some beautiful flowers gracing my table protruding from some classy plastic bottles. Hey, we can't all have fancy Waterford vases, you know. Or any vases at all, for that matter.

Then I was lucky to have a couple of my friends who live close by drop by for sloppy joes, macaroni and cheese, and brownies. If you're seeing a theme here, it's because by year two of the PC experience, when you have a chance to grab American food, you tend to take it. And yes, I do love having my own place so my friends can help me make it. Then we played some Jeopardy, watched Arrested Development, talked a little and called it a night. It was small and quiet, but nice. I also really appreciated the love I got from the other side of the world, which never fails to make me smile and sometimes even shed a tear or two. Thank you.

As I turn another year older and my experience here in Georgia seems to be coming down the home stretch, I can't help but think back to before I applied for Peace Corps (seems like a lifetime ago), when I thought to myself that I'd be 26 when I made it through. Back then I was worried about feeling like I'd be practically a real adult (read: old), coming out of a situation in free-fall. Has that changed? To be honest, I'm not sure. Twenty-six seems old and not so old, and I feel like I have options for when I make that landing somewhere on US soil next summer.

It certainly hasn't been easy, this experience. Not that I thought it would be, but it's difficult in ways I didn't expect. Now as we approach the holiday season, I'm truly excited to attend my beautiful cousin's wedding in Argentina in a short time, see some of my family, and wander some places I've never been before...But I'm also ready for a break. Sometimes I feel like I have things together here, and other times I feel like if I have one more emotionally trying day I might lose a piece of myself forever somehow. I've learned some particularly difficult lessons since I arrived-the most difficult being that not everything has a solution. I grew up thinking that with a little work I could fix most things, and it generally worked out that way. But here I learned that sometimes things don't work out. And you have to be okay with it and move on to the things that are within your power to fix.

So with the remaining time I have left I'm going to try my very hardest to relax, take deep breaths, be thankful and happy. Against all odds I'm going to try a little less thinking and stewing on things and a little more taking in all the good things that life has thrown my way.

I know this post was a bit (okay...a lot) more serious than my usual internet one-way conversations, so thanks for sticking around if you did. I'd like to end on some fantastic advice from Lao Tzu, which I stole from my good friend Nathan (Happy birthday, Nathan!)

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”

Love,Lauren

Another update for November! The month of the blog monster! Or something clever which doesn't immediately come to mind!

I had to write about my last weekend, because I got to help put on one of the coolest things I've done in Georgia thus far.

Traveling to another volunteer's site in Kakheti, five of us lady Education volunteers put on a 2-day mini-camp for girls called SELF, which stands for Self Esteem and Leadership through Fitness. The idea is to give girls a space to learn and participate in a variety of sports from which they are generally excluded, for several reasons.

As I've probably mentioned before, women and girls in Georgia are seen as "lesser" than men in most aspects, something that both men AND women here confirm in statements that often cause me to want to throw something, or many things. You don't have to be a bra-burning feminist to agree that "all men are smarter than women" and "men should never have to cook or clean for themselves" are statements that seem SLIGHTLY outdated in the 21st century.

Anyway, as a result of this idea, it goes without saying that while boys might be encouraged to play outside with their friends and participate in the very physical world of organized sports, most young girls' outside activities include things like tag, until they reach the age where "appropriate" activities range from studying quietly to cleaning up the house and helping mom make and serve the food.

Luckily, some nosy American women came along and decided that maybe we should shake things up a bit. So, beyond all expectations, we had 45 girls between the ages of 12 and 14 show up to the sports grounds behind the school to learn the basics of basketball, volleyball, soccer, and American football. Much to the boys' dismay and the girls' delight, the boys were not allowed on the courts as we had "booked" them specifically for the use of our camp. I think for the first time in their lives, the boys learned what it's like to be forced to sit on the sidelines while the girls are the ones having all the fun. I'm not saying I'm against boys having fun, obviously...but I also think it's good to learn to share, specifically when the facilities/space are limited.

Not only did the girls have a great time, but sidenote: I got to coach, which I absolutely loved. When I get back stateside, I'm definitely going to see if I can volunteer to coach volleyball or basketball, because it's so much fun.

Given that it was such a big hit with the girls, we hope that we'll be able to put on several more SELF camps across the country in the near future.

This experience totally made me realize how lucky female athletes are in the States. I know how controversial Title 9 is, and I'm not going there...but I can say that in my childhood and my developing years, I was fortunate enough to have my own (female) gyms, locker rooms, equipment, coaches and teams. And that certainly shaped me as an athlete and as a person. Through sports I learned teamwork, hard work and dedication, grace under pressure, and good sportsmanship. I know that if I were relegated to playing with Barbie and my Mini Bake Oven until it was time for me to BE Barbie cooking with my real oven, that I would have missed out on one of the most positive defining aspects of my life. I just want other girls who really enjoy playing sports to have the same opportunities and possibilities.

So I will end it here for now. I hope everyone is gearing up for a great Thanksgiving holiday back home. I'm not sure what I will be doing on this special day in terms of awesome food, but I will be giving thanks for all the good things life has to offer.

Good night from Georgia!

Lauren

Whooooooa! An update one day later! What's happening? Is it the Apocalypse? 2012?

No. But I have a video to share!

My friend Johnny, who I mentioned just in the last post (he is getting some serious T'blogatory love these days apparently) is doing a project that showcases volunteers here. His latest one features yours truly so watch it already, OK?!

I'm really self conscious about being on camera and everything but it was too cool not to share.

Ok, I'm going now. Bye!

Well if it isn't NOVEMBER sneaking up on everybody like the mouse who lives in my apartment but won't die in its trap! (Seriously, that sucker is light and fast and I cannot get rid of the little creeper).

Hiiiiiii!

As usual, I am late updating. But you know, life is all about expectations, so if I keep them low you'll be impressed when I exceed them or at the very least not be disappointed when I just barely meet your low standards. And yes ladies, this IS how your last boyfriend got away with so much (my relationship book is forthcoming, I'm sure).

Anyway, lots of fun stuff since the last update.

The first is that 5 of my students passed their FLEX test in the first round, so now we wait for the results and hope that all of them moved onto round 3! Next stop, AMERICA! Ok well actually round 3 and THEN...AMERICA! But you get the point. I'm very proud of them and it was a lot of fun chaperoning the trip from my town out to Telavi where the test was held.

My sitemate Tom and I also had a little pumpkin carving session with some of my 11th graders in honor of Halloween. Later I put it in my window, which I'm sure will do nothing to lessen the intense curiosity and mild misgivings about the weird things the American girl does on her own time. Although it wasn't a crazy Halloween, it was a nice time with friends as we made popcorn and settled in to watch Silence of the Lambs and Paranormal Activity.

More recently, we just finished our last (and first, actually) All-Volunteer Conference. For the first time ever, all the G9 (my group) and G10 volunteers were together to discuss safety and security, pick new committee members, and celebrate a volunteer-led, home-cooked early Thanksgiving dinner. You may recall that last year we did something similar, except my group was the only group at the time, so it was a much smaller affair.

In addition to the administrative necessities, I had a good time catching up with people I don't often get to see, and the Thanksgiving dinner really hit the spot. I can also report that I had what was definitely the MOST exercise I've gotten since leaving for Peace Corps in some flag football games, which were a lot of fun. This reminded me that I really, really miss college intramurals...

Lastly, we finished the weekend off with a big birthday celebration where fun was had by all!

...Or so it should have been.

Unfortunately, the birthday boy and guest of honor fell ill shortly after festivities began due to what was either food poisoning, a rogue flu vaccination, or any number of wonderful bugs floating in the air or water around here. So it wasn't the GREATEST night of all time, but there are many promises of a birthday redo in the near future where I'm sure all will be well.

Happy birthday, Johnny.

I am currently in T-town (that's Tbilisi, n00bs) for a Project Advisory Council meeting, where I and 5 other Education volunteers will discuss the Goals and Objectives of PC Volunteers in the realm of Education in Georgia. It should be a good discussion, and I think it's important to point out that even in the face of adversity and a constantly changing educational climate, we can attempt to do our best. It's a great American thing, y'all.

When I go back to my site on Tuesday, I think it's safe to say I'll be glad to see the comfort of my own apartment, where I can get back into the groove of life in the hometown. It's definitely a change from how I felt around this time last year, and I think that's a good thing.

So I'm staying busy and keeping warm so far. I miss everyone and, as always, I appreciate a little love out here, whether it's in Oreo Cakester form or just a 2 line email.

Groveling over!

XOXOXO,

Lauren

Oh hi there!

You may not recognize me because I haven't seen you in a while. I've been hibernating at my site for a while, being busy and working on projects, SO SUE ME.

Actually, please don't. If anything you should do the OPPOSITE of sue me, which is to put money directly into my pocket or bank account--food is expensive when you live alone! On that note, I've been experimenting with some different dishes, and the results have not been too shabby, if I do say so myself. Apparently you can cook things without a microwave, but don't tell too many people that or heads might explode.

But that is neither here nor there. The real point is that I have been busy, and that is a good thing! In addition to the 19 regular hours I'm teaching a week at school (all my teacher friends back in America are gagging right now...I KNOW 19 hours is SO HARD), my sitemate and I have been administering 4 hours of extra English classes for older students and adults. I'm thinking of adding a remedial class for younger students who need to learn letters and the basics, but we'll see if I have the stones/energy to offer one.

I'm also excited to announce that some of my students and my counterpart are going to put together a Halloween party, complete with party games and songs and decorations! The costume store in my town was closed, so I can't go as a replica of Stephen Colbert's tie. For those of you not in the know...that's a joke. We don't have costume shops. In Soviet Russia, costume wears you! And, scene.

Outside of site I'm focusing on our future Girls Leading Our World camp/summer school, which should take place next June after almost a year of fundraising, recruiting and careful planning. I'm also trying to help coordinate a girls' fitness weekend seminar in November, which will hopefully serve as a good primer for getting these ladies out and running around.

So! Very good! Very Peace Corps!

Very short update, but an update nonetheless!

I miss you. Call me.

L

“I keep tellin’ myself That it’ll be fine You can’t make everybody happy all of the time… But I have found myself in a place that I’ve never been A place that I thought that I would never be… There’s people lookin’ back at me” As you fill out your application for the Peace Corps, you tend to think of a plethora of reasons why living overseas for 2 years is going to be an amazing experience. ‘In a country somewhere on the other side of the world,’ you think, ‘I’ll live a life completely different from what I know. I’ll speak a new language, become part of a community, have an interesting job, go on crazy, amazing adventures and meet new friends. It’s going to be great!’ And the good news is, dear Peace Corps applicants and afficionados, that all of the above turns out to be true. But what we tend to forget (or maybe I should only speak for myself here) is that life anywhere, with any group of people, is still life. And that means that wherever you go, whatever community you live in or job you work in, you will inevitably face situations that involve unpleasant trivialities and problems with the people around you. They will make you mad and sadly, you, the benevolent American do-gooder with nothing but a smile and the best of intentions, will find a way to make them mad too. This is especially difficult because you find that your well-founded reasons for your actions are not understandable as a result of language and culture, a veritable grand slam of awkwardness sure to cause hurt feelings and tension. I find that one of the most difficult parts of living overseas in a culture vastly different from what I know is my inevitable straddling of what I’ll call the “culture” line. This line denotes a kind of equilibrium, one that keeps you and those in your family/community/vicinity relatively stable. You as the foreigner pick and choose which aspects of your culture you keep and which aspects of the host culture you adopt in order to stay sane. But when the culture line is crossed in one direction or the other, there are sure to be problems. For example, recently I moved to my new site. Everything about it is great, and the people (including the host family I stayed with the first month) are helpful, kind, and hospitable. So why should I be worried that I have to tell the host family that I want to strike out on my own, living in one of the apartments near the center of town, taking care of business and better yet, myself? Well I found the reason. Culturally, Americans are independent people. We give up the security of Mom fixing our every meal and washing all our clothes and taking care of us around age 18 for the benefits of staying out late, inviting who we want over to our apartments at various times of the day or night, and eating/drinking delicious but sometimes not-so-healthy for us food and beverages. It’s great! It’s also…American. Telling this to many Georgians translates as: She doesn’t like us so she doesn’t want to live with us. The neighbors will say we’re a bad family who doesn’t feed our guests or treat them right. This is a personal decision that is very selfish and negatively affects the entire family. Needless to say, it was a sticky situation. I may or may not have cried after a heated confrontation in Georgian. Yuck. HOWEVER! Now I have my own apartment. I cook what I want (although it’s expensive…care packages full of American food, anyone? Anyone?!), I get up when I want, I don’t wear shoes inside, and I have Diet Coke chilling in my fridge. So I’m really looking forward to the next 9 months of service and my newfound independence. Until the next news story or angry Georgian breaks, this is Lauren, and I’m OUT.

Well, this is a blog post looooooong overdue. One could argue that most of them are, but this one really takes the cookie cake (Mmmm cookie cake, but only the white icing, please). Not only did I return from a glorious trip home to Texas, but a lot of changes have happened for yours truly since coming back to good old Georgia.

First comes first: the trip. Part of the reason I feel so bad for not writing before is that I feel it disservices my friends and family who took such great pains to take care of me back in the Lone Star State. Although I will (probably) never be a rich woman, one day I hope to compensate for the friends who paid for airfare, accommodations, lunch, dinner, adult-type beverages, gifts, and gas. Yeah, THOSE ARE SOME VERY GOOD FRIENDS. I love you guys. No snark involved because I really mean it. You are the best.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see everyone I’d like to, but there’s always the ultimate return, which should come at some point in the next year or so (vagabonding is not an exact science).

It was also great to see my family, which included extended family and significant others, which was accomplished through a good bit of hoop jumping, long hours traveling and of course your standard animal-sacrificing ceremony…wait, that’s in Georgia. Scratch that last one.

So, to sum up: my 3-year-old niece is the best, factually and with no bias; the river, the beach and Texas in general are relaxing and awesome; Tex-Mex and Whataburger can’t be beat (sorry In-N-Out fans. PS, I’m not sorry); free refills and condiments at restaurants are one of America’s greatest inventions; movie theater popcorn is still deliciously sickening (I think I ate a whole bag in one sitting); and lastly, everything good I am I owe to my family and friends. I’m so proud of my friends who are doing good things for people and really making a difference, and I’m happy to have a family that cares about me and worries for me as I’m traversing the land of khinkali and wine.

Speaking of which—and then I came back…

Upon my landing back in Tbilisi, I knew that I was headed for a new site for my last year as a PCV. This is a very exciting change and so far, I couldn’t be happier with the move.

The place I now call home is Lagodekhi, a small town far in the east that borders Daghistan and Azerbaijan. You may remember it from my post almost a year ago, which you can see here. Though pretty different from my old village, all of the changes so far have been pretty positive.

Where before I saw a flat landscape with few trees and a barely-functioning Soviet grain mill looming over the horizon, now I see majestic mountains towering above the skyline, dotted with trees that become lost in the tops of clouds. Even 2 weeks in, I can walk down the street and the beauty takes my breath away. The National Park, waterfall, river and hiking trails don’t hurt either. Plus, my friend Tom is my sitemate! So we have a lot of fun and projects to look forward to this year.

As for my job, I’m still teaching English, but now I’m placed in a public school, which is another name for a cacophonous flailing of appendages housed inside a building. I teach 7th-11th grades, and so far I’m really impressed by my students’ knowledge of English. My counterpart is a great teacher and she really loves her job, which makes such a huge difference in the classroom environment and the students’ learning. Needless to say, I’m really excited about the possibilities this year and the positive impact I hope I will have on my community.

I’ll leave it here for now, but I do hope to be posting more good stuff soon. In the meantime, enjoy the Fall—I know I will.

-Lauren

After the last somewhat gruesome entry, and considering that in a short amount of time (less than a week!) I will be arriving in the Land of the Free and the home of the Free Refills, I figured it would be a good time to talk about what happens when Americans come to Georgia.

During the summer, many PCVs have had the pleasure of welcoming a variety of guests for a taste of their own Georgia experience, and I was lucky enough to play host myself for a little while.

Needless to say, I was very excited to host both my friend Danny, a current PCV in Armenia, and later my friend Jeff, who lives and works in a little place called Washington, DC.

As Danny lives a few hours in a way in a small country somewhat similar to Georgia (where I have been twice now, thankyouverymuch), I have to give a special shout out to Jeff, who spent a good chunk of his well-earned vacation time to travel from his super-busy and important job in DC all the way to Georgia. I’m sure his parents will totally understand when it comes time for Christmas dinner and he has all of 2 days to spend with them. Good choice, Jeff! Seriously though, I would imagine he will be the only one daring enough to experience the adventure that is Georgia. A challenge to the rest of you!

Anyway, not only was it nice to get some visitors to liven up a slow and sometimes unbearably hot summer, but it was great to get a different perspective on the places, people, food, and culture I’ve grown accustomed to over the last year.

Here are a few of my observations based on things seen and done with the keen eyes of “fresh meat”:

Man, Americans really hate riding the marshutkasEveryone gets sick once…all part of the fun of eating in a part of a developing country where sometimes you ask a question and the only one in the vicinity around you answers “Moooooooo”Food “quality control” is very, very relativePeople with real jobs like to stay in hotels with air conditioning and soft beds…go figure!Georgian wine can really mess you up if you play by the rulesPotato khinkali > regular khinkali (as all Georgians now die of head explosion because BLASPHEMY!)I know enough Georgian to bring hapless Americans from one place to the other, in one piece, and also to sound like I know what I’m talking about to people who know no Georgian whatsoever.America is going to be AWESOME! Can’t wait.

I feel like this post is coming after an unusually long period of time, but hopefully the length and content will make up for what I haven't been writing the last few weeks (prepare to be...dazzled?).

This entry is a little bit different, as it's been co-written by me and another PCV, Johnny. He is also the creator of the video that you'll see later in the post, as I have neither the talent nor the patience to create a work of art so mind-blowing (just wait).

So, without further ado, we'll begin as I steal Johnny's intro and probably most of his layout as well.

Enjoy!

Johnny: To preface this story, a co-worker of mine caught me off guard one weekend and asked if I’d like to come to the mountains and go camping with his family and close friends. Not knowing of any plausible excuses or reasons to say “No”, I gladly accepted. Lauren was in town at the time, so I dragged her along for moral support. We both had no idea what we were getting in to. And so our story begins…

Lauren: The day dawned cold and rainy, a perfect day for an outing with lots of random Georgians and the promise of uncertain adventure. Sure, 5 AM seemed like a crazy time to get up, but who was I to question it? After being wedged into the front seat of a marshutka and picking up enough family members to stuff the van to its hilt, I knew we were in for a great time when our Georgian host, with a glint in his eyes, smiled and put in the music we would hear for the rest of the trip. I could tell how excited Johnny was, because Shania Twain is one of his favorite artists.

J: Now, who am I to deny that Shania Twain was an integral part of our American music culture...but being bombarded with such hits like "That Don’t Impress Me Much" and "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" at full volume, in the buttcrack of morning while trying to decide if shoving mud in my ears would be a better alternative than listening to the Georgians try to sing along with Shania......kinda struck a-way-too-early-in-the-trip-to-already-be-annoyed chord in me. So, after about 4 laps around my town, each time picking up a new family member, camping gear, and whatever else my Georgian friend had up his sleeve...we roll out. Everything started off great, we were enjoying the sights and nature via our front seat venue, mumbling whatever words I could remember of "You're Still the One", and getting amped to eat some food in the great outdoors.

L: As we continued on, we realized why we had to be up so early. As the hours passed by and the Shania CD was repeated yet again, we recognized that we weren't so much on a trip as a journey. When paved roads turned to potholed ones, and those turned into straight rocks, we started to get worried. We also recognized that we were being followed by a trail of cars, effectively turning our driver into the host of a great caravan leading upward into the mountains. Rolling through small Georgian villages whose names were unknown to us, and stopping at random points for reasons which still escape us to this day (BREAD! THERE'S SOME BREAD, FOR THE LOVE OF...PULL OVER, VAIME!), we finally saw the soon-to-be victims being loaded into another marshutka.

That's when we picked up the animals.

J: Finally, after traversing Georgia's backyard for close to 5-6 hours in the thick haze and rain, we reached a summit, in which all the Georgians started getting antsy in the back of the marshutka once noticing it. We came to a stop and as we got out, Lauren and I saw an area which looked like a place that could have easily been Woodstock, Warp Tour, ACL or what have you...but the morning after...and no cool bands. Among all the trash and debris there was a small temple with a small stone wall that surrounded it. As we walked closer, we saw that there were hundreds of melted wax candles on the wall, with the occasional rotten cheesebread to add to the ambiance. In the center of the temple, knelt an old Georgian dude (OGDude) who wielded a big dagger/dirk/pointy thing. All the Georgians we came with walked up to OGDude to pay homage and say some prayers. I am all about cool culture-y, traditional things and found how Georgians "go camping" pretty interesting and insightful. But my innocence was soon crushed when we noticed that the other marshutka following us opened up and two sheep and a cow were herded out of it. It didn't take much thought to put two and two together. The two: being animals and Georgians with knives.

L: If Johnny's trying to convince anyone of his innocence when it comes to killing Georgian animals, he must have quite the lawyer. I could tell from the giddiness in his gait and the way he documented the murder scene with my camera that he was having quite the "cool culture-y" experience. I'll spare most of the details, but I watched as the two giant sheep calmly allowed themselves to be walked to their death in a circle, then gently laid down, only to have their throats split with what looked like a sword straight out of Braveheart. At this point, I decided I'd had enough "culture" and walked back to the marshutka to continue reading my book. Johnny on the other hand, watched with interest as the calf went screaming to its death, splattering blood on more than a few children on the scene. Great, very Cool Hand Luke.

Now there are images and videos on my camera that I can never erase.

Well, technically I can, but as they are emblazoned in my mind, they're never REALLY gone. So it's basically noon in Georgia and we've already been privy to a Shania radio concert (many times in fact!) and witnesses to the death of no less than three animals. So I'm thinking, this is where the fun begins, right?

Warning, this video is...gross

J: Lauren quotes that she'll "spare most of the details" because when she saw the animals laid on the grass, she practically scrambled as fast as she could back to the marshutka weeping...ahem...reading her book. So it fell to me to document the event so that I could describe Georgian traditions to anyone who may have an interest. So basically, OGDude walked by the animals and muttered some prayers; all the while you could see the "Oh Sh*t" glare from the sheep and cows face when they noticed he was brandishing his dagger. After the necessities were through, the guy came up to the sheep and crow-hopped into its neck instantly severing it from the body. Now mind you, this guy looks like he could be 165 years old but the torque in his cutting arm said different.

Sheep 1 and 2 went down in seconds, but when he was cutting the cow...there was some...resistance. And by resistance I mean that blood spewed out all over some portly Georgian children and then the cow got up on its legs (while headless) and started running off. After what I consider some pretty lewd Georgian language, the disposal of the animal heads, and the wiping of cow blood on certain children, we started to pack up. Some of the family members went to do some last minute praying and khatchapuri offering, and the rest were in charge of loading the headless, future meal back into the marsh. Our marshutka was the last to leave but it didn’t take a genius to follow the trail of red on the ground to where everyone else re-located.

L: If you thought the killing of the animals was exciting, wait until you hear about the skinning! Faced with the prospect of being left alone with Georgians I didn’t know, or walking with Johnny to see the animals being taken apart, I opted for the latter. As most of the blood appeared to have leaked out on the ride over, watching them cut off parts wasn’t so bad. I can’t say the sight and sounds of a small cow’s stomach plopping onto the ground after being thrown out like an empty bag of chips is the greatest thing in the world.

After he’d had his fill of grossness, Johnny said it was ok to walk back to the main site where the eating and feasting would take place. When we arrived at the campsite, Johnny felt it part of his manly duty to help set up a campfire and carry things around. This picture stands as a testament that he is trying to look very manly and helpful.

Meat was cooked, both boiled and roasted over open flame, and pre-prepared food came out of various bags and dishes to accompany the copious amounts of wine we would no doubt be drinking.

When finally everything was set up, we were ushered to the supra table, where the magic(?) happens.

J: I did feel manly, thank you very much. So yes, camp was setting up, meat was being cooked? And huge metal drums were being rolled out of yet another marshutka. I'm sure any of you that have kept up with our past posts would assess that the huge metal drums were filled with nay gas nor water, but wine...and you would indeed be correct. The supra started like any other supra. Some awkwardness in the beginning, some toasts to God and family, some stuffing one's face so one would not have to speak Georgian for a while...the usual. Then as time and booze carried on things eased up and we were all the best of friends. Not only we, the token foreign American guests, but every other hiker who unfortunately decided to walk near us.

L: We used to think as Americans that we were the only ones sometimes uncomfortable with the extreme measures of Georgian hospitality. It turns out that other Georgians too can become victims of "supra peer pressure." You see, often you may find yourself at a supra where it is impossible to escape, a daunting realization considering that these things usually last for hours. The unfortunate hikers, perhaps looking for a small bite to eat and a glass of wine or two, found themselves embroiled in an alternate universe where there is an easy way in but rarely a way out. After the requisite number of toasts using glasses, the hardcore among the Georgian men were invited to drink out of kansis (read: animal horns). Johnny did his fair share, much to the delight of the Georgian men, who probably called him a "brother man" or something to that extent. Just when we thought the drinking was ending, a new Georgian drinking game was introduced.

Game instructions: Take watermelon, cut in half, and hollow out a hole on one side. Choose a spot on the ground and dig a small hole to put in said watermelon. Place watermelon in hole, fill with wine. One by one, get down in push-up position and drink from the watermelon on the ground. It totally makes sense.

J: After a couple of rounds of "Pushup DONT Puke", I in fact decided to whisk myself away to the woods so that I could do the latter. Combination of boiled sheep meat, fingernail remover wine, and laughing/cheering so hard with my fellow comrades I have found gives me a weak stomach. As I slunk my way back to the supra table I noticed that the watermelon was in shards all over the ground, as Georgian men shouted and/or screamed for no apparent reason, as Lauren sat amongst it all giving me the look of "Ok, I'm done." I couldn't have agree more at that point. So, we find a little knoll overlooking our campsite and pull our sleeping bags out so that we can finally get some much needed sleep. Most of the rest of my portion of the story will be told through snapshots of my memory, pictures taken, and retellings from Lauren...

L: What Johnny missed while he was "away" is that I also had a go at the watermelon, which I was very proud of, considering I was the only lady. I'm sure my push-up form was perfect, since I do them daily before greeting the morning (lies). Also, let me say that you probably haven't lived until you see a grown man dancing around on the fumes of wine and daydreams before smashing one half of a watermelon onto the hood of his own car. I got a huge kick out of that, but seeing the effects of the wine on the men and Johnny himself, thought maybe it was time to stop for a while. Johnny has a funny habit of deciding that after a little too much fun, it's time to wander off and find a place to sleep. In my concern for his health and possible safety, I suggested a spot we had scoped out earlier, perfect for a place to relax and sleep away from the rabblerousing going on below.

J: In my supra coma, I remember dreaming about being so happy that I was swimming around in the cool Gulf back home, kicking my legs as the water splashed around me and as I…..wait I thought, I am kicking my legs, my real ones…and water is actually splashing around me. Then I hear faint yelling…a little louder now…a little louder. I blink my eyes open and see Lauren soaking wet, shaking me, telling me that it is pouring rain. I come to from my stupor and sure enough, my sleeping bag is filled with rainwater. Being the go-getter that I am, I bolt up, take both mine and Lauren’s sleeping bags and trudge back to the campground looking for warmth and a dry place to sleep. The Georgians spot us and direct us to one of the marshutkas. We towel off and slowly squeeze our way into the van on one of the bench seats. I had my knees bent to my chest, and my head cocked into one of the arm rests trying my hardest to make a most uncomfortable position comfortable (but failing.) I closed my eyes, and all I heard around me were 7 other Georgians in the marshutka making sleeping “noises”. I use the quotes because the sounds coming out of their mouths were not human but a combination of vacuum cleaners sucking up a baby who was suckling a cat’s tail who choking on a rat who was…you get my point.

Somehow, someway, we actually go to sleep again. Fast forward 45 minutes later and queue mental breakdown mode. It is literally 3-4 o’clock in the morning, and I hear the marshutka door slide open and the words, “JOHNNY!!!!! KHINKALI!!!!!!!!!!!!” belted from the top of this dude’s lungs. (Khinkali, if you guys don’t know, are the Georgian style of dumplings…and they go absolute buck-wild when mentioned or are within a one yard radius). Wanting neither to be conscious nor the proposition of 5 AM khinkali, I try my hardest to close my eyes again.

Thinking that I couldn’t be more tired and agitated (by now, all the Georgians are outside chanting the word khinkali), someone thought it would be a novel idea to insert a CD in our martshutka and blast it to full volume. Please if you would, click the link below…turn your speakers up, close your eyes, and imagine being the most tired and irritable you’ve ever been.

Yikes.

Hell. Complete and utter hell.

L: I woke up to the sound of rain and some fat, cold rain drops on my face. Hoping against hope that this would be a mercifully short shower, I dug deeper down into my sleeping bag. After a few minutes, I realized that my sleeping bag was getting wetter, and the rain was coming down harder. Attempting to yell at Johnny evoked such responses as, "What?" "Where am I?" "It's raining!" Telling him that we had to go down hill to find shelter, he then refused to get out of his sleeping bag until he knew where his shoes were. Locating them among my now wet iPod and phone, we finally trudged down to find our host's wife freaking out and ushering us toward the campfire. After a cup of water to drink, we are led to the marshutka we arrived in. Luckily for us, there were already approximately 6 other people huddled inside. That meant that in addition to some of the most uncomfortable sleeping positions ever created in the history of mankind, we were treated to various snoring, suckling (seriously, what in the world was that?), and yelling during the night.

Little did we know, it would only get worse.

As Johnny refused to leave the marshutka at 5 AM, despite what appeared to me to be never-ending demands to do so, I wandered into the damp morning air in the hopes that the yelling would stop and I could eat some khinkali before attempting to sleep again. Unfortunately the Georgians had other ideas. If you ask a typical Georgian what a great hangover cure is, the majority will tell you that it's more alcohol, typically in the form of some kind of hard liquor. These men were no exception, and refused to let me eat until I took a shot of the cognac, despite my many protests. I lifted the glass to my nose and the smell alone activated my gag reflex. This was not good. After a hasty sip and immediately stuffing my face with khinkali made with sheep's meat, I stumbled back to the marshutka a defeated woman. From that point on, I made myself as useless as possible, huddled up away and feeling as though I had arrived at death's door. I dreamed of the day I could sleep again and eat food that hadn't given me the stink eye right before its demise. As I sat drifting in and out of consciousness, I could only think, "This is what sadness tastes like."

J: Upon hearing Lauren eating breakfast outside with everyone consistently asking where I was or if I was ok and hearing the 3rd repeat of "Happy New Year" by ABBA, I decided to risk the former and make myself known. I sat down to a hearty breakfast of sheep khinkali and hard shots of cognac being serenaded by several Georgians singing their own versions of improvised Khinkali anthems...all of which the only lyrics were, "Khinkali." Even the elderly woman next to me was rocking back and forth muttering the word khinkali to no one in particular. I choked down the rest of my meal, curious if the tree who saw my lunch yesterday would get the pleasure of being acquainted with my breakfast as well. The rest of the morning was a blur (more because of my delusional state, then anything else) of khinkali feasting, watching a Georgian burn his arm on khinkali broth, and repetitively being asked if I like khinkali...which when I "accidentally" dropped it, I think they finally understood. Finally, the Georgians packed up camp and started loading the vansnand vehicles for our trek back.

L: The way home included a few more random stops, (at least as far as we were concerned) another couple of renditions from the Canadian wonder known as Shania, and a very iffy couple of moments going around curves where I thought I might lose the contents of my stomach. Thankful to have made it out alive, Johnny and I decided that we were glad for the experience...but that it would probably be best remembered as "one of a kind."

And so ends our tale of adventure, intrigue, and mystery.

*On an unrelated note, we accept donations in the form of care packages, phone calls, letters and emails, or a direct deposit into our meager bank accounts.*

Here we are in July, and all the signs of the Georgian summer are here: plentiful fruit and vegetables at low, low prices; the eastern-based exodus to the promise of water and beaches in the west; and the opening of windows on marshutkas to let in the nice summer breeze.

What I’ve just mentioned to you is the idealistic version of Georgian summer. Here’s what I’m actually experiencing: daily temperatures in three digits with no air conditioning; flies, bugs, and mosquitoes everywhere I turn on everything in sight—food, people, me and my ears; the—let’s call it a ‘surprise’ that when I returned back to my site there were 5 very active, very LOUD grandchildren, aged 3 to 10, lying in wait.

This means that in addition to the heat and bugs that make it hard to sleep, I get regular wake up calls from the window to my room, where children can be seen peeking in, banging on the door, moving the curtain, and creepily whispering my name. The best part is that I have no idea when they’re leaving! They could be here for WEEKS. Someone save me. Please.

On a positive note, I fly to Texas in a little over a month and a week. Very exciting, but not soon enough. For anyone wondering my itinerary:

Depart Tbilisi Monday, August 23 at 4:00 AM (cool time! Not)

Touchdown in Houston after layovers in Munich and Dulles: Monday, August 23 at 7:50 PM

As of now, I plan to be at the river with friends and then the beach with family from August 25th to September 2nd or so. Then I start to make my way back to Georgia on September 6th (Labor Day flight…yay?). I’ll be in the Houston/Baytown area from the 2nd-6th. More than likely my trip will consist of eating a lot of Tex Mex and other wonderful Texas goodness, and I want anyone who also enjoys these things to join me in this endeavor.

The last note on this entry (ending it positive!) is that I want to share my experiences with the FLEX program in Georgia. After 2 Pre-Departure Orientations this summer for the Foreign Leaders Exchange Program, I’ve met some truly amazing and awesome Georgian high school students. The idea of the program is that after rigorous testing and interviews, 50 students are chosen as participants who will spend an academic year at a high school in the United States.

As you can imagine, the program looks for English fluent, highly adaptable and outstanding kids. And as I had the privilege to work with them to ready them for their experience in the States, I have to say that I am so proud and excited for all they will accomplish in the future.

Sometimes when you live in a village and it seems like what you do is all for naught, it’s nice to be reminded that there are kids out there who are truly motivated, who want to make a difference. Imagine learning a language fluently while in high school, then moving to a different country to attend a high school where no one knows your language (and most don’t know where your country is). These kids are great, and definitely serve to keep some of the cynicism typical to a PCV’s experience in check. Good luck in the States, and if any of you happen to meet a FLEX student by chance, throw ‘em a Gamarjoba!

Until next time.

Lauren

Yesterday I met Hillary Clinton. The Hilldawg herself. She was in Georgia as part of a tour through the Caucasus countries, and we had the privilege of hearing her speak a few words about the importance of serving the US overseas. Those of you who know me well will understand that meeting our current Secretary of State is basically one of my life’s dreams come true.

Ok sure, we didn’t sit down for tea and discuss the political and social ramifications of the problems facing Georgia’s democratic reform and the intricacies of US-Georgia relations. But our interaction was definitely professional…if I were a professional clown, that is.

So we (as in, the PCVs and current PC trainees, along with US Embassy staff) are waiting in the ballroom at the swank Marriott Hotel in downtown Tbilisi. When we enter the thing it’s totally empty, but I’m practically giddy with anticipation and excitement. So I head to the front of the room to stand directly in front of the podium where Madame Secretary herself will be literally INCHES away from me. And after the 2nd hour of doing that, with delays in the schedule and no Secretary to be seen, (thanks to what we’ll call “Georgian time”) I started to get restless.

However, as hour 4 rolled around, minutes before we were told she was actually coming THIS time, I ignored my aching legs and back, and readied my box out stance. I was standing next to the line where I knew she would be walking through after her speech, greeting people and doing the handshake thing. Although there were some (well-intentioned, I’m sure) people in front of me, I was prepared to knock them down if necessary.

Long story short, I see her coming down the path. I’m freaking out. WHAT IF SHE DOESN’T SHAKE MY HAND?! Devastation. So…I awkwardly push through some people and shove my hand out in front of her. Then THE HILLARY CLINTON looks directly at me and says, “How are you?” And my thought process went…HILLARY IS TALKING TO ME! QUICK, SAY SOMETHING WITTY AND AWESOME!

What came out, in crazy town voice: I’m fine! I LOVE YOU!

And so ends the story of my one chance to ingratiate myself to one of the leaders of the free world in a way that doesn't make me sound like a complete idiot. Great job, Lauren. You really outdid yourself! I mean, I’m sure if she’s looking for some groupie types that can’t seem to keep it together in public settings to work at the Department of State I’ll be the first on the list to call.

At least she was cool about it. She just laughed and said thank you and I slunk back into the crowd. Hopefully I’ll get a good picture out of it, but I have to wait for the Embassy pics to come through before I'll know.

Anyway, besides my little faux pas, I had a fantastic July 4th weekend. I played some softball (we won! And now I can’t walk, because I'm severely out of shape!), ate some burgers and fried chicken, and I had some great American company to spend it with. Although there were no fireworks, it was a memorable and fun second 4th of July in Georgia.

On another note, I just got back from over a week in Armenia, where another PCV and I were observing a popular PC camp for girls called Girls Leading Our World (GLOW). With the help of our awesome PC staff, we were able to travel down so that over the course of the next year, we can re-start the Georgia GLOW initiative that ended after the evacuation of Georgia PCVs in 2008. It was a great trip that gave us invaluable insight into running a camp that can really make a difference in some girls’ lives. Great job Armenia PCVs! I’m excited for the planning and execution of our own camp next summer, and the extensive amount of work involved will make for an interesting and productive next year.

As this is getting sort of long, I’ll end it here.

But I really will try to write more this month. I feel like I’m a hermit over here and I’m going to make it a point to be more communicative over the next few weeks.

Also, trip to Texas in t minus one month and 2 weeks!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO boy!

Remember in my last post when I mentioned how nice the weather was? Well we’ve reached humid, suffocating, it’s-hot-and-it-makes-me-feel-totally-useless level again. And I say ‘again’ because it’s now official. Today my fellow G9’s and I celebrate spending a year in Georgia. A whole year!

Looking back on how excited/nervous I was to get on that plane to Philadelphia, and then to Georgia, it’s amazing to think that I’ve finally reached this milestone. It’s amazing that some things can seem so long and so short at the same time. I suppose it’s usual for these types of things (what are they called? Anniversaries? Right.) to make a list that illustrates how much I’ve grown/accomplished/changed/gained/lost/etc. over this rollercoaster ride of a year. But I feel like that would be kind of boring. It might be the heat that’s not really allowing my brain to function, or the fact that gearing up for next year leads me to believe that any list I make now wouldn’t really do the whole process justice.

So to that end I’ll keep it short. How do I feel a year in? I feel like I know better what it means to serve my country and other citizens of the world, many of whom I now call my family. Over the past year I’ve experienced a lot of joy, some disappointment, a sense of accomplishment, feelings of loss, appreciation of others, and a fair share of heartache.

But one year in, mostly I’d like to express my gratitude. I certainly wasn’t one of those people who came into PC wanting to meditate for two years to really understand myself. I think in a lot of ways I measure my life by how I affect others and how they affect me. What I’m trying to say is that I’m very thankful people in my life have been there to pull me through the really hard times, and celebrate with me during the really good ones.

Over the course of a year, I have been lucky to connect with a group of people who are thoughtful, selfless, giving and compassionate—my Peace Corps family. They have put up with me and my problems more often than I’d like to admit, and through reassurances, a shared beer or two, and kind words, they always seem to put me back on my feet. Thanks guys.

I have experienced feelings of closeness and love with people of a vastly different culture than the one I grew up with, and I find myself a better person for it. With no personal benefit to themselves, countless Georgians have offered rides, food, gifts, companionship and a good laugh. Despite the occasional frustrations of living in a country trying to move itself firmly into the realm of the developing world, I got really lucky with this PC post, and I know it. Madloba Sakartvelo.

Lastly, to the people back home whose thoughts and kind words make me believe I can do anything…I love you. Sometimes I get the occasional email or letter that I imagine is written on a whim. Maybe you don’t think about it so much at the time, but you send it and it makes my day a million times better. And for the people who spent so much time, money and effort putting together care packages for me, I don’t know if I can ever return the favor of how amazing it is to get one of those. I only hope that in some way I can repay you with even a fraction of the gratitude I feel that you are in my life. Friends and family back home, you are always with me.

As I realize this is probably the sappiest thing I’ve ever written publicly, I just want to say, very simply, thank you.

Now—one year down, one to go. Let’s do this!

Well I have to say I’m a champion at updating soon when I plan on it (and by that I mean champion of FAIL).

To be fair though, I recently discovered that our beloved Georgian internet provider decided to go ahead and change their policy mid-month, without warning or notification. So what used to be “unlimited” 3G Wireless Internet is now “limited” at 5 GB a month. Anything after that is basically…worthless. Me getting this to you is just an attempt to reward those loyal readers (who occasionally send me delicious and useful things via post!) who do so much to make my life complete.

If you’ve sent me an email, I’ve probably been able to read it but not reply. If that is the case, I promise to get back to you soon. And if you’re wondering how I managed 5 gigs (that’s a thing, right?) in less than a month, let me just tell you that the season and series finale of LOST was probably worth it. Probably. Whatever.

So, what’s up in Georgia. I feel like I’ve been cut off from the outside world. When is the last time I talked to anyone not living here? Am I going crazy? Is this real life? Answers: Not recently, probably, debatable.

I’ve been helping a lot with Pre-Service Training for the new group of soon-to-be Georgia volunteers. I like them. They are neat. I’m interested to find out where their permanent sites will be, but most of them will probably be nestled somewhere on or towards the other side of the country. See you in Tbilisi, guys! Just kidding, I’m sure we’ll be in touch.

I have a crazy busy summer ahead, which I wasn’t originally expecting. This is both a good and a bad thing. Good because I’m crazy busy, but bad in the sense that it does lend itself to some stress I haven’t seen in quite a while. The slow pace of village life just can’t compare to the breakneck speed of summer camps, visitors, vacations and FLEX (Georgian-American student leader program) trainings. I say this with a hint of sarcasm, since I know back in the States there is some serious business afoot that I no longer have to deal with, not that I can say I miss it too much. Now Whataburger…I miss that.

So I’m rambling on in this thing and I haven’t told a single story. I guess I should mention that a couple of weeks ago I went on an excursion with the regional Georgian Orthodox priest and his son (who I have conversational tutoring with once a week at my school). I got to see the inner-workings of the local ice cream factory, several monasteries and historical churches and sites, and was treated to my FAVORITE Georgian food—Georgian barbecue (mtsvadi). During the meal the little brother of the boy I tutor (forget it guys, it’s Georgia town) asked in Georgian “why are Americans rich?”

Yikes. How do you even start to answer that question? This is just one example of why sometimes you feel crappy being a Peace Corps Volunteer. As much complaining as we do, in the end, we have the choice and the privilege of riding a plane back to the US, where Turkish toilets are long forgotten, mega grocery stores are stocked with items from all over the planet, and EVERY MEMBER in a family has a car (my families in Georgia have not had a single one). I’m not naive enough to think that America is the Promised Land that lots of Georgians imagine it to be, but it’s pretty great.

Now a little note on my life in the village. My host mom, host dad and my cat are my best friends. We’re a small family, but a good one. The cat follows me around everywhere and sits by me at the dinner table. My host dad teaches me the art of the Georgian toast (truly an art, by the way), and my host mom gossips with me about various things.

The weather is pretty nice these days. It’s no longer cold, and the sun is out most of the time, although it hasn’t hit the humid tropical-esque atmosphere that can make one miserable in a summer with no air conditioning.

My host mom has quite the green thumb, and our yard is exploding with all kinds of roses and flowers. It’s really beautiful to see-I’ll take a picture and post it soon so everyone can enjoy it. I’m thinking of buying a hammock so I can kick back and enjoy the sun. No swimming pool, unfortunately, but maybe I can take time to do a secondary project this summer…

Ok, that’s all I’ve got at the moment. School should be ending soon (don’t know the actual date), and then it’s off to summer.

See you soon. (You look great).

Lauren

A new entry!

Things have been pretty crazy around here. I can't remember the last time I had a full week of school--new volunteers, committee meetings and a grant application have kept me busy over the last month, and it's not going to slow down anytime soon. I never knew I'd feel stressed out about being busy in Georgia, but here we are. I welcome the challenge!

So what's up, anyway?

The first thing is new volunteers. I'm helping with a few Pre-Service Training things and I've gotten to meet the 31 new volunteers. They all seem pretty positive, eager to be here and get into it. I'm excited to get to know them better and welcome them into the fold come July when they swear in as official PCV Georgians.

It's actually pretty weird to see them from where I stand now. If you recall, because our group was the first to come back since the "incident" of 2008, during our PST we didn't have current volunteers. So I feel kind of silly being one of the people who talks about "the way things are because I know things," but I realize sometimes that I...actually...do know some things? Because I've lived here almost 11 months? WHAT?!

I like hearing their perspectives on things because it reminds me a lot of what things were like for me at the beginning, and also brings to mind how comfortable I am in most ways now (this is a scary, scary revelation).

Anywaaaay, in other news, I finished writing a grant and turned it in today in order to start an Agrotourism conference at my school next fall. Here's hoping I didn't screw it up.

School is beginning to drag, much like I imagine it does EVERYWHERE during the month of May when everyone (teachers and students alike) decide that maybe it would be better if summer just got here already, OK?! It's been kind of frustrating for me dealing with this attitude from my counterpart and students, and makes me want to ask one of the dreaded PCV in-a-rut questions: What am I DOING here if you won't let me help you! No question mark.

But I do feel like I have a purpose here and I feel like I'm actually getting some things done, which is really exciting. This summer we're going to put on a girls' fitness camp that unfortunately was interrupted during the summer of 2008. It won't be anything flashy or showy probably, but it will do a lot of good for the girls in the village communities, and it will lead to bigger and better opportunities next year, when we have more manpower and more time to plan.

What else...

Played a game of Ultimate Frisbee in a park this past weekend and some young Georgian boys no one knew wanted to play too. They caught on RIDICULOUSLY fast (they don't have frisbees in Georgia), and then AMAZED me with how good they were. On an unrelated note, I am pathetically out of shape. Seriously I am a disgrace.

More to the point, it's amazing how some things we can plan and slave and sweat over for months to do something good for our communities, and in the course of 2 hours, an impromptu frisbee game that benefits the community in a pretty great way can happen almost effortlessly. Peace Corps. I love it. I really, really do.

That's all I've got for now. Sorry it took so long for the update. And sorry this is kind of dry. Next time, friends!

Lauren

Every time I think I’m going to update more often I manage to put it off. So this might be short, but it’s something. You know how spring is characterized as the season of new beginnings? And on Disney-type cartoons there’s always some animals frolicking in the meadow with their new babies? Bambi? Anyone? Ok, well the point is, that stuff is true! There ARE lots of new babies hanging out in the springtime! At my house (on the farm), we have 2 baby pigs, 26 baby chicks, and some little lambs and kittens on the way! They are all so cuuuuuute! Of course (animal lovers skim down now), my host mom will simultaneously talk about how much she loves them and how great they are and then immediately say, “won’t it be great when we kill them and eat them when they’re big?” To which my response is: American Lauren: My cute precious PIGLETS! Georgian-American Lauren: …will be delicious Probably best not to get too close. On another note, I took a trip down to Armenia (that’s the country south of us) last weekend to meet with some other PCVs. It was great! We only really hung out in the capital, which is certainly not the same thing as the rest of the country, if Georgia is used as an example. So maybe at some point I’ll get a chance to hang out in an Armenian village and compare. In the meantime, here are some highlights from our trip:

New friends, good talks (Armenian PCVs are awesome)Mexican food! (A former Mexican-Californian is in Yerevan making Mexican food. THANK YOU OSCAR)HookahA really nice sports complex where we watched teams from the 4 countries you associate with hockey the most: South Africa vs. North Korea, Armenia vs. Mongolia. Tickets were free and the games were…riveting? Wait, let’s go with FUN.DancingHot, high-pressured showers at a new hostelSkydiving! (Ok, I made this up. Tricked you!) And that’s about the gist of it. 4 months until I touch down in Texas! Keep an eye out for the homeless-looking person walking around. Warning: if you give me some money and/or a meal I probably will not challenge your assumption.New Georgia Trainees arrive next Wednesday! Excited for a new addition to our lonely little group. Until later, friends. Miss you a LOT!

Mid-April has found me in a strange place. After being in Georgia for 10 months now, I’m halfway between “I’m used to things and I like it” and “There are still certain things that drive me INSANE” when it comes to Georgia. And at the moment, I wasn’t thinking about the fact that “sanitary” is non-existent, and my former germ-a-phobe has withered away and died in so many ways. Hair in the food? Unwashed hands and then food preparation? Hacking coughs and phlegm in people’s faces? Oh yeah, all cool. Sure. When my fellow G9s and I first arrived, every other thing was different, weird, funny, or foreign. We referred to moments that we just did NOT understand as “living in the twilight zone,” which would lead to texts, phone calls, or comments along the lines of “I’m twilight zoning right now.” Obviously, living “in the field” this long means that certain things no longer seem strange—they are simply a part of life. I can’t wait for my visitors to arrive so I can re-live the oddness. HOWEVER, on some occasions, the old feeling comes back, and I find myself asking, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. THIS CANNOT BE REAL LIFE. For example, last night, against my wishes, I was taken to the neighbor’s house to eat dinner. Now, in the US, I was not what I would consider a creature of habit. If anything, I was the opposite. But here in Georgia, my village altar ego gets annoyed when my routine is disturbed, particularly when it involves seeing the neighbors without a choice, who make gross food and whose wine is not delicious like my own family’s. Now. It is a well-known fact that I like meat. It’s not that I have anything against vegetarian food (ok, I kind of just don’t like vegetarian food), but seriously, I want meat in my dinner. Now, I realize back at home you can make whatever French-delicious-light-frappe-bougie deliciousness you want. I am TOTALLY going to go full throttle when I get back home. I’m not judging you. But here it’s not like that. So imagine my reaction when I was informed that the little fried meat cutlets on the table were purchased from a large city south of Tbilisi and made of…SOY. GROSS. The only thing worse than US soy is soy somehow purchased and acquired in Georgia. Now before I get any hipsters (lots of my friends are vegetarians/were vegans for about a week) decrying my decision to diss Georgian soy, you have to realize that Georgians do not CARE about “healthy” food. The main ingredients in Georgian food: Massive amounts of oil and salt and carbs. FACT. So, why buy soy? They bought fake meat because it was cheap. How do I know this? Because despite the fact that they made that very point (“It’s so cheap!” Please Host Mom do not get any ideas), it was sitting on the table next to a plate full of salted, uncooked pig fat. JUST PIG FAT. And when I said, “No thank you, I don’t want that because I don’t like it,” the response of course was, “But it’s delicious and it’s VERY SALTY.” No. Just No. So when I also rejected the mashed up walnut soup mess that everyone besides me seems to love, I was left with fried potatoes and SOY fried meat cutlets for dinner, in addition to the second-rate wine I was being chided by the neighbor man for not drinking enough of after every toast. And then the neighbor girl came out to show me her paper napkin collection. Now, I’m not one to hate on someone’s napkin collection. It’s not like they can go on down to the strip mall TJ Maxx and purchase lots of cool/pretty napkins. It’s the fact that this 11-year-old girl then plugged in a clothes iron and proceeded to IRON THE PAPER NAPKINS. All 50 of them. Where…am…I? And I had my first animal attack in Georgia today. If you’re thinking, “It must have been a dog!” You are thinking incorrectly. It was a rooster! That came out of nowhere! By the time I realized the sucker had pecked me, with my leg smarting, the stupid thing had scuttled away. That’s right, it SCUTTLED. He is now my arch nemesis. I will kick him if I see him and probably end up eating it at some point. WE’LL SEE WHO HAS THE LAST CROW. And my last little rant about something that really annoys me. Georgian people (particularly those that live in villages) are obsessed with people who are different. Predominantly, this means gay people, transsexuals, and African Americans. That means that my host mom always feels the need to talk about/let me know incessantly that gays are funny! And my host grandson who lives in Tbilisi is saying, “WHERE IS YOUR BLACK FRIEND?” So many guys on TV dressing up like women for comedy shows! Look Lauren, that is a MAN. Dressed as a WOMAN. (Obviously that is a man, I’m not blind/stupid. I just DO NOT CARE/AGREE with you for perpetuating stereotypes that should have died long before the fall of the Soviet Union, let alone 2010!). Anywaaaaaaaay… I said that I was in a weird place because I’m halfway here and halfway in America. I like the fact that I can basically understand what people say most of the time (I will NEVER be fluent, and I’m not even close to the best Georgian speakers in our PCV group), and there are some genuinely sweet and kind people I’m associated with. I think that even if the impacts are small that the work I’m doing/will continue to do will help SOMEONE. And that’s good enough for me right now. Always end on a positive note. Which reminds me! I'll be in TEXAS officially from August 24th to September 6th. So come and gape at the PCV! I'll give you a hug and possibly never let go. Stay tuned for the next entry, which will discuss my weekend TRIP TO ARMENIA! Talk to ya.

Lauren

To make up for my neglect last month in blogging, I’m going to make this a long and (hopefully?) informative one. First, a couple of weeks ago I went to a training conference in Ukraine near Kiev for almost a week. It was a great trip, and I met a lot of interesting and awesome people. I went to the training because I’ll be working this summer as a teacher for the American government’s exchange program called FLEX. Students from former Soviet countries pass through some very stiff competition, and then are chosen to do a year of exchange at an American high school throughout the 50 states. I get to help train the chosen students before they go on their American adventure. Pretty sweeeeeeeet. Ukraine is cool. I felt completely at a loss, not knowing Ukrainian or Russian, but I guess I made it out alive, and that’s usually a good thing. For some reason Georgian doesn’t get you very far outside of Georgia…hmm. It’s weird going from somewhere you can get around with general ease, to a place where you are totally helpless. This part of the world is not really equipped for Western travelers without language skills. I may try to hit the Russian books soon…we’ll see. What else? Lots of work going on, since the summer will be full of activities and our new Georgia volunteers are almost here! That means lots of planning, grant applying, and traveling in addition to the day-to-day challenge of teaching, trying to convince Georgian students it’s a great idea to learn English. I spent this last weekend with my family celebrating the Easter holidays. Here’s some background info on Georgian Easter: What we know as Good Friday, or the day Jesus was crucified, the Georgians call “Red Friday.” On this day, they take eggs (in our case from our own chickens), and dye them a dark red to represent the blood of Christ. The shell of the egg symbolizes the sealed Tomb of Christ—the cracking of which (on Easter Sunday) symbolizes his resurrection from the dead. So it’s common practice for each person to take an egg (they’re hard boiled), then compete to see which will break on the top or bottom when you hit it against another egg. The person whose egg is strongest keeps going until the top or bottom (or both) end up cracking. And of course you eat the eggs after the shells crack. Needless to say, the kids love this, and the result is eating a TON of eggs. I probably ate like 15 over a 2 day period. Another common practice for Georgian Easter is to bake a cake called Paska. The family goes to the cemetery to visit family members who have passed away. Then they take the boiled eggs and the paska and place them on the graves, before circling them with wine 3 times to represent the holy trinity. My family also poured out soda on the graves. I don’t really know what that represents, but I guess it might seem weird to run around looking for plastic eggs with money and candy in them, so what can I say? Anyway, after you place the food/pour the drinks on the grave, you have a little picnic at the gravesite, where you eat more paska and more eggs. When you see someone, you say Criste aghsdga (Christ is risen) and they respond with Cheshmaritad (truly). It’s a nice holiday, and it was nice to be able to be a part of it. Of course, I missed our Easter traditions and had to watch my niece hunt for Easter eggs via Skype, but I’m grateful that we have the technology to do that from halfway across the world. Pretty cool stuff. Pending all the right permissions from all the right people, I’m getting ready to buy my plane tickets to visit Texas in August, thanks to my friends back home who are generously helping to finance my little adventure South. I’m so excited! But it’s far away! But I’m still pumped! Ok enough of that. Thank you to my awesome friends for taking care of me. Your care packages and messages help keep me sane when the going gets rough. Miss you guys like crazy. Talk to you soon, I hope! Enjoy the Spring! It’s a great season. Love,

Lauren

Sometimes (ok, a lot of the time), it’s hard to feel normal as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Or rather, what we now perceive as being “normal” seems very far from what used to be considered the status quo. As human beings, we are highly adaptable—over a period of 3 weeks we can get used to living in environments vastly different from what we are accustomed to.

I mention this because I spent the long weekend in Georgia’s 3rd largest city, bumming around with friends and having a great time. And I felt normal in the American sense for the first time in a long time—granted, there were a few minor differences, but here’s how it went:

While in Rustavi, I ate dinner at an Indian restaurant, where they sang very, very loud Georgian songs, watched Fantastic Mr. Fox, and drank wine (in wine glasses!) out of a bottle that was not plastic or recycled from 2 days ago when it had Fanta in it.

I went with friends to a soccer game at an outdoor soccer stadium on a lovely warm spring day, sipping a cold beer in a plastic cup. Sure, we had to bring the beer and cups, and the stadium doesn’t have tickets or seat assignments or a security system of any kind, but so what?

Then it was off to the amusement park, where we played on bumper cars and had a rollercoaster ride! Georgians don’t believe in “bumping” the bumper cars for some reason, but I think we started a revolution by ramming into each other and (unsuspecting Georgian children) with great relish. And if truth be told, we probably wouldn’t have been allowed on the roller coaster had it been in the US, as it was clearly made for small children. But we had the tokens and the passion, so we yelled and screamed with the best of them on that mammoth 6-foot drop.

Later it was American style pizza at Giorgi’s restaurant (cheap and delicious!), before heading out for a night on the town at nightclub-techno-inferno-strobe-light-packed Club X where we literally danced the night away, because of how it was technically morning when we left (GET IT?! TBS very funny).

After a documentary viewing of Food, Inc., and a discussion about the solutions to all the world’s problems, we headed to a local café and ate pelmeni, something I will definitely be preparing back in the States, because it is delicious and awesome. After a drive up to explore the outskirts of the lovely (*cough*) Rustavi, we looked out over the land from a giant cross structure that dots the horizon from below. After our sight-seeing expedition we retired to a spread of white wine paired with fettucine alfredo cooked and perfected by my friends, followed by a viewing of Paranormal Activity late into the evening (yes, there was a lot of movie watching going on this weekend).

I mentioned it was a long weekend because Monday was Women’s Day in Georgia. That means it’s a day to celebrate all women, and despite what you think, includes yours truly. So I awoke to freshly made banana pancakes covered in chocolate sauce, scrambled eggs, and BACON. Needless to say, it was amazing. And on Women’s Day all women get flowers. So let me tell you--Women’s Day >>>>>>Valentine’s Day, hands down. I’ll work on forcing people to adopt it in the US once I get back to the States.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that, at least on occasion, Peace Corps Volunteers: They’re Just Like US! Lulllz.

So yes, I sleep in a sleeping bag for half the year and my electricity works approximately half the time. I speak in a language that 99% of the world doesn’t know or really care about. I see a warm shower the same way you would see a trip to a massage therapist. I’m excited to go in for a dental cleaning for the first time ever in my life. But overall I like it here, and I like what I’m doing. My students are great, my host family is awesome, my friends are rocks (not stupid, just good, strong supports).

It’s easier to be in a good mood now that the weather is warming up, cherry blossoms are out, and some truly amazing flowers are starting to peek through the ground.

So welcome to life. Welcome to Spring. Welcome to new beginnings. It’s going to be a good year.

Well hellooooo there! I feel like I actually have some things to report. A nice change from the monotony (and by that I mean EPIC ADVENTURE) that is life in a small Georgian village. The first thing is that I got to enjoy a few nights at a hotel near Tbilisi where we had 2 back-to-back conferences for Healthy Lifestyles and Education Training (and hot showers, and heat!). It was actually the same hotel where we had our initial Orientation to Georgia, which brought back a lot of memories. Eight months ago I sat in the same conference room, surrounded by people I didn’t know, with about 5 words of Georgian at my disposal, ready to jump into this strange new life. And then last week I sat looking around at my Peace Corps family, understanding Georgian, missing my host mom’s food and thinking about projects I can feasibly implement in my community. We’ve come a long way G9s. Anyway, it’s been really nice to be together with the other volunteers, having awesome dance parties and hanging out working with my counterparts to create sustainable change in Georgian education and community development. It’s always nice to feel productive, and I think a lot has been accomplished in the way of positive planning over a period of 4 days. And I should also just mention that you haven’t lived until you watch Miracle, a movie about the 1980 US Olympic team beating the big, bad Soviet Union, in the country of Georgia, and a version of the movie with Swedish language subtitles. This is my life! So in the way of exciting news (I’m totally burying the lede), I got to be on Georgian TV for a segment on Peace Corps volunteers. I “taught” a lesson at a local school, and then interviewed about who I was and what I’m doing here, etc. I tried my best to mostly talk in Georgian, thinking they would take a few sound bites and be done with it. And then when I watched the news it turned into like 5 minutes of fame, complete with a shot of me walking into the school (awkwardly, because how do you walk naturally when you know you’re being filmed?), teaching the kids, and an interview. Now that I’m back at school all the teachers are saying, “We saw you on the news! You were beautiful! You did a great job! You KNOW GEORGIAN!” These are very Georgian things to say, so how sincere they are I have no idea, but it’s still pretty cool anyway. And in another bit of good news, last month I applied for a training position with American Council’s FLEX program. Basically, the program takes students from countries in Eurasia and offers them a full year scholarship at an American high school. The kids have to go through a rigorous application process and be fluent in English, and before the winners get to go to the US, they have an orientation to prepare them for cultural differences, life in the US, etc. So I applied to be one of the teachers who will train them before they leave the country…and I got it! I will be in Ukraine at the end of the month for a training of all the FLEX teachers (I know—so many trainings, so little time), and then in the summer will be in Georgia working with the students. And the last bit of cool stuff before I head off to work is that the Ministry of Education in Georgia is launching a new program to bring native English speakers over to be teachers in Georgian schools. The government is offering a one-year opportunity for Americans and other nationalities to teach in Georgian public schools, both in cities and the rural regions. You do not need previous teaching experience, a TESOL certificate, or Georgian language skills to be selected. The flights, healthcare, and living expenses will be taken care of, and the teachers will live with Georgian host families. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, YOU CAN COME LIVE WITH ME IN GEORGIA FOR A YEAR. So this is a call to action to all the people who keep making excuses about why they are staying in their boring jobs, sitting on their mom’s couch looking for jobs, or just looking for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a country you probably would miss out on otherwise. Here’s the link for more information and a link to the application: http://www.mes.gov.ge/content.php?id=471&lang=eng Come to Georgia! And I’ll talk to you soon! Lauren

Last time I checked, it was February. And, checking my calendar right now, it seems that it is currently still February. I guess I should stop looking, since "a watched month never boils." You know the saying. More to the point, we've all had our fun, Winter-now you can go back into hiding and bother me in 2011.

We had a nice snow in my village (a few feet I think) this past weekend, which was a first. It was enough snow to go sledding down a few of my village's "hills" and get sufficiently dirty/cold/muddy/wet. Needless to say, I learned that my inability to walk on slick surfaces has not abated in the least, but it was pretty fun. However, the snow has been gone for a few days now and I feel that this Texas girl has had enough to be satisfied with living through a winter, and I respectfully request that Spring make its sassy way on over to Georgia.

On another note, I've had a few hiccups lately using the computer due to some unfortunate power outages. I don't really understand what's going on, but somehow our electricity service is different, and a man came out and did things, and now every few hours or so our power goes out for hours at a time. This usually means that I am cold (because I can't use the heater in my room) and unable to stay on the computer (because I can't charge it). The power is now on again, so I decided I would update the old blog before the next fun surprise occurs. I have been reading more often though, which is always a plus. See? POSITIVITY!

As far as school/work goes, I recently had to say goodbye to teaching English to my lovely lady hairstylists group, who are finished with their English program (and totally fluent, of course...) and started today teaching English to my all-male group of woodcrafters. Although a few of them neglected to participate in discussion because they were busy making me paper roses, for the most part I think we'll have a lot of fun. And maybe they'll even learn something--who knows? The possibilities are endless!

So, there's not a whole lot else to say. Next week we have a training I'll go to, and it will be nice to get out of the village for a few days and have a hot shower and hang out with other PCVs. In the meantime I'll be catching up on what are sure to be some excellent cheesy Spanish soaps and hoping the electricity stays on long enough for me to stay warm and charge my computer.

I miss you all in the USA. Stay safe and warm and know that I think about you all the time.

Lauren

Well! It seems like snow finally decided to join us in Georgia. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve been waiting for the snow now for months. I feel like if you have to suffer through cold weather, you should at least be rewarded with the fun of snow and the various activities that go with it. I mean who doesn’t love activities, amIright?

This weekend I woke up on Saturday to a Tbilisi covered in over a foot of snow. It was really beautiful, and I was able to appreciate that even though it was cold, it wasn’t the damp wet cold that seems to have characterized what most people have said is a pretty mild winter here.

Of course, as someone who comes from a place where snow is a rarity (Southeast Texas shout out!), I am not always totally prepared for some of the dangers that accompany cold weather. As most people who know me have noticed, I’m not exactly the best walker in the world. Even without the aid of cold and ice, I am prone to somehow finding my way down to the ground at various moments for various reasons. Maybe it’s an equilibrium problem—who knows.

This weekend, during what my friend calls one of my “classic stomp-offs,” I learned the importance of having shoes with good grip in icy/snowy weather. The sound effects go something like this:

STOMP STOMP ST—WOOSH.

CRASH.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH my FACE! IT HURTS! I BROKE MY NOSE I BROKE IT, THERE’S BLOOD ON MY HANDS! I’M GOING TO BE HIDEOUS! LOOK AT THE BLOOD! MY NOSE!”

I know it sounds overly dramatic, especially because truth be told there wasn't that much blood, but I went face first—literally, FACE first, onto concrete. This later led my friend to ask me “How is it possible that your face made it there before your arms and hands?” And to that all I can say is, MYSTERIES ARE ALL AROUND US. Now I have a sore and bruised nose as a reminder to never do that again.

So what else is new besides snow? Let’s see.

Georgia’s new Minister of Education, who was supposed to be visiting my school tomorrow, will now be coming on Friday apparently. Which put a kink in my plans for a meeting I had in Tbilisi, which I rescheduled but now have to figure out how to get to on time. I wish I could say things like this happened rarely, but you know I’ve never been a very good liar.

However, I would like to point out that even though the winter (especially the first winter) during PC service is really hard, I’m trying to stay positive. I know that everyday I wake up I have the choice to feel sorry for myself or make the best of it. Sometimes feeling sorry for myself wins out, but usually my tactic of visualizing the positive outcome of future goals helps snap me out of a funk and I can carry on with my business.

I’m reminded of a little book we all probably got at graduation that I definitely feel like epitomizes being a PCV. If you have a few minutes, I think you’ll probably be glad you watched (and you have to click if you want to know what it is because I'm not telling you!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQRWeZy-S8Q

So I'd like to end on that positive note. In the meantime, please continue sending love via emails or Skype (free and easy, your favorite).

Until the next time,

McDeezy

Maybe it’s the fact that the weather is amazing at the moment, or the fact that January (worst month of the year!) is over, but I’m in a good mood. In fact, I’m even ready to think about my New Year’s resolutions for 2010.

And yes, I am aware that normally New Year’s resolutions are made in January, at the very beginning of year, but this is Georgia and rules don’t apply the same way. I do what I want!

Additionally, in January I didn’t make resolutions because I wasn’t ready to resolve anything. I was more interested in wallowing in “The State of My Life,” which in a cold foreign place, far away from the life I’ve known for 25 years, was not what I would call at its “prime.” Peace Corps makes you very meta. You are constantly aware of where you are and the fact that who you are makes you different and that this life is somewhere far removed from anything you could have ever expected.

I think other PCVs can tell you that even on our best days, most of our thoughts revolve around what “life” is, for ourselves and for others—what makes it good, what makes it bad, why it matters or doesn’t matter, and most important, “What the hell am I doing anyway?” This can be very emotionally taxing, and the additional stresses of language, work, personal relationships or lack thereof, and bad/cold weather on top of that mean that winter is a pretty rough time.

And I have digressed quite a bit, so I will get to the point: IT IS A NEW YEAR! Good things are coming, and my resolutions will help me be a better person, a better volunteer, and a better friend.

So here we go:

1. Less internet, more life. With our rapidly globalizing world, it’s possible to be connected all over 24/7. Because I purchased wireless Internet here in Georgia, I have that capability and I take advantage of it pretty frequently. Yes friends, I too know of the terrible Conan/Leno scandal and the Jersey Shore phenomenon and the Tiger Woods prostitution ring. However, as nice as it is to feel connected to the outside world, I feel like I’m not doing the best job of connecting to my community here. So I’m making a conscious effort to spend less time on Facebook and more time learning what it means to be Georgian.

2. Be patient. Although I’ve practiced patience quite a bit here (you can’t really survive without it), lately with homesickness creeping in I’ve been less understanding with certain parts of Georgian culture (I DON’T NEED YOU TO PUT THE SUGAR IN MY TEA, I AM AN ADULT AND I CAN DO IT MYSELF!). I know it’s not fair to expect someone to know what I want as an American. So rather than getting frustrated, I need to be proactive if I want something to change.

3. Be more thankful. Understand that no one’s life is easy, and yet there are lots of people and things that enrich my life in more ways that I can count. So taking all of the good and being grateful, even when things aren’t going my way in that moment, is something I need to do.

4. Think of others. A big part of serving as a volunteer means thinking about other people and what their needs are. Sometimes I forget that my wants/needs/feelings aren’t the most important and that I should focus my efforts less on me and more on others.

5. Take care of myself. Doing things that make me feel good. Putting on moisturizer and getting enough sleep. Exercising my brain and my body. Taking myself out of situations that are stressful. Pura vida, as the Costa Rican Ticos would say.

And that is all for now!

I have one request before I go back to school today. My room is sadly barren on the walls. If you can send me pictures—new, old, black/white, nonsensical or otherwise (I’m not picky!), it would really make me happy.

And thank you to my care package senders! I am forever grateful and one day I hope I can return the favor. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.

As always, I want to hear from you! Email me, Skype me, phone me. I miss you.

The end.

Today was a pretty good day at work. As my fellow TEFL volunteers can attest, very often it feels like we’re fighting an uphill battle in the dark in snow and ice in the coldest month of the year with shoes that have terrible traction as a rabies-infested dog nips at our heels while we balance two screaming babies in each hand…

ANYWAY, it can be really hard sometimes! And that is one of the most frustrating things about Peace Corps—fighting within a system that needs work, knowing what will help that system, but being unable to make significant changes because the “old (crappy) way” is so ingrained in the culture. So usually we just do the best we can, touch as many people as we are able to, and hope that in the end it’s enough to have made an impact. But today—today was a new day in the land of Kachreti.

You see, my school now has a mandate that every teacher must write lesson plans and have them approved before every lesson by a program manager. I would like to point out that my school is very advanced in this respect, because most schools in Georgia are nowhere close to having that kind of administration or organization. The norm here is for teachers to literally walk into the lesson without a plan of any kind, read from a workbook, and have students write down and repeat what was just read. You might think, “Hmm, that doesn’t seem like it would work at all!”

And you would be very correct in that assessment. Georgian students aren’t exactly thrilled by those lessons either.

Part of what Peace Corps TEFL Volunteers are supposed to do is integrate organized lesson planning in advance, with activities that encourage student participation and creativity. But as any teachers in the US can tell you, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to take the time to plan for a good, creative lesson. And you can probably understand why Georgian teachers wouldn’t be thrilled about this added workload. So having an American come in and say, “I know you’ve been doing it this way for hundreds of years, and I have little to no experience teaching in a Georgian classroom, but why don’t we just do it this way! Yay!” can be disconcerting. Which is why I try to lesson plan to the best of my ability with my counterpart, but don’t push too hard when it comes to changing the old ways.

Anyway, after this new mandate, my counterpart had been making the lesson plans and our classes went on largely as usual. But today the program manager told my counterpart that I should make lesson plans because “the ones she made for the summer camp in June were very good.” So I thought of some fun ways to learn the new vocabulary for the day and practice what the kids learned, a way that in no way involved reading, writing, and memorizing a paragraph, and voilá, a lesson plan was created.

The good news is not that I made a lesson plan, but that in my explanations to my counterpart, she finally realized that the old methods (rote memorization, reading and writing with no actual understanding of the words) is not really practical, useful, or applicable in the real world. I work at a vocational school, so if the students actually work in the fields they are learning in (computers and agrotourism), they’ll actually need English language skills. The gist of this whole thing is, WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS! Can I get a HALLELUJAH over here!

Good times in Georgia.

Catch you on the flipside.

Love,

Lauren, not Lorena or LOR, sorry Georgia

Ok, just to clarify (and not to confuse anyone!), if you are sending me anything from this point on, you have to send it to the NEW PEACE CORPS ADDRESS, which follows:

Lauren McDowell, PCV 29A Vazha Pshavela Avenue P.O. Box 66 Tbilisi, 0160 GeorgiaThanks everyone, and please pass this along if you think someone would need it for some reason.

HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU GUYS!

Throw the streamers and fireworks and let’s party like it’s 2010! WE DID IT!

What? WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S BEEN 2010 FOR 2 WEEKS?! What are you even talking about?

Ohhhhh I get it, I get it. You’re one of those “new” calendar users. Think you’re so great because you and “everyone else” in the world uses a Gregorian calendar. Well the Julian calendar is what’s up here in Georgia, and you can’t ever take that away!

Oh, it has been taken away by the modern world, leaving it mostly irrelevant by international standards? Hmm. Touche then.

I guess I could stop blathering and explain myself. As chock full of holidays as December and January typically are in the US, Georgia is in a league of its own. You see, in Georgia, Christmas and the New Year are celebrated by the Gregorian calendar dates (25th December, 1st January), AND the Julian dates (7th December, 14th January). So I just finished celebrating the new (old) New Year. Which means I stayed up late, had a family supra and drank a good amount of homemade wine. And this morning I had to go to work, so needless to say, it’s been a great day already!

Speaking of work, I’ve been falling down on the job again when it comes to blogging more often. January is my least favorite month of the whole year, so even though I’ve actually been pretty busy with Peace Corps stuff, I just haven’t had the energy to write an entry. So what HAVE I been doing?!

I’ve been working at school, which is your usual lesson planning, Georgian stuttering, awkward moments. I’ve been editing some materials written for (new, incoming) volunteers by volunteers (FVBV? Doesn’t have a great ring to it). I updated my resume. I played with the host grandkids. Are you falling asleep yet? I just banged my head on the keyboard on the way to snooze town.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t really have any good stories to tell at the moment. I’ve been in Georgia for 7 months now and things that used to be shocking or hilarious to me are now just part of living the dream. The Georgians took “Empire State of Mind” and made a Georgian version that’s completely unrelated to the original, which totally baffles me because the song is about NEW YORK. I guess this is just another one of life’s unsolvable mysteries.

To sum up, I guess I’ll just say that life’s chugging along—not great, not bad—just life. Also, if anyone would like to send over a hot water heater, I would greatly appreciate it, as would all of the people who have to see my oily hair everyday as well, I’m sure. What smells like cheese? (Ew, sorry).

Keep it real. I don't have a choice.

I’m back in Georgia from a brief hiatus in neighboring Turkey. Some volunteers and I decided to spend New Year’s in Istanbul (please refrain from making your Constantinople joke, as I’m pretty sure that got old 80 years ago), and spend it we did!

Now, before I mention the highlights of my trip, I’m going to reiterate that even in Tbilisi, Georgia’s biggest and most metropolitan city, life is very, very different from the United States. Enter Istanbul, a cosmopolitan “European” city with malls and a modern tram and more tourists than you can shake a stick at (although why you would want to shake a stick at tourists is beyond me…that can’t be good for business). ANYWAY, the highlights (JUDGE AWAY, CRETINS!):

CINNABON at the MALLCarrefour grocery store at the MALLDOMINO’S PIZZA (not at the MALL)STARBUCKS (visited 4 times)BURGER KING (visited twice)And the lesser known (but still probably important…probably) Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, Topkapi palace, Taksim Square and ferries on the Bosphorus.

So, while many of you probably just went about your vacation days going to Starbucks and malls and not even realizing how awesome these things are, for me it was a real holiday treat. Mission. Accomplished.

Overall, we had a good time, and in all seriousness, Istanbul is a really cool city that I wouldn’t mind visiting again (there’s a KFC I wasn’t able to get to this time around).

We took buses from Tbilisi to Istanbul and vice versa to get there and back (24 hours one way, 28 hours the other). It was…fun? Some lady in the seat behind me got in a fight with the stewardess of the bus. People were literally holding the two of them back from each other as they screamed in Georgian and punched and pushed at each other. These are GROWN women acting this way in a very enclosed area moving on a highway. This was sometime during hour 4 I think, so needless to say it was a long and terrible ride back to good ol’ Sakartvelo on the Nightmare Express.

I’m still readjusting to life back in Georgian reality (my semi-permanent reality now…weird), so not much has happened since my return. I did get vaccinated for H1N1, which is ironic because many Georgians on the Metro in Tbilisi get visibly irritated when my friends and I get on the trains, since we are clearly SWINE FLU BRINGING FOREIGNERS!

On another note, while it’s never easy coming back from a vacation, I do feel that I’m ready to get to work on some new projects and get cracking on 2010. I guess it’s cheesy and cliché to set goals at the beginning of the year, but as I see it, I have roughly 18 months to make an impact here and do the best I can with what I’ve got. I guess I don’t want to go back to the U.S. feeling like I should have done better if I can help it.

I miss everyone so much, and I’m trying to figure out when I can feasibly make a trip back to Texas. The holidays are really sad when so many people you love and care about are soooo far away. I especially hate that I had to miss Kendall and Alicia Spence’s wedding, which through pictures looked beautiful and loving and just a lot of fun. Congratulations Kendall and Alicia! Everyone wait to get married until I get back, please!

And if anyone wants to volunteer to be my fiancé back in the States, I think many Georgians will feel like a heavy weight has been lifted from their shoulders, as the burden of finding a suitable husband for an old bag like me has many of them lying awake at night wondering “Will she ever find love and bear children, thus completing the circle of life that all humans are meant to participate in?!” I get asked EVERYDAY by both men and women why I don’t have a “love” and then given a blessing that maybe, just MAYBE this will be the year I finally get married! (BARF). One of my Christmas presents was a porcelain figurine of 2 swans, one of which is supposed to be me, and the other my long lost future partner, wherever that douchebag is.

One last bit of info before I go—the Peace Corps Georgia office is moving in Tbilisi, which means that my mailing address will also change. So for all of you wonderful package/letter/card sending saints, the new address for items sent after January 15th, 2010 is:

Lauren McDowell, PCV

29A Vazha Pshavela Avenue

P.O. Box 66

Tbilisi, 0160

Georgia

So. Happy New Year to all, and I hope to talk to you soon!

Peace and love and laughter for all.

Your friend,

The cat lady

I guess since I've finally recovered from my slammin' Georgian birthday party it's time to update the world to tell you what went down. I'm kidding about the recovering part, incidentally. I'm actually just a lazy person, but that's neither here nor there.

First, I owe everyone who made my birthday such a great day a big thank you (or a didi madloba, as it were). I had a lot of fun, and I think no one had a miserable time (maybe even the opposite even!), which makes me really happy.

I guess I'll start by explaining that we had over 30 guests (most of whom were PCVs), which we prepared food for beforehand. And by "we" I mostly mean my host mom and a village neighbor, who took 4 DAYS to crank out Georgian food fit for the traditional birthday supra. Here you will see the picture I took of the supra (feast) table before the guests arrived. Most of the food comes out later, when everyone's seated, but you can see some salads and stuff here.

However, because it was Laurenoba, I wanted to do some things the American way. And yes, it's my party and I'll cry if I want to. Luckily, I didn't have to, because some of my volunteer friends came over early to help prepare such delectable treats as spaghetti, lasagna, pumpkin soup, and Cocoa Rice Krispie treats. And worry not, dear readers, for despite the problem of not having ingredients, cooking utensils, pans, time or an oven that works, they all turned out DELICIOUS. It's a Laurenoba MIRACLE! *Limit one per Laurenoba.

The supra itself was the crazy that Georgian supras tend to be. Considering all the hard work my host mom and the neighbor did, I felt that it was only right to allow her to indulge in the custom of inviting neighbors to the supra in return for past favors. So even though I didn't necessarily want to deal with rigid Georgian customs, I think the Americans all drank enough wine to forget we wanted anything else anyway. I don't think I'm explaining this very well.

You see, Georgians are all about traditions. These things go back thousands of years, and they take them very seriously. So you don't drink wine until the tamada (the male, pre-appointed toast giver) makes a toast, the content of which is relegated by a pre-determined order. And then you can only drink if it's an appropriate time, and there is all this protocol for who stands or sits or toasts. And then you are supposed to drink the entire glass of wine for that toast. It's kind of like that really complicated drinking game your Ivy League friend says, no but really it's fun! And you're like, who cares, let's just drink! As Americans, we kind of just want to do what we want and not worry about whether it's time to toast to ancestors or babies or peace. But I digress.

Toasting and tradition aside, we all had a good time yelling out "Gaumarjos!" (the Georgian version of "Cheers!") and drinking wine and just catching up. The other important aspect of Georgian supras, besides food and drink and toasting, is the music and dancing that MUST accompany it. So the Georgians were very distraught that we not only didn't have speakers, but NO ONE was dancing. I tried explaining that we were fine just talking, but as usual it was all to no avail, and a search party (American abduction) was sent out to locate a feasible way to play very loud traditional Georgian music or some kind of techno. Fortunately, a working apparatus could not be found and eventually we were left to entertain ourselves.

I can't forget to mention that as per Georgian tradition, it can't officially be a birthday party without cake. Well one of my wonderful friends brought me a cake from his village, and then my old host mom (from my training village) showed up with one she baked and decorated herself! They were both beautiful and scrumptrulescent. Just look! The one on the left my friend brought from a bakery in his town and the one on the right my PST host mom made.

So now for your viewing pleasure, I have a little video of the cakes being brought out and the candles being blown out. Before I blow them out I'm saying "25!" in Georgian.

Anyway, all in all it was a really good time and I feel really lucky to have good friends and Georgian family to share it with. A few of the volunteers were predisposed or ill, and unfortunately couldn't make it, but they were in my birthday heart all the same.

If you had asked me 5 years ago where I'd be spending my 25th birthday, I never could have guessed that I'd be living it up in a place where 9 year-olds drive cars without fear, wine chugging is the norm, and cows frequently stop traffic on main highways. But I can't imagine life any differently at this point, and that's a pretty good feeling. I'm really glad to be here, and really glad to have had such a great celebration with amazing people who make such great additions to my life.

To sum it up: thanks Georgia, Peace Corps, and as always, thank you to my friends and family back home who are always in my heart and thoughts. Your love from across the ocean made it possible for me to enjoy my Georgian party. I miss you like crazy! This is getting too sappy for anyone's own good, so I'm gonna peace out.

La la la la la Lauren

So...I made it!

This morning (it's 6 AM here) marks my 3rd day in Georgia, and so far it's been a lot of fun and I've made a lot of new friends in my PC group.

Basically, after a hellish day of travel (3 hour bus ride to JFK, 10 hour flight to Istanbul, 4 hour layover, 3.5 hour flight to Tbilisi), we walked into the airport on the 17th greeted by Peace Corps staff. After retrieving luggage (some people are still waiting on theirs, which is no bueno), we walked into a media frenzy looking exactly like what you would expect people who have been traveling 20 hours would look like. Crappy.

The US Ambassador to Georgia and the Georgian Minister of Education and others were there to greet us, give some speeches, and pose for photo ops. So that was pretty cool. Media people interviewed some volunteers personally, but I wasn't crazy about volunteering to do that since there are a lot of rules about talking to the media and possibly getting into a lot of trouble if you say the wrong thing, so as you know, it was probably for the best.

We are staying for one more night in a resort-type town outside of Tbilisi before beginning our full-fledged training in a village. This place is full of swank amenities, like (slow, sometimes working) wireless internet, hot water and showers, inside toilets, and electricity...the works! We've been told to soak it in, because it won't stay this way for long. It is, after all, the Peace Corps. WHO CAN'T WAIT TO COME VISIT?!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to see much of the countryside or anything touristy, as we've been kept super busy. Learning about Peace Corps Georgia, interviews with PC Staff, medical stuff (today I have to have 2 shots, and not the fun kind), and language training are taking up 10 hour days. After Saturday the volunteers will be split up into clusters, and we will go to our separate villages to train, which is the essence of :( because I'll be missing a lot of the PC friends I've made and probably not seeing them much anymore. However, PC is not about hanging with Americans, and I'm excited to really dive into Georgian life. We'll be living with our first host family (for training, which lasts 3 months), and doing all kinds of things on our own (travel, shopping, charades, basically) for the first time. Heaven help us all.

So, I'm not sure how reliable or often we will have internet, or when I will be able to update. Supposedly where we're going it's difficult to even get reliable transportation, so I'll let you guess how likely it is that internet abounds. Please feel free to email me, and definitely start writing those letters if you haven't already. I expect to hear all about life and news in the states.

And, just so you know, we are required to register our blog with Peace Corps, so please keep that in mind when commenting and reading this. Our lives here will very rarely be private, so handwritten letters and emails are the best way to talk to me about any personal stuff (like, aRe ThERe CuTE boYz In YoUR GroUP!!! LOLZZZ).

I will update as soon as I can, but for now all is well (other than the fact that I lost my makeup bag at some point in transit) and I'm enjoying my time here. I'll try to post some pics soon of the surrounding area outside our hotel so you can see the countryside.

Oh! And I almost forgot. We were issued cell phones and it's free to me for you to call if you feel the urge to hear my angelic voice. I have the number which I will gladly give to you in an email if you are interested. Supposedly it's pretty cheap from the US if you use Skype or an international calling card.

May your corndogs be plentiful and your internet be fast.

Love,

Lauren

After a long day of traveling and Peace Corps staging, I am totally exhausted.

I met most of the 30 volunteers who are accompanying me today, and they are (as expected) pretty sweet people. After a bus ride to NYC early tomorrow morning, we leave tomorrow from JFK at 4:30 PM ET, and after a 10 hour flight to Istanbul, will board a plane headed for Tbilisi.

Since we will be the first Peace Corps group to come back, we've been told to arrive in Tbilisi prepared to meet the US Ambassador to Georgia, members of the Georgian ministry, and Georgian national media. We will all be on Georgian TV, so everyone set your DVR's to the Georgian news channel you all have!

So yeah, your friend is famous. NO BIG DEAL.

I'm keeping this one short, but know that I am so excited for this experience and all the good things that will come with it. I expect to hear from everyone soon! Tbluh-bye!

Peace, love and corndogs,

Lauren

Somehow I already managed to accidentally delete my first post (it is now re-posted in some jacked up format) in an attempt to upload a picture. This blogging thing is going to be great!

SOMEONE TAKE ME TO INTERNET SKOOL PLZ!

...(baa da baa paa, baa da baa paa paa) So friends, it’s (almost) finally here.  I leave in less than a week, on June 15th, to attend Peace Corps Staging in Philadelphia. Yesterday we received an email called “G9 Final Staging Information,” which includes final reminders for all the fun stuff (it is not fun stuff) I have to do before I arrive to what will basically be my group’s introduction to Peace Corps and the country of Georgia. We are the 9th group from Peace Corps to go to Georgia, and thus are referred to as G9s. The More You Know. Since one of the items in the email was to “Say goodbye to everyone before Staging,” (i.e., don’t bring anyone with you! YOU ARE AN ADULT, NOT SOME FRESHMAN AT ORIENTATION!), I thought it was probably time to update everyone on how you can reach me once I land in Georgia. You may be asking yourself, “Lauren, how can I contact you? It is ever so important for me to know because I know that you will be lonely and cut off from the outside world and all wonderful things American, including your favorites, Tex Mex, hot sauce and corndogs, and your Peace Corps friends will think no one loves you because they will all be receiving packages and letters and you are sitting there letter-less like a loser with no friends, haha.” Wow, what a great question, friends! Here is the multi-leveled answer: Interwebz and internetz info: For the laziest of you (we both know who you are), I know at some points I’ll have internet access for things like email, Skype, Facebook, and Gchat. Email: Lauren.mcdowell@gmail.com Gchat: Lauren.mcdowell Skype: Lauren.mcdowell (for those of you that don’t know, Skype is awesome. You download it for free and we can talk over the internet via video phone call. For FREE.) I don’t know when or how often I will have internet access, and I won’t know until I arrive in Georgia. And that is why, for the BEST of you, you will be doing the following: SNAIL MAIL Because my electricity and internet access may be uncertain, it will really mean a lot to me for you to send handwritten letters via good old snail mail.  That way I’ll have something much more personal than email with me to remind me that people still know who I am back in the States, and when the electricity goes out, I can use my flashlight to miss everyone back home! Huzzah!  My address: Lauren McDowell, PCV US Peace Corps PO Box 66 Tbilisi, 0194 Republic of Georgia   IMPORTANT MAILING NOTES: ·      Letters are usually x-rayed at US Embassy. ·      Letters usually take 4-6 weeks to arrive. ·      Postcards usually take 3-4 weeks to arrive (faster than letters, because they do not need to be x-rayed). ·      It will cost you $.84 to mail a one ounce letter from The States to Georgia. ·      Make sure you write the address somewhere on the inside of a package as well. ·      It is not a good idea to send very large or heavy package, as this might entice theft. ·      Packages may be inspected and opened in in-transit countries and in Georgia.   PACKAGES:   For my very best friends who decide they would like to send a package or 20 while I’m away, there are some tips we were given by former PCVs:   ·      Have your family and friends wrap the package extensively in different colors of packing/duct tape. This will hopefully deter someone from opening your package since the tape won't be able to be replaced. It might be a little annoying to cut through the tape when you want rip into your package but at least you know you will be getting everything. Also have them place a list of the items they included in the package inside so you can make sure you received everything.

·      The Post Office staff might say that all the items in the package need to be listed. Just say it is "socks and books" not worth more than $20. The more items listed with a greater the value creates a bigger temptation for someone to try and take your goods.

·      When addressing your package have your family and friends write Sister Lauren McDowell (haha) plus your name and religious symbols on the package. More than likely nobody is going to mess with something that has religious symbols on it.

·      Another option is to share the Georgian font label with your family and friends; all they have to do is add your name. (I am more than happy to provide you with these if you want them).

If you choose to send packages via FedEx, DHL, or US Postal Express Mail, write the address in this format.   Lauren McDowell 110B Burdzgla Street Tbilisi, 0194 REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA DO NOT include "Peace Corps" on the package, or it might get hung up in Customs.   CALLING, ETC.   Because I will be gone for over 2 years, I won’t be keeping my U.S. cell phone or number, and I’m having my service disconnected the 17th of this month when I will arrive in Tbilisi. Peace Corps will be issuing all of us cell phones, but that won’t happen until we arrive, so I can’t give you the number right now or tell you much about it. The best (and cheapest) way to talk to me will be through Skype.  Note that Georgia has an 8-hour time difference ahead of the States EST, and a 9-hour difference CST. This has been a lot of information for one day, so I’ll leave it here for now.  If I don’t have updated contact information from you, PLEASE email me with it so that I can keep in touch. You thought you got rid of me just because I’m going to a former Soviet country invaded by Russians just last August, but you were wrong. Horribly wrong.