Starting Summer Off Right

I don't want it to sound like I didn't enjoy my first year teaching, but when I finished up on the last day I was out of there faster than a bat out of Hell. I headed straight home to pack my belongings and then headed to Kutaisi to catch my flight to Kiev with Melody and Randi. You shouldn't be surprised, what else would I do the moment I had free time again?

No matter where I go they treat me like royalty

Kiev was a great place to visit and just a short flight away. We got in bright and early and settled in at our hostel. Once we hit the streets we were instinctively drawn to visit a beautiful golden domed church near by our hostel. It turned out to be an 11th century masterpiece and quite a looker. Afterwards it was straight on to find some food to eat. While ordering our food we discovered that food was insanely cheap and from that point on we just never stopped eating.

I couldn't tell you how long I stood and stared at this amazing view

Later that day we made our way out to the LDS (Mormon) temple in Kiev where we spent a wonderful few hours. It was a beautiful building and we met a lot of very kind people there. Afterwards we walked an eternity until we reached a McDonalds where we could use the wifi to hail a cab (and eat more cheap food while we waited). Even the taxis were very inexpensive. We paid at least half of what we would've paid in Georgia, and cabs aren't even expensive here.

The LDS (Mormon) temple in Kiev

The next day was a Sunday so we found out where the local church members were meeting and we went to attend Sunday services with them. It ended up being a special meeting and they even had a visiting church leader, M. Russell Ballard,  from Salt Lake who spoke at the end. Following church we wandered through a sculpture garden park with some eccentric art and made our way back home. Later that evening we went to another church meeting where we unexpectedly met a friend of Randi's from Utah. That night ended up in a Tex-Mex restaurant eating delicious burritos.

Sunday in the park with these goons

Monday started with an early morning visit to the Lavra monastery complex which is one of the most sacred sites in the Russian Orthodox church. We wandered around for a little bit and then the next thing I know some priest was waving us into a church courtyard and bringing out an old crown for us to try on (it was too small, too heavy, and really hurt to wear). Once we'd all kissed the crown he had a younger man take it away and then proceeded to take us on a two hour tour (all in Russia) of the entire complex. There was a lot of walking but it was great (and confusing) fun. At one point he took us into the workers cafeteria to feed us and we ate with a bunch of locals. Following our lunch he took us down into the catacombs on the pilgrim's prayer route where we saw more (clear) coffins and deceased people than I could count. At each coffin he would saw a memorized prayer and kiss the coffin. It was an interesting and reflective experience. Afterwards he motioned that he needed to go and we were left to explore a few other places alone. I was amazed by his kindness to take so much time to share something so important to a small group of foreigners who he couldn't even speak to.

View of the monastery from the bell tower

Later that night we met up for Chinese food with a local Ukrainian who Melody and Randi had met in Armenia who happened to bump into us on the sidewalk outside of our hostel that morning. Turns out her office was 2 floors above our hostel. It was quite the chance meeting and she was very gracious to become our defacto tour guide after work for the next two days. With her we learned more wonderful things about Kiev and she also shared her first hand experience with the revolution which took place in 2014. She really made the rest of our time in Kiev so much better.

St. Michael's Church not the craft store. 

The rest of our time in Kiev was a blur of more food, more churches, and more long walks around the city. I loved every minute of it. I was reminded of Georgia quite often but there were many very clear and distinct differences some due to Ukraine's less isolated location and others related to their own history and culture. If you mention Ukraine to and Georgian they will tell you how great of friends the two countries are and I wouldn't doubt them for a minute.

No one wanted to play with me...

After we made it back to Georgia I still had plenty to do. The next day I headed back to Skra and visited my old host family. On Friday I met the new volunteers again and helped deliver another training. It was also the day that they found out where they would be serving in Georgia- spoiler alert, one of them is coming to Poti! Friday night found me back in Tbilisi going out on the town with some of the departing G14 volunteers and then Saturday I was up bright and early to head to Kutaisi for another group project (I barely made it in time to help with the take down and clean up). Over all it's been a long and exhausting week. Either way though, summer is off to a great start!

My new Ukrainian embroidered dress shirt #Awesome 

School's Out for Summer!

No more teachers, no more books!

If I have learned one thing from this past year of Peace Corps it is the need to be flexible and just go with the flow. Peace Corps volunteers wear so many hats during their service! For example in just one week I wore the following:

The chaperone hat

The delicious spread, with more food to come!

On the 5th my 12th graders were celebrating their prom and invited me to attend as one of their teachers. I was in Tbilisi on Saturday so I took the morning train back to Poti just to attend the event. I call it prom but it probably isn't what you are picturing at all, let me describe it to you. The whole event is put on by students' parents in celebration of their graduation. The students pair up as dates, but not as official as in the US- dating like in the US isn't much of a thing here. The girls and guys get all fancied up, and I mean really fancy. Most of the students then go to take pictures (with a hired photographer) and also visit the church for a blessing from the priest. Meanwhile the parents (mom's) and teachers (almost exclusively female) gather at the banquet hall and await the students' arrival.

I snapchatted the whole night so you are getting the ones I saved.

The students caravan to the banquet hall in a line of cars honking their horns and then enter couple by couple as the announcer (they hired an emcee for the night) introduces them one by one and they walk up the literal red carpet as the photographers snap their pics. My school had two 12th grade classes of close to 30 students each however each class held a separate banquet so the only students in attendance were those I had taught plus a few others who started with my students but later moved to other towns. Your class really is your everything when you are going through school.

I have no shame stealing photos from my students' facebook pages

After introductions there is a night full of eating, drinking, dancing, and fun. There were plenty of toasts, jokes, and advice to be shared. Students, teachers, and parents all danced together and had fun. Unlike a US high school dance the moves were all tame and clean but each table also had it's own supply of wine and vodka- so clean dancing but a few drunk students. They partying went on for hours but around midnight most of the teacher had left and my students convinced me to stay with them until around 1am. What a night.

The trainer hat

The day after prom I was up early to head to Gori and help give a training on working with youth and how we the Youth as Resources committee works here in Georgia. You never know when you are going to have to give a training but you learn to be flexible and share your experiences with others. Luckily this was an official Peace Corps training so we had plenty of notice and had done a lot of preparations. However, this is not the norm for Georgia.

The party hat (a favorite)

Right before the show (and the rain) started

I never planned on seeing a famous American band on tour while in Georgia but I wasn't about to turn down the opportunity either. After the training I was off again this time for Batumi where Maroon 5 was performing on Tuesday. The Georgian government is really trying to bring tourists into Georgia and show that they can handle large events- this concert was a test. The one problem with an outdoor concert in June in a seaside town however, is rain- and boy did it rain.

Singing Sugar at the top of our lungs

We  waited for the rain to subside before heading out for the concert. Slowly the crowds moved in, and by the time Maroon 5 was ready to go on stage it was packed- and the rain started again. It rained almost the entire time but we had a great time anyway. Peace Corps can be a very stressful and tiring experience so it is good to find times to unwind and have some fun- work hard play hard?

Post concert crowds

The actor hat

A 3rd grader teaching about Georgian wine making, me creeping from backstage

This hat could be called many things, for this experience it's the actor hat. When I got to school Wednesday morning my counterpart told me that one of the teachers needed my help with their 3rd grade class performance. I was given a paper with a couple lines to recite and that was it. By the time the performance came I found out that I was the "star" of the show. (I kid) My role was to be a tourist in Georgia and travel around visiting the students and learning about regional customs and cultures across Georgia. Luckily my acting skills are well polished and on point, I nailed my role. The students were also excited to have me there, I didn't teach 3rd graders this year but they were still so excited.

Someone couldn't resist a photo op

The friend hat

Thursday I met my Georgian tutor and fellow PCV for lunch and we all caught up since we hadn't seen our tutor in a few weeks. I also go to go to a neighboring village to visit Alex and meet her mom who was in Georgia visiting for a few days. Her family hosted a small supra and we all got to celebrate the arrival of Alex's mom. It was a great moment that reminded me of the importance and value of the friendships were make in Georgia.

Alex and her mother with me at the supra

The teacher hat

I mention this hat last because it's the one I knew I'd be wearing the most. Teaching English this year has been full of ups and downs, but as I reached the last days of school I was proud of how far both my students and I have come. Half of my classes took a diagnostic pre-test at the beginning of the school year and we did the same at the end. Much to my surprise, every student showed improvement! Some more than others, but all none the less. There were so many moments of frustration but progress is progress and it is definitely worth celebrating. My work as a teacher goes beyond teaching students how to speak English, but this is one of the more easily quantifiable parts of my work. I'm really going to miss my students this summer!

My fifth graders and counterpart 

After a year here in Georgia I think it is safe to say that I've collected a number of hats and there are still so many more. Each hat requires different skills and abilities but together they are really helping my to stretch and challenge myself in positive and exciting ways!