All Work and No Play, I Swear

The only thing that got me through the doldrums of last week was knowing that I wouldn't have to do it again this week. Hallelujah! This week was another trainings week. Like I mentioned before, Peace Corps really is concerned about helping us make it through our first year of service, especially the first winter. These conferences are specifically planned and spaced out in order to give us something to look forward to as winter sets in and begins force many volunteers into deeper isolation. Smart move Peace Corps, smart move.

Our view for the week... living near the sea has its benefits.

This week's trainings was focused on project design and management (PDM). This training was also the first one where one of our counterpart teachers was also invited, that definitely changed the dynamic. We had a great time regardless though. The hotel rooms were comfortable, the food was good, the water was hot, and there was a swimming pool. What more could we ask for?

Hard at work with my counterpart Nana

The way Peace Corps works is by assigning all volunteer to a primary project. This project is your primary focus while in country. (Mine is education, hence the whole teacher schtick I am trying to pull off.) Outside of your primary project you are free to work on whatever you want. Everyone's skill set and interests vary widely so the types of projects cover just about every idea imaginable. To help volunteers create more meaningful projects Peace Corps has developed a means for volunteers to get access to funding, and that makes the realm of possibilities even greater. (Their method works a lot other donation sites like kickstarter, except all the money goes to the volunteer's project. This is just a convenient method that avoids taxes and international transfer rates, etc.)

Just 1 of the hundreds of pics that was taken during the conference.

This training was great for walking volunteers through the process of how to write a grant and find project funding, but it also walked us volunteers through the project design process together with a local counterpart so that they understand the process and gain the skill set needed to work with us (hooray for capacity building). If you are interested you can explore the donation site and get a feel for the type of projects going on around the world- https://donate.peacecorps.gov/donate/projects-funds/# You can sort by project area, country, or volunteer. I am sure that yours truly will eventually make their debut on the donation page.

Some cluster Christmas pics with 5 of the 7 of us from Skra

During the training my counterpart Nana and I worked together to plan out a future potential project for our school. We focused on equipping and renovating our computer lab. The goal would be to give students greater access to computers and technology and to train them in basic skills like microsoft programs and internet research. We would also like to host trainings for teachers so they can learn ways to incorporate more technology into their teaching and lesson planning. Finally, the new lab would make a great place for skill trainings for community members who need help with things like CV/Resume writing. It's a pretty good idea, now we will see how motivated the teachers at my school are. If everything works out we could start work on the project in January.

Our group of energetic volunteers and Georgian counterparts

On Friday we had to check out of the hotel and back into regular life. However, since it was the weekend I decided to take my time coming home. I headed south to Batumi and then met up with another volunteer to help with an International Human Rights Day activity and discussion. A group of youth met us at their town's youth center and we had a great presentation and discussion on the idea of human rights. It was really cool to see the youth thinking deeper on issues that wouldn't normally cross their minds like discrimination and gender equality. These sorts of activities and trainings are awesome, but can be very tiring. It takes a lot of planning to find ways to present the information in a sensitive manner.

Look at me in action there deep in conversation while the kids start in amazement...
or they're trying really hard to understand me through my terrible Georgian and strange accent- you choose :)

On Saturday I headed out again to help with another project, this time in Senaki which is just north of Poti. They were hosting the regional round of the National English Spelling Bee. It was cool to see the kids participating in a foreign language spelling bee, the competition was all really great.  I couldn't imagine competing in a Georgian spelling bee (and this language is supposedly phonetic, unlike English).

A successful training always includes selfies with the kids.

Now it's time to buckle down and get some work in before the holidays come. The city is slowly starting to decorate. There is a large tree in the center (yet to be lit) and some lights are popping up on the streetlights. Best of all the holiday season coincides with fishing season. Many men are now employed on fishing boats and there are a lot of fish to be sold. The only real downside is that fact that someone on the outskirts of town there is a fish factory that is now running full speed and the smell of fish has permeated the town, especially at night... Note to friends: don't come visit me from December to February unless a town that smells like fish sticks sounds like a match made in heaven.

After my time away I came home to this beauty of a New Years (Christmas) tree decorated by my host mother. #Classic