1000 words on Missing Pictures

I wish that I could share my experiences in Georgia through the pictures that I can’t capture on film (or tiny digital iphone files). There are so many mental pictures that I snap daily and wish I could share- is mental social networking a thing? I think they just call it friendship.

Here are some of the moments I wanted to capture this week but was unable to:

Sunday- Walking along the river singing to myself and picking wild flowers. (Maybe a drone could follow me around and capture these candid moments.) In that moment I felt very Peace Corp, a stranger in a strange land. 10 min later I was backtracking because the river has saturated the whole bank and I was in over my head in mud.

Despite my previous photo failings, I did snap a pic of the cool bridge I got to cross. It swayed and bounced the whole way. 

Finally, making brownies with Melody and attempting to translate our needs to my attentive host mom. For our first time they turned out pretty fantastic.

Monday- Finally getting a breakthrough in my 11th grade class. Being surrounded by students who were engaged in the lesson and smiling, and then having the Georgian teacher ask how many more lessons I would be able to teach with her. (It was hard to tell her that was my last one.)

Tuesday- Driving through the city on Georgian Independence day and watching the generally stoic Georgians smiling as they gathered to celebrate their independence from Russia. Also of note were the number of tanks and assorted military equipment brought into the town square for the locals to see.

Wednesday- Hiking in the mountains behind our village. Climbing through wooded tunnels sheltered from the rain by hundreds of trees. Searching for a clearing on top of the mountain just to prove we were there and finding nothing but more trees.



Running down the same steep paths because the light is quickly fading only to realize that you’ve lost your phone somewhere along the last 15 min of running. Re-climbing the steepest section and finding your phone at the top.

The look on my face as I realized that I lost the phone again because there is a whole in my pocket and I have to re-climb the same steep section again.

Our faces when we realize we took a wrong turn and the sun has set, and being forced to take a narrow thorny path down the ridge and through the cemetery.

My face when I arrive home after dark- parched and famished, only to be served eggplant stew. #Priceless

Thursday- My 8th grade students as I try to teach them the passive voice tense. My internal face as I finally understand what all my college professors meant when they complained about writing in the passive voice. (Delayed realization)

Our class as we reach our mental limits learning Georgian for the day, and the teacher throws her hands up in exasperation.

My parents’ reaction as we picked cherries in our orchard and I shoot the pits at them by surprise.

Sunset as we walked home with buckets of cherries.

My silhouette as I walk our cow home on a leash.

My parents chasing chickens into their coop waving their arms and making funny sounds.

Graduation day in Skra! There isn't enough room for all students to cram in the tiny entrance so some are outside looking in. At the moment the 12th graders were performing their rendition of the ever popular, "We are the World." 

Friday- My parents treating me like a 5 year old because I can't drink as hot of tea as they can. One spoons a little into a tiny cup so it can cool faster, the other then pours my tea from cup to cup to help cool it down faster... I need a picture of my missing dignity so I can staple lost dignity signs to telephone poles and hope I can find it. 

The sadness on people’s faces as they gather they mourn the death of a local man who was hit by a train the night before.

Joy of being reunited with friends after an exhausting week in the village.

Saturday- Scenes from my new daily ritual of chasing the honey bees out of the outhouse before I lock myself inside. (Paired with the expressions from any on looking family members.)

Relief after our midterm language test is finished and we realize there is no language class until Wednesday!

Finally, sitting in a café with all of your American friends as you discuss this weekend’s upcoming adventures across the country as we head out to visit current volunteers for a few days. (This one I actually have a picture of)

Happy birthday Daniel, cheers to the weekend!

I wish everyone could share in these moments with me, but for now words will have to suffice. Needless to say I am loving my experience more and more each day. My training phase is now halfway through and the next weeks are going to come quickly. Tomorrow I am catching an early train to Batumi on the Black Sea coast (google it). I get to job shadow one of the best volunteers in Georgia and see a beautiful new city, I can’t wait! I get home Tuesday, and then Saturday I am off on a cultural trip with a few trainees to see Georgia’s city of love. Then on June 8th after we get home we will finally find out where our future placements will be and who we will be working with at our permanent sites. The next day we will travel to meet with our new directors and then onward to our future sites and host families. The next three weeks should be full of excitement so stay tuned!

P.S. I accidentally kissed a Georgian on the cheek today. 

P.P.S. I may have found something I dislike almost as much as broccoli, I'll let you know when I figure out what it might be in English.