Enjoy Deliciously!

And just like that almost 2 weeks can go by...

Come tomorrow I will have completed my second full week of work since early December, let's all take a moment and be proud of me. It wasn't easy ok.

The biggest news I have is that I was selected to help with the FLEX pre-departure orientation (PDO) trainings in July. FLEX is a State Department funded exchange program for high school students form post-Soviet countries. It was started during the Cold War and is still going strong. This year 80 Georgian students were selected to be apart of the exchange program and will depart for the US in August. My role as a PDO teacher will be to help prepare them for the cultural and lifestyle adjustment they will experience in the USA- sort of like what the Peace Corps provided us. The trainings will take place in early July and should be a great opportunity to work with more Georgian youth. 

Yes, you still need to learn English

Another highlight of this opportunity is that I get to go to Kazakhstan in two week to spend a week in Almaty attending a training with other PDO teachers. There will be three of us coming from Georgia, and will meet up with others from various countries. I am super excited for this experience. Visiting another country and meeting new people always leads to a good time.

Another week in my soviet paradise

The biggest event of last week was my attempt to teach several classes by myself. One of my counterparts had to stay home with her sick son so I offered to pitch in and teach our classes by myself. That didn't go over well. You know that things aren't going to be easy when your students ask you if you are going to be alone and cheer when you say yes.... I would like you to just imagine me alone in a room full of 25ish 1st graders, trying to get them to stay in their seats and stop talking so I can teach a lesson- it was a mess- but I am sure it would've been hilarious to watch. Classroom management is probably the biggest difficulty that I face in teaching here. It's rooted in a number of things and progress is bound to be slow but we are making progress. 

Captionless

As for the rest of the past week and a half I don't have much to report on, such is life when the weather takes a turn for the worst and we all hole up indoors. It turns out that the weather in March is just as volatile her as it is back in the US. Luckily the weather did clear up some on Friday and Saturday I took advantage of the sunlight to stretch my legs and go on a long way. Friday I walked along the coast by the port and watched the waves crash into the rocks, then on Saturday Randi and I went out for a walk on the beach and stumbled upon several surprises. 

A depressing find or a dead dolphin, it probably got caught in a fishing net during a storm

This weeks has been more of the same routine. 

Monday I helped to teach one of my English clubs with the advance level students. My counterpart decided to create the lesson around the theme of graduation. The students various english exercises and learned about American graduation traditions in contrast with the Georgian ones. The teacher had wanted to show them what an American graduation ceremony looks like so she found a clip of one online. She pulled up the video clip from the AP and hit play. The video started and the title "Columbine High School 1999" came up on the screen. The name and date immediately rang a bell with me but meant nothing to the students. Needless to say there was a different mood to the speeches and the entire event. I decided against giving them additional context because I didn't want to even begin to try and explain gun violence and school shootings to these kids- nor could I. At the end of the video the teacher asked what they thought of it, which event did they like more- Georgian or US traditions. They all voted in favor of Georgia, they thought the US was too serious. 

The river Rioni which divides Poti, and some say it is also a marker between Europe and Asia

Now for one last highlight, The Exchange. About a week ago I got an email from the PC office in Tbilisi telling me that the embassy was planning a stop in Poti on Wednesday as part of their tour of Western Georgia. They would be giving a brief presentation on student exchange programs and then there would be a concert by the US acapella group, The Exchange who had competed on the Sing-Off and toured with the Backstreet Boys. The State Department does a lot of cultural exchange events through embassies all over the world and these guys would be touring through several post soviet countries during the next month or so. I was pumped, heaven knows I wouldn't have anything better to be doing on a Wednesday night in Poti. 

While they did sing some Backstreet Boys they didn't do any Beyonce...

I met up with two other volunteers as well as our Peace Corps director and his wife and we attended the concert. It was a great time. The theater was full of high school students from across Poti, many of them my own. They had never heard of the group before, but since they were an a capella group that meant that they performed lots of pop radio hits that of course all the kids new. I wish I could share the excitement that let loose when they started to sing Uptown Funk. That song has been immortalized on the radio here. 

The must stop restaurant for every person to visit Poti

Following the show we made sure that the group was headed out to meet their newest adoring fans and then headed to the ever popular pirate ship restaurant for a nice dinner with the director and his wife. We made sure to introduce them to all of the regional delicacies including ელარგი (cheesy corn grits) and ჩქმერული (roasted chicken served in a dish of garlic), Georgian food on the pirate ship never disappoints!

Now since you made it to the end I thought I would include a free recipe for ჩქმერული: the https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/georgian-garlic-chicken-chkmeruli/14547/

Bon Appetit! or as we say here გემრიელად მირთვით! (enjoy deliciously)

What's in a Word?

This week I met my goal to eat a whole one by myself, and also took 5 years off my life in the process

The days and weeks are never predictable here in Georgia. While I was typing up my post last week, I got a message from one of my counterpart teachers asking if I was coming to the supra (feast). I didn't know about said supra, but I was out the door 20 min later. That supra was for a teacher at our school who had recently had a baby. It had been 40 days since the baby's birth so they had christened it at the church and were celebrating at a local restaurant. It was a great supra because the men weren't allowed to smoke inside, the toastmaster (my principal) didn't get drunk and start making long rambling and incoherent toasts, and there was dancing. (The whole story of how this baby got here is crazy but probably not one I should share online- feel free to ask me about it.)

Teachers dancing around the christening cake

Tuesday was International Women's' day which is celebrated as a national holiday in Georgia which meant I had the day off. Some of my fellow volunteers came into town to celebrate and we had a great time making cookies, eating on the famous pirate ship restaurant, doing beach yoga, eating pizza, and just relaxing. I can't think of a better way to spend a day.


Now I have a real story for you:

About a month ago we held a writing competition in Poti. I have been meaning to get certificates made for all of the students who participated ever since. Last wednesday I was feeling especially ambitious and set out to accomplish this seemingly easy task, I had a copy of the design and the file was on my email. All I needed to do was find some certificate paper and print them off. However (and what a big however that is) nothing is as easy as it seems in Georgia. First off, I couldn't find cardstock style paper anywhere. A shopkeeper directed me to a print shop where I was finally able to track some down. BUT, even at the printshop there were complications because they weren't going to be able to print my certificates. Instead they gave me some sample papers and told me to test it out in a copy shop.

Getting ready for a wheelbarrow race

Now a copy shop sounds normal enough except when I say copy shop I really mean some shop with a home printer style copier and not an actual copy machine. It took some trial and error at the shop, but we decided on which paper would be best. Soooooooooo I went back to the first print shop and requested 35 A4 size papers and they set to work cutting them for me. While they worked I made small talk with some workers who ended up knowing my host family (if you think it's a small word, just look at a map and see how much smaller Georgia is). Finally my order was finished and I was ushered to an office where I would be able to pay. I got ready to reach for the 5 laris I'd guessed it might be, but quickly grabbed the 20 when the manager told me my total was 18 lari... I would just like for you to realize how ridiculous that is. It's like paying $7 for 35 pieces of paper!

35 lari for paper is like face-planting it in the sand.

Not knowing what else to do, I remarked about how expensive it was and then paid and left the shop. Next I went back to the printer man and found out that his machine wouldn't work with my new paper, he told me it was too სქელი which I heard as ცხელი (hot) and was very confused. I thanked him for trying and took back my papers before he could waste anymore. I then went to two more print shops and found myself leaving certificate-less from each one. Each time it was the same thing the paper was too სქელი which I kept hearing as ცხელი (hot) and shaking my head in confusion.

Beach pyramids are always in style

I decided to visit my host sister at work to see if she had any suggestions for me. I had already walked across town twice and was tired. I explained the story and mentioned how everyone kept telling me that the paper was too hot and how I just didn't get it. She was just as confused as I was. Then with a little more conversation we realized that I was hearing the wrong word and that they were actually telling me that it was too thick (სქელი) .... and that is how I learned the Georgian word for thick (a word I am sure I had learned before but must not have stuck) I haven't forgotten it since.

The view of Poti (half of it) from the lighthouse

In the end everything worked out. My sister called the print shop and they offered to refund my money if I returned the unuseable paper. Returns are basically unheard of here, so I jumped on the chance. The next day I purchased different cardstock and was able to print the certificates (naturally there were plenty of problems with the process) and I delivered them to the students on Friday- Mission Accomplished!

Green chili chicken enchilada- One of the best things I've eaten in weeks, and thus meritorious of a picture on my blog.

After my exhausting certificate making efforts a weekend rest was in order. Melody made the trip out to Poti and on Friday were made enchiladas with salsa verde and tortillas she brought back to me from Utah. They turned out delicious and marked the beginning of a rather unhealthy weekend of gluttony. We spent Saturday and Sunday in Batumi and ate many guilty pleasures, including the Oreo balls which we made in our hotel room for breakfast the next morning. Now that Oreos have begun to be sold in shops, and I've recently discovered cream cheese in a few shops, the possibilities for unhealthy eating have skyrocketed. Hopefully I can survive this new trial.

Marching forth with Birthdays, Weddings, and Good Citizenship

When you are a kid you tend to view your life as the typical experience, and thus assume that everyone experiences things like school the same way. You don't really realize the error of this view until you are sharing a story, with the expectation that everyone else has experienced or done the same thing, only to be greeted with blank stares and people laughing at you- not with you.

Apparently celebrating March 1st as Pig Day, is one of those non-so-universal things (though in my defense I looked it up and March 1st really is the national day of the pig). When March comes around I also think about "in like a lion out like a lamb" and vice versa. We always tracked the lamb weather days and lion weather days in elementary school, and made plenty of lion and lamb themed arts and crafts. Is it obvious now that I went to school in a more rural environment? I often forget.

Anyways, March in true fashion is bringing lots of fun sunny lamb days as well as not so fun rainy lion days. As always I am hoping that the lamb days prevail (although the foreboding April showers might be around the corner). The moral of the aside is that I can't wait to get outdoors and start enjoying all that Georgia has to offer. It has been amazing to once again see people milling around the city and hanging out in the park, the elusive (and ever scared of rain and cold) Georgian appears to be making its way out of hibernation.

Taken as the feast is about to begin

Now on to the things I learned this week. First there was a wedding. I've been wanting to attend a Georgian wedding for quite awhile, so when my family told me there was one coming up I jumped at the opportunity to attend. The groom and his parents were old neighbors of my family's (meaning they lived by the now empty lot where my host dad lived when he grew up and that my family has since raised the former home but are still considered to be members of that community). My father and uncle were both invited and turned down the invitation but my sister wanted to attend and invited me a long. Given the number of invitations sent out, it isn't kosher for more than 2 people to attend from a single family unless you have some close relations with the bride/groom. Also if you aren't one of the close friends or family you don't attend the ceremony. Instead you wait at the site of the wedding party/feast and welcome the wedding party once they arrive from the church and the subsequent procession around town (honking and taking laps in the local roundabouts). We were in the group of mere acquaintances so we headed straight to the feast.

There is actually more food than before despite this being 2hrs into the feast

The part is held in a banquet hall and for this wedding there were over 200 guests all seated at tables around the room. We were greeted by the party matron and the tamada (toast master) who helped us find seats. We then got to know the other people at our table and waited for the bride and groom. Once they arrived there was a procession through the room to the head table where they took their places along with the best man and maid of honor (I didn't notice any family members seated at the table). Once that is all taken care of the feasting can begin. Over the course of the next few hours there was a series of toasts and a continuous stream of food brought out to the tables. There were a few breaks for dancing, but I couldn't tell if this was a break in tradition since we were in a city and not a village where tradition tends to hold more sway.

It really never ends...

The Georgian word for a feast is სუფრა (supra) which also means tablecloth. I suspect that there is some unwritten rule that you aren't allowed to see the tablecloth during a supra because they bring out so much food. Also it is a shame for them is some item of food is completely depleted which means that the food is bountiful and it is often hard to tell how much food has been eaten since it never seems to disappear.

After 3 hours we started taking selfies...

I also found that guests of the wedding are expected to bring some money as a donation to help pay for the feast as well as to help the new couple. This is something I noticed again later in the week when yet another neighbor passed away. This time all of the neighbors gather to help prepare the funeral feast and also donate some money to the family of the deceased. People also pool money on a regular basis to help pay for college and other things. Family, friends, and coworkers might donate money regularly to a pot and then take turns drawing from that pot. It's an old tradition that predates than Georgian banking system and is still quite popular outside of the capital. Yet another instance of the strong communal a history and cultural attitudes making an appearance.

My host mom and her squad in the kitchen, baking and gossiping

Saturday I had the opportunity to teach a lesson on citizenship to one of the clubs I work with. I started a lesson with quite an eye-opener for the students.  On a quality of life ranking of 194 countries, Georgia ranks 96th. A surprising fact for many Georgians who often bemoan the quality of life in Georgia and love to talk about how miserable things are. Thus is is not surprising that on the Satisfaction index of 178 countries, Georgia ranks 169th. And there is the problem; Georgia ranks in the 50th percentile for quality of life but in only the 5th percentile for satisfaction with life (not surprisingly other post-soviet countries seem to fill up the rankings next to Georgia).
FYI- The bottom 10 countries on the index are as follows:
Georgia
Belarus
Turkmenistan
Armenia
Sudan
Ukraine
Moldova
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Zimbabwe
Burundi

Working on their presentation

This was the beginning of a great conversation on citizenship, rights, and responsibilities. The goal was to help the students realize the important role that the citizens play in a democratic society. I can only assume that the transition from a communist to democratic society has not been an easy one. The transition was difficult on the national stage and involved years of fighting. Despite the more or less stable state of democracy as a political structure in Georgia, the transition has not fully caught hold in the hearts and minds of the citizens. Hence the presence of the Peace Corps here in Georgia.

You'd better believe that my lesson included the quote:

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." - JFK (or as I rephrased it- Ask not what problems your country can solve for you, ask what problems you can solve for your country)

Presenting on the freedom of expression

Which brings me to my last point. On March 1st (pig day) Peace Corps celebrated its 55th birthday, or anniversary of the day that President Kennedy signed the executive order creating the Peace Corps. Joining the Peace Corps was always a thought in the back of my mind, but one I just assumed I'd never fulfill. Luckily circumstances worked out differently and I am here having an amazing time serving the people of Georgia and learning from their unique culture and traditions.

Happy Birthday Peace Corps!

Let Me Do the Dishes Please

I'm trying to get back into the habit of posting weekly, it's hard. I need more topics to write about. If anyone has any questions or curiosities about Georgia or my work here send me a message, email me, or leave it in a comment below.

As I've mentioned previously this past month has been full of trainings. This past week was no exception. Following our great ski weekend I headed back to Tbilisi and to our Let Girls Learn conference. This conference was focused on the new Let Girls Learn initiative from the First Lady, and focused on our work in Georgia and how we can promote gender equality through our various projects. Click here to learn more about Peace Corps' role in the Let Girls Learn initiative.

Pre-Training Brunch in Tbilisi, had to get some American breakfast in me

The training took place over two days and was very well done. There were about 20 volunteers in attendance and each of us was accompanied by one Georgian counterpart from our sites. It was great to see how active and interested our Georgian counterparts could be on this often taboo topic. Gender equality work is often difficult to initiate in Georgia, so when we have excited and willing counterparts things get easier and become more effective overall.

Peace Corps Georgia is the first post to hold a Let Girls Learn inservice training

The Let Girls Learn is appropriate for many countries where girls have restricted access to education, however, this is no the problem. Girls are almost always leading the class in high scores. Boys are more likely to dropout or not complete schooling. However, girls often don't complete university studies and aren't found in many decision making positions. In Georgia we have unofficially changed the name to Let Girls Lead to denote where our focus is.

A great infographic depicting problems in education in Georgia, found here

Another area of focus for gender equality is in gender roles and how they are expressed in Georgia. I can hardly take a dish to the sink, let alone try and wash it, with out my host mother shouting at me to leave it alone and let her wash it. At my previous host family's house my younger host brother almost had an aneurysm shouting for me to leave the dishes because that was mother's job. Another time I was mulling around the idea of making my badly poorly behaved students have to help clean the school and was told that I mustn't force a boy to use a broom because it would be deeply shameful. Needless to say you would be hard pressed to find a home where young boys did any work related to cleaning or cooking. Like I said, I get in trouble just for trying to help- don't worry I feign like I can't understand do it anyway.

Aside from division of labor at home, women in Georgia face other problems like bride-napping. While it may appear to be on the decline in larger "urban" centers, it's still common in the villages. Women can be kidnapped and taken away from their family for any period of time- usually a few days. During that time the kidnapper or their family will contact the girl's family and try to make some arrangements. By the time the girl is freed it is assumed that she is no longer a virgin and marriage is almost certainly required. Forcing women into marriage, and often at a young age (read this article on early marriage in Georgia), can have devastating consequences. It promotes the idea that women are objects and that men control women. This can lead to domestic violence and more. When it comes to domestic violence many people will tell you that what happens in the home is a private matter and that outsiders shouldn't interfere. We had to watch a video on the attitudes surrounding domestic violence in Georgia and it was hard to sit though. If I can ever find the link I'll share it here.

Yours truly hard at work

Needless to say, this was a very brief and surface level overview of gender equality in Georgia, but it serves to prove the point that there is work to do. Sometimes as a male volunteer it can be uncomfortable or difficult to approach this issue with local Georgians, especially women. However, I am finding more and more ways to try and make a difference. For example, when I am giving example sentences in English I switch gender norms. Once my teacher erased a sentence because she accidentally wrote "He was baking in the kitchen." Something so small can be a good start. Also I am looking for ways to educate boys on how they can bet better supporters of women and promote gender equality. I hope to run a project this summer that will focus teaching cooking and cleaning skills to boys heading off to college in the city. We'll see if I can trick anyone into attending.

Mental instagramming, it's totally a thing!

That's about all I've got for you now. On another note though, winter is ending! The weather in Poti has been fantastic. We have even hit 70 degrees a few times. Life is so much better when the sun is shining and I'm not stuck inside. Give me a few more days of sun and I'll be sneaking off to swim in the sea (just don't tell my host mom because she'd probably get really angry at the thought of me swimming in March.)

Loving the early Spring!