I have logged over 1000 miles in travel to and from Tbilisi during the past month, and I am exhausted. My trips to Tbilisi have included inservice trainings focused on teaching techniques and another focused on the Let Girls Learn initiative, additionally I have also had committee meetings for the Youth as Resources, Megobari, and English Education Program Advisory Council committees which I'm all apart of. It has been a VERY busy month. However, all of these trainings and meetings relate to future projects that I will be working on which should translate to some very active months ahead. (You should be excited for that, because that means I should have more interesting things to blog about soon.)
They recently reopened the Tbilisi Opera house so we decided to attend the ballet
Through all of the events of the past month, I have been thinking a lot about family and what it means in my current context of life. Obviously I have a great family back home who love and support me (hello to whomever from my family is actually reading this- I think you're great), however, being in Georgia has expanded my realm of family in various ways.
Our creative writing competition for students in Poti
First there are my fellow volunteers. Like your family back home who you get to travel through life with, I did not get to choose my fellow volunteers with whom I get to travel through Peace Corps with. We have all sorts of quirks and everyone had there likeable and irritable qualities, but still we love and support each other- like family. These are people who you can count on to come to your aide at a moment's notice. People who you can call to just release pent up frustrations. People who you will inevitable yell at, cry with, and spend hours upon hours laughing. They are good people.
First time back on skis in almost 15 years
During this last month I have found myself in a hostel marathoning episodes of Community, being comforted with ice cream after an exhausting day, sitting in a (KGB themed) cafe for several hours discussing various facets of life, creating new projects, going on walks, spending hours on the phone, attending the ballet, and exploring this great country (a ski lift ticket costs less than $15 for a day!). Individually we're a pretty random and often ragtag group of people, but all together we are a pretty great family.
Ski Crew- we made it work with the limited gear we had on us
The next group of new family members are my host family members (all three host families I've had). These people have opened their homes (and hearts- awwwww) to me. I have received so much and feel like I've given so little in return. Family is a big part of Georgian culture, they are one of the only groups of people that you can consistently count on. It is not uncommon to hear the phrase, "I have a cousin that might be able to help you," whenever you mention some problem that you are having.
The view from the ski resort
My current host family is made up of a grandma, mom, dad, brother, and sister- all living at home. However, by being a member of their family I am attached to a much larger network of people. For example my host mother found out that I wasn't taking the train to Tbilisi because I didn't want to pay for a place to stay. 15 min later she had it all arranged and that evening I was meeting their relatives in Tbilisi and welcomed into their home to spend the evening- I've since spent several nights with them. They welcomed me in like family because that is what you do, even if that family member is actually just some strange American in need of a place to sleep.
My adorable 3 yr old host cousins
During the only weekend I wasn't in Tbilisi I took a trip with my sister and uncle to visit relatives in another town. Once again I was welcomed in like family and greeted with food. These people are willing to share everything they have with me because they view me as part of their family. It never ceases to surprise and amaze me.
Visiting my distant relatives at another volunteer's site
Aside from all of the volunteers and host family members there have been so many other people who have been so good to me. Just today one of the American families in the branch invited us over for dinner. Numerous Georgians bestow random acts of kindness on me just because I'm a foreigner (and often because I am also trying to learn their language). I really hope to one day be in a position to repay all these acts of kindness which have been given to me in spades.
Local volunteers at the grand opening of the new American Corner at the Batumi city library
Sorry if none of this makes sense, I've just been feeling really grateful for the great people I'm surrounded by who make these two years away from home feel a lot more homey than I ever expected them too.
I've been sitting on this update for awhile. I haven't really been sure how to best present the past few weeks in writing. Rather than making the attempt to write some of it down, I have just let time and events pile up. I was away from Poti from the 22nd of Jan through the 3rd of February. It was a long time away. It was mostly for trainings and meetings, nothing that is all that exciting to share with everyone, so I will spare you.
I would imagine that in the 63 countries where Peace Corps is currently operating, you aren't likely to find many volunteers serving with people they knew from before the Peace Corps- excluding married couples. I bet it would be even more difficult to find people who not only knew each other from before but are also good friends. Somehow I fit into the small minority.
When I applied for Peace Corps you weren't able to choose which country you wanted to serve in. You were able to express your interests, but the assignment was made for you. However, it was still nice to have a friend going through the application process at the same time as me. When we both received initial invitations to serve in Latin America and Africa, our respective niche areas of the world, it was not much of a surprise. However, it was more surprising when we both felt like those weren't the assignments for us and turned down the offers- within a week of each other. The biggest surprise came a month later we got our assignments, a day apart, and found out that we were both being sent to Georgia (the country). Seriously, what are the odds? (I'd like a stats person to figure that out for me.)
It's always been a nice coincidence that Mel and I were both posted in Georgia. That meant there was someone to fly to DC with me, someone who I could talk to during training when I needed to get away from all the new faces and just be with someone more familiar, someone whose house I could crash out whenever I was passing by. In a situation like the Peace Corps where you are thrown together with strangers while at the same time adjusting to a new life, you don't spend a lot of time getting to know who someone was, you just start from the point you first met and learn about who they are and focus on your experiences at had. I could tell you a lot about the other volunteers in my group, but very little of that would have anything to do with their pre Peace Corps life. When I say it is nice to have someone around who knows who I was and who I am, that is what I am getting at.
Having Mel here is especially useful for singing our favorite song
Anyways, it's always been a convenient thing. However this week I realized that not only was it conviennent, it was also planned. Given my beliefs I don't take "coincidence" lightly. The Sunday before our training a large snowstorm moved through Georgia. It dropped a couple inches on Tbilisi and made for some pretty pictures. The rest of the country got dumped on and the situation in the mountains out west became complicated as the snow piled up and froze. Mel had been planning on heading out west after our training but due to the snow she had to delay and later cancel her plans. That meant that the two of us ended up spending our Friday night together with several other volunteers chatting and dancing at some local bars before heading back to our hostels for the night.
A rare Tbilisi snow storm
4 hours later I found myself fumbling around to try and find my phone which was vibrating and causing all too much noise for 6:30 in the morning. When I saw that it was Randi calling I was confused (and annoyed by the inconvenient timing). Still trying to not wake anyone else up I answered the phone and let out a grunt to let her know what I was listening- though half asleep. My heart dropped as she broke the news that Mel's father had just passed away. A few minutes later I was out the door, still in my sweats, and headed to the hostel a block over where she was staying.
The next moments all happened so fast. There was lots of hugging and crying- I haven't cried that much in a long time. It was a nightmare, but it was a nightmare that was unfolding in the best possible way.
Peace Corps was notified early one and events were set into motion to get Mel home as soon as possible. A driver came and took us to her site where we began to hastily gather some belongings for her to take home. Neither of us wanted to bump into her host family and have to explain the situation.
Next, we found ourselves in the Peace Corps office and were greeted by the country director (CD) and the director of ops and management, who had both dropped everything to come into the office early on their day off. They were hard at work figuring out logistics while Mel and I ate donuts and rested.
The rest of the day was mostly waiting for Mel's flight that evening. We went to lunch with the CD and his wife and did some shopping, and then it was time for the airport. I was able to stay with Mel until we got to security and then I had to send her off to face the 40 hours of solo travel until she would make it to Utah.
Just like that I was snapped back to my reality, standing in the airport in my sweats. I got in the car and headed back to town. I met with some PCVs for some business, we had a small party at the airbnb I was staying in that night, and when everyone finally headed out for the night I fell into bed and passed out.
It's been a unique experience to reflect back on. I often feel guilty because it wasn't my world that came crashing down, I just got to step into the experience for a brief while. Despite the guilt and other emotions that still poke up, I am also amazed. I am astounded by how it all came together so perfectly. Of course I was meant to be in Georgia at the same time my friend would need someone who knew her. Better yet, we would be sleeping in the same city only a block apart rather than the usual 200 miles. Of course it worked out so well- it was planned.
I am also amazed by the people who have become family here. So many people dropped what they were doing to lend their support. Many volunteers called, text, and checked in with me. Alex even brought me ice cream. For all the craziness that is this world- politics, terrorism, war, and conflict; there also is a lot of love, compassion, and goodwill. It is nice to be reminded of that.
I am going on 10 months in Georgia, and I still don't have it all figured out. There are many things that I hope to accomplish. However, on this one Saturday, it was nice to feel that I know that I was in the right place at the right time. It is nice to know one of the many reasons why I am here.
