4 months in country update!
I have now been in country almost 4 months. So much has happened in this short time period!
I have finished up my pre service training. It was a grueling 3 months but now that it is over, I miss it. We put on a summer camp at our public school in Khidistavi, visited educational organizations in Tbilisi, finished out technical training and took our first Language Proficiency exam. It is a 20 minute conversation in Kartuli (ქართული). It was incredibly difficult for me, but thanks to my amazing language teacher and the help of my family and cluster, I was able to squeak by with the required intermediate low grade.
Now am officially a sworn in volunteer for the United States Peace Corps! It was a bitter sweet moment. On one hand I am happy to be in my new home, living in the mountains of Imereti, but on the other it was very hard to say goodbye to my host family in Shida Kartli. I spent 3 months bonding with and growing to love my wonderful, very large family. In my new home, I have a small family in a very quiet village. There are no bustling cities near by to escape to when village life is feeling too slow.
That being said, I cant complain too much. My home is lovely and located in a beautiful green mountain range. I start almost every morning out taking a long hike with my family dog, Simba. There are no shortage of winding paths through the trees and shrubs to explore. Some days there is a heavy fog hanging around the mountains, making it challenging to navigate, but Simba always leads me back home.
My counterpart, Mzeo, and I have started to plan our first summer camp. We decided to jump right in with the work. It will be arts and theater for the first two days, them STEM activities the 3rd and 4th day. I am having a great time planning activities for my new students and filling my day with plans and activities. Mzeo is a very motivated teacher, full of ambition and is constantly pushing me forward. I am grateful to have such a happy and willing coworker to make the most of my two years here, and we are becoming very good friends.
Besides hiking and working, there is not much activity in my village. I spend time sitting on the bench talking with the ladies of my community and cooking with my bebia. My host cousin and I listen to music together and I take lots of naps. Village life is slow going, and although it is hard to adjust to, I am living well here. I attended my first Georgian Orthidox church service last week. It was a holy day dedicated to the saints Petre and pavloba so we went up to the church of Saint George, one of the most important saints. I lit candles to the saints and listened to prayers. It was a very fascinating experience to smell the incents while listening to chants in the small church packed with my community members. I have also visited the cemetery, where some people leave tokens for the dead like cups and wine bottles, flowers, tables, chairs and pictures.
I have a lovely little room on the second floor of my house, decorated with momentous from home. If you would like to make an appearance on my door, feel free to send me a letter! My Bebia loves to see the pictures of my family, friends and home from the states.
Comments
Post a Comment