If you've been following my blog over the past year then you have probably heard my mention BUILD our summer camp for young georgian men 14-17 years old. Last year was our first ever BUILD camp and this year we have been working to grow and solidify the camp structure.
Chasing dream just like we chase waterfalls
Some of the changes from last year to this year include: - Increased funding from a 10,000gel to 26,000gel ($11k) grant
- Increase from one 4-day camp to two 6-day camps
- Increase accepted campers from 20 to 58
- Triple the number of applications for camp
- Added a mentor panel - Added a service project - Added employability workshops
- Redesigned our our post camp community project component
- Begun the plans to establish BUILD as a registered local Georgian NGO
On my end I have been responsible for training counselors, creating the curriculum, and structuring the camp format. We have found 8 Georgian men from 19-24 who are fluent in English and have demonstrated interest in mentoring young men, to be our counselors. This year's batch is especially talented and accomplished. They will be great role models.
I am just adding nature pictures to lighten the mood
Needless to say we have been VERY busy over the past year and especially busy over the past few weeks. It might even be accurate to say that we have put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this work. (I'm fairly positive I cut myself at camp last year, lately I've been sweating a lot with all the heat in my room while I work, and some set backs have moved me to at least the verge of tears.
We received notice that our grant was approved on July 1st and have been in talks with the embassy to get all the final details settled before we could sign the contact. We were finally able to get our contract with the embassy signed and were ready to go; HOWEVER, the embassy soon delivered some untimely news. It was going to take an additional 3 weeks to disburse the funds. Our first group of campers were set to arrive on July 23rd. Today is the 26th so as you might have guessed that didn't happen.
Just water water everywhere and no Pokemon.
Once the bad news was delivered we began to look at our contingency options. We had the option to self-fund the camp and reimburse ourselves afterwards. The other option was to postpone camp. Obviously the latter option won. Since we won't be able to start camp until we receive the money and we have to be finished before a training we have in early September. This led to us choosing the last two weeks of August. Coincidentally those are the same two weeks I planned my summer vacation.
The decision was a devastating blow. I have put a lot of work into this camp and having to chose to reschedule it for a time when I am unable to attend is very disheartening. The decision was made Friday morning which meant we had to move quickly to notify all the campers and counselors of the changes. It was hectic and stressful, two emotions which don't go well with disheartened. Luckily, things have settled down. I have come to terms with missing camp and there have been a few silver linings- I got to meet Randi's sister and mother who were in town and I am going to get to watch the opening ceremonies of the olympics (good things right?).
We're in the middle of nowhere and Liliya still finds some Ukrainians
Now I am moving on. I have extra time to perfect some of the weaker points in the camp plan and curriculum. I also have to train all the counselors remotely and make sure that my fellow PCVs fully understand the plan for camp. I also suddenly have 2 weeks open which were previously planned and I need to figure out what to do to fill my time productively. Luckily I have figured out most of that time already. First, I have started playing Pokemon Go and become a big fish in a little pond by taking control of almost all the gyms in Poti. On a more serious note, I have volunteered to help teach a Summer camp in Lower Svaneti for the next 4 days. That will at least get me out of Poti and up into the mountains in a new part of Georgia I have yet to explore.
P.S. There is a great dolphin show in Batumi (the Black sea has lots of dolphins)
I had a birthday shout hooray! After being away from Poti for almost 2 weeks I arrived back at site on Tuesday and was greeted enthusiastically by my host mother who was already rattling off her plans for my birthday on Friday. Most of the week was spent preparing for BUILD camp which is scheduled for the end of the month. Soon Friday was here and it was time for the celebrations.
Of course we had confetti cannons.
I love having a summer birthday because growing up it meant I never had to go to school and I could spend the whole day celebrating. When I started working and had a real job I still called in sick on my first birthday (mental health day) but on the second one I actually came to work (the last time I do that if I have any say). Now that I am in the Peace Corps birthdays are back to being whatever I want them to be and usually that involved celebrating with as many people as possible. This year that meant inviting half of my Peace Corps group out to the West for a beach weekend.
Brooke and Melody also came to celebrate- Aggies for life!
Before the beach day plans could start though, we had to celebrate the day with my host family Georgian style. I invited a few PCVs over to celebrate and my host mom lovingly set out preparing a feast for the occasion. Per usual there was so much food and we couldn't eat it all. However the crowning moment was the arrival of the cake which Madona had been talking about all week. This cake required 25 eggs- it was a behemoth! We had the traditional Georgian candles and sang and ate cake and it was wonderful.
Just check out the size of the cake!
The rest of the weekend from Friday to Monday was spent relaxing in Kobuleti, a small beach town near Batumi, with many many friends. We had a great time. There was more cake and more singing and a lot of time laying on the beach. We took a couple of trips into Batumi for the weekend and enjoyed the resort town feel that it takes on during the summer month- it is full of tourists from Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey. We danced and ate and enjoyed being together again, so many of us haven't been together since our last training in February.
Some things never change, I'm still ripping my pants....
Aside from all the revelrie there was also time for me to reflect on life. I thought about the last 10 birthday, where I was at, what I was doing, and who I was with. Here's a list:
19- I had just finished my Freshman year of college. I celebrated with my high school friends at my house and I was preparing to leave for Brazil in a month.
I have no idea what is going on here
20- I was living in Teresina, Brazil with 2 Brazilians and an American. I decided to splurge and buy a big cake and ice cream for the occasion. I had been living in Brazil for about a year.
A passion fruit birthday cake aka heaven
21- I was nearing the end of my time in Brazil. I was living with one American in a tiny rundown apartment in Sao Luis, Brazil. We celebrated on the roof next to the water tank looking out over the city eating cake and drinking Guarana Jesus (I miss that stuff).
Me and Justin at our apartment in Sao Luis
22- I had just finished my Sophomore year of college. I don't remember much about my actual birthday but I had a party at home with some college/H.S. friends. Most of the summer was spent moving around Utah working for EFY, a summer camp. I think I took the week off :)
23- Another summer working for EFY. This time I was in Hawaii and everyone made the day fantastic. I was treated to presents, shaved ice, and cake. The locals made it very exciting.
Double cakes for my birthday from the local youth
24- I had just graduated college. I was in Hawaii again with EFY. I woke up early for a birthday swim and got to celebrate yet again with some of my new great friends.
Just about to jump off a cliff into the ocean and hope I don't die...
25- I was celebrating my first year in DC. This was also the beginning of my quarter-life crisis that over the year led my to apply for Peace Corps. I called in sick to avoid working on my birthday and went and got my first massage. I then celebrated by going to dinner with friends and my friend Megan hosted a party at her house. I also had a great adventure during the day:
After my massage I decided to go for a walk out to Gravelly Point to watch the planes fly in. I hadn't ever walked out there and I got lost. I ended up taking the wrong shortcut and being forced to climb up a hill overgrown with thorny bushes. I found myself on the side of the parkway with my legs covered in blood from scratches. I then jaywalked (ran) across 6 lanes of busy early rush hour traffic. I then noticed I was sweating profusely because I was still covered in massage oil and it was almost 100 F and quite humid. I quickly became dehydrated and finally arrived at the park as sweaty mess. I had no energy to even watch the planes fly in. I just found a picnic table in the shade and collapsed on top. I then called my friend Claire and asked her to pick me up on her way home from work. The whole experience was a complete disaster. 25 and still not too old to make dumb decisions.
(No photographic evidence, luckily, I really was a sight for sore eyes)
26- Ending my 2nd year in DC. I had to work since it was a very busy day on the Hill. I celebrated that night with a dinner with my close friends and then had a joint party with my friend Lance who happened to share the same birthday just a year older. At this point my application for the Peace Corps was turned in and I was awaiting my assignment.
The best banner made by the best friend- Thanks Amber! P.S. I'm glad my birthday is before Labor Day so I can wear white.
27- A few months into Peace Corps and my first week settled into Poti my home for the next year. I celebrated with my host family and my new volunteer friends came in to celebrate with me.
TBT to 1 year ago
28- Half my my volunteer cohort came to celebrate and spend a weekend on the beach. Over a year of my Peace Corps time completed and less than a year to go
Peace signs for Peace Corps!
29- Back home in America???
Of the last decade I will have spent half of it abroad either traveling or living in a foreign country. I have only spent 2 birthdays with my actual family, most of them have been spent with new family and friends around the world. Each birthday I am reminded of the wonderful people I have met, the lessons they have taught me, the memories we have shared and the wonderful opportunities my life has brought me. If you took me back 10 years to my 18th birthday right after graduating high school I doubt I could've guessed where the next 10 years would've taken me but there isn't another journey I would have wanted to experience.
Some pics from the weekend that I stole from others (Thanks Grace!)
Someone was curious if they could design a tan on my chest with rocks... (so many of these birthday pics are so unflattering)
Liliya doing her thing looking for pretty rocks
Beach station, notice the lack of sand... ugh
We never turn down a reason to visit the Hilton Skybar in Batumi, best sunset views
Apart from my wonderful time teaching the FLEX students I had a few other adventures in the past week. There was hitchhiking, mountain climbing, and lots of food- read on!
What are you looking at?
Hitchhiking in Georgia
I'll admit that the Peace Corps frowns on hitchhiking but sometimes that is all you can do. There was one night I was in eastern Georgia and needed to get to a neighboring town so I decided to try my luck at hitchhiking. The whole experience renewed my love for Georgians. First, I had to walk down the mountain and into town and then out to the main road and it was going to take almost an hour. However, after 5 min of walking a van came by and offered me a ride without any prompting. They guy worked at the training center and was a great guy. We went out of his way to take me to the spot he assumed would be my best bet for catching a ride to the next town. When he dropped me off we exchanged phone numbers and he told me to call in case I couldn't find a ride because he'd come pick me up and have me spend the night with him- classic Georgian hospitality.
I didn't even have to smile to get picked up
After my new friend dropped me off, I situated myself on the side of the road with my sign for where I wanted to go. At first a few cars slowed but no one stopped. After 20 min a delivery van stopped and two guys mentioned me in. I threw my bag in back and joined them in the cab. We started making small talk and I found out that they lived in my region of the country. We immediately had plenty to bond over. They were hilarious guys and the trip was full of laughter. At one point they were hungry so we had to hunt for a roadside bakery so they could buy bread (which we all shared) and the continued to ask me hundreds of questions. They invited me onward to Tbilisi but I declined and got off at my destination.
Vineyards in Lagodekhi region
The next day I had to head back to the training center and I decided to hitchhike again. This time another nice man picked me up. He happened to be from Ukraine and we had a great conversation. He took me about halfway before turning off to go down a different road. He couldn't keep his Russian and Georgian straight he had a great time and I told him how much I enjoyed Ukraine. Always an adventure.
No seat no problem.
Tusheti
Several other volunteers were planning a weekend camping trip and invited me along. We met in Tbilisi after our FLEX training and celebrated Alan's departure for the US (yet another PCV headed home, so many good byes lately). We ate great food and even ordered an entire iris pie from the Rooms Hotel (this dessert is worth a visit to Tbilisi all by itself). Then we went to the store to buy supplies for our journey the next day.
Our white chariot up the mountain
To reach Tusheti we had to take a taxi to a monastery in Eastern Georgia where our driver met us in his 4-wheel drive, 9 person jeep. The road up to Tusheti took 4 hours and was mostly a unimproved, single lane, dirt road which switched up and down several mountains. It is easily one of the most dangerous roads in Georgia. Just to go to Tusheti we have to get explicit permission from Peace Corps staff due to the remote location and history of unforeseen problems. The road up is only open for 3 months a year and most families who live in Tusheti only stay for the summer months because winter can be so harsh.
Climbing into the clouds
Diklo
We got to our first village, Diklo, late Friday afternoon and set up our camp right outside of town just as it started to rain. There were 8 of us in 2 man tents so it made gathering difficult. Once the rain stopped some old village woman wandered over to our camp and offered us a pot of herbal tea because she was worried about our health. Later that evening we ate homemade lamb khinkali in a local's home. They happened to all speak Spanish because they had lived there for several years before coming back to Georgia, that made everything easier.
Magic Tushetian tea
A common site in Georgia, especially in the mountains, are the Caucasian shepherd dogs. I am terrified of them given their size and often aggressive behaviour. While leaving dinner the girls befriended a stray Caucasian Shepard and she followed us back to camp- they named her Gertrude (Gerdie for short). She spent all night in our camp "protecting" us. In the morning we noticed what she'd been protecting us from- a herd of cows. Whenever a cow would come into camp she would chase it away. It was hilarious to watch.
Camp with a view
That morning when we went on a hike to the ruins of Old Diklo she accompanied us. As we passed by a flock of sheep and the shepherd's dog came after us she took the lead and stood her ground until the shepherd could call his dog off. She was a loyal friend. We explored the amazing ruins and returned to camp and slowly packed up. At some point during the morning Nate realized that his jacket was missing and we searched while we packed. However, by the time we were all ready to go the jacket still had not been found. We began to head out of town but decided to run back and look around one last time. That morning we'd seen a cow up on the hill chewing a plastic sack and had made many jokes. When we returned to search for the jacket we realized that the cow had in fact been chewing on the jacket which had been left outside all night. Needless to say the jacket was in poor condition, but luckily the bovine hadn't managed to eat the camera in the jacket pocket. In a test of cow vs goretex though I can testify that the cow wins.
Meet Gurdie
Shenaklo
The hike down to the next village was short and mostly went through a beautiful valley. It was a bright sunny day and we covered the distance quickly. We were sad that Gurdie had decided to stay behind but assumed it was probably for the best. The village sat high upon a hill and we decided to camp outside of its boundaries so we scouted around until we found a decent area near the edge of the forest. We set up camp and had a delicious meal of cucumbers, bread, mystery sandwich meat, and cheese.
Following the leader
Next we wandered off to find the supposed Fortress of Love where to lovers from different villages were forced to live on their own because no one approved of their marriage. The story has it that when the invaders came they ransacked and destroyed both the villages but the lovers were spared because they lived in a secluded area and today all the people in the area are their descendants. After a walk we found some old ruins which we decided were the fortress of love, but there wasn't a marker so who knows.
Lunch of champions
After exploring the fortress we headed back towards town in search of a spring to fill our water bottles. We ended up climbing the hill to the top where some kids directed us to a place to fill out bottles. As we were walking to the place I saw a massive dog coming down the path and moved to get out of the way- I swear they are part bear. We were all a little nervous until we realized that it was in fact Gurdie our friend from the other village. She had followed our trail to the other village and found us. It was quite the homeward bound moment.
Homeward Bound moment with Gurdie
The rest of the evening was relaxed and we ate dinner in a local guesthouse where we ran into another volunteer and his parents on vacation. Near the end of dinner it started to rain so we left in a hurry to get back to camp. By 9pm we were in our tents and the rain began to come down hard, and it didn't let up at all the whole night. We were stuck in our tents listening the the rain and hoping we could avoid getting wet.
Possible Fortress of Love
Dartlo
It rained all night and I took several tablets of pepto because I wasn't about to go out in the rain! Around 8 the rain slowed and we were able to get out and start to plan the day. Our driver wasn't able to reach us so we were going to have to hike down the mountain and up the next one to reach Omalo where our driver would meet us to take us out to a far village. We quickly cleaned and packed our camp so we could get out onto the trail before the rain started up again.
Descending out of the clouds to climb the next mountain
The way out of town was a muddy mess. We trudged along until we got to the end of the ridge and began to take the switchbacks down the face. Once we reached the river it was back up on the other side and then it started to rain. By the time we reached the final couple of switches we were slipping and sliding as we attempted to make the final climb. At the final moment as we began to crest the trail our driver appeared like a deus ex machina. We quickly loaded into the jeep and went flying off through the mud onto our next destination.
Dartlo
We arrived in Dartlo and made a group choice to fore go another night in tents and we booked beds in a guesthouse. Then we went out to explore the town. We were situated on a hillside at the base of a beautiful mountain with a runoff waterfall. The town was in the process of being restored and looked really impressive. At the top of the mountain we could see some towers so we decided to climb up and check the out. Almost 2 hours later we arrived at the peak- exhausted, wet, and thirsty; it was a beautiful view and despite the terrible climb there was also a guesthouse at the top.
View from the top
After we returned to camp we had a great final dinner and then decided to play some cards back in our room. While we were playing on of the other volunteers came in and was mysteriously bloody. He'd slipped in the rain and hit his head on the shale made stairs and had a rather large cut on the back of his head. It was late, he was a little out of it, and we had few supplies on hand. Luckily between the group we had all we needed to bandage him up and stop the bleeding. There was no way to get him out that night if needed so we were lucky it wasn't worse. It definitely made things more interesting.
#SquadGoals right?
Back to Civilization
We got up early the next morning and cleaned up our bloody mess from the night before. Luckily the volunteer was ok and there was no need for further attention. The driver came and we started out 5 hour drive back to the town at the base of the mountains. It was a bumpy ride but the views are amazing. Stunning vistas from every window. We eventually reached the small town where our driver left us and then we loaded onto a marshutka to head back to Tbilisi an almost 8 hour journey from door to door. It was exhausting so we rewarded ourselves with a trip to Wendys and I decided to download Pokemon Go to see what the fuss was all about. I caught my first Pokemon there in the entrance to Wendys- classic.
Last stop before the final descent
See some more beautiful views from Tusheti in the video below:
This last week I had to opportunity to travel to the far eastern end of Georgia and spend time with some of the best Georgian youth I have ever met. I have been looking forward to this past week ever since I traveled to Kazakhstan in April, and it did not disappoint.
The 2016 FLEX Georgian FLEX students!
If you remember, I traveled to Almaty to attend a teacher training for the FLEX program's pre-departure orientation. The training was great but the real excitement was getting the opportunity to meet and teach these future leaders before they take off for their exchange year in the USA. I have been doing a lot of work for the past three months to prepare for the lessons I would be teaching. I was assigned a FLEX alumni (the ever incredible Nino Jibuti) and together we planned out our 8 lessons and created numerous flip charts, activities, and other visual aids.
Our training center in Kvareli (sorry for stealing Alan)
To become FLEX program finalists these kids have already passed three intense rounds of english testing, essay writing, interviews, teamwork activities, and a very lengthy application. They were chosen by a group of volunteer judges in the US based on their ability to demonstrate flexibility, a communicative nature, leadership, and a satisfactory understanding of English. I have no idea how many students attempt every year but from the thousands of students across Georgia only 80 were chosen to participate.
FLEX students hard at work
At the PDO training they attend 12 sessions varying in length from 60 to 100 min long (it's often just as hard to teach for that long as I would imagine it is to sit and listen). The topics we taught covered things like- how American and Georgian cultural values differ, what it is like living in a host family, diversity and tolerance, adjusting to life away from home, what American high schools are like, and how to make friends in the US. We talked about why they can't say the N-word even if they hear it in American music. There was conversations about personal space as well as the less strictly defined gender roles (especially referring to cooking and cleaning).
Nino and I with our students
When we talked about host families many students shared with us what they already know about their host families. We talked about diversity and stereotypes since all families were different and none of them really fit into the stereotype that they had expected. Some were going to retired couples, other to young families. There were students going to small rural towns and some to the suburbs of DC. One student was going to have two host moms and another was going to a Mexican-American family in New Mexico. Everyone was going to have a different experience and many students told me that they were most excited about experiencing a truly diverse culture.
Classic "crazy" pose picture
While I am excited to see where these wonderful students go and what they do (especially the two who are headed to Utah!); teaching and preparing for these lessons left me with a lot of thoughts and impressions about my time abroad and current events in the US. One of the key phrases that we teach the students is: "It's not better not worse, just different." It slowly becomes a bit of a mantra for their exchange year.
Alex and I working together, yet again
From my lesson- There will be many times where you see that people are doing something different from what you are used to in Georgia. You will most likely say to yourself- "They're doing it wrong" or "The Georgian way is better" however if you stop and ask why you might find yourself thinking- "because it is" or "I don't know" this a sign of ethnocentrism and a moment to stop and say- "It's not better not worse, just different."
Kristi our Georgian FLEX program leader
Now as any good teacher would do I immediately recognized the hypocrisy of my ways. I've spent a lot of time abroad for various reasons and I really do believe in this mantra. However, I still find myself (especially when frustrated) projecting the superiority of my American ways/ideas on whatever culture seems to be just a little bit off (does it matter that my host mom and I can't seem to agree on the proper way to store shoes or make a bed?). I think many of us could try to incorporate this thought into our minds as we interact with people from various backgrounds, cultures, beliefs etc. It might just help us increase understanding and communication. (Now don't take this to the extreme, things like honor killings could be defended under this same mantra but I would 100% disagree and claim that that is wrong.)
The American PDO teachers
Another thought I had came from our discussions of diversity and tolerance, ideas that are at the core of the American story and experience. Unfortunately, these ideas also seem to be under attack back at home. Fear, prejudice, and racism seem to have taken the front seat while appreciation for diversity and tolerance have been pushed aside. I would tell my students about how wonderful it is to interact with so many different people and how much you can learn just by talking to someone. I didn't tell them about how much misunderstanding and prejudice there still. I didn't mention that after all these years Americans still haven't learned how to really practice what we preach. How tolerance is still a work in progress and diversity's celebration is continuously postponed.
Playing egg toss with the kids
There were many other great and even some humorous teaching moments. We had to talk about hygiene habits and how to interact with the opposite sex, but we also celebrated the 4th of July. I told students that it is ok to sit on the floor and how pets are family members. We commiserated over the lack of khachapuri and khinkali but I told them about the wonders of snow cones, tacos, and pad thai. I made sure they all understood American manners and they all promised to be polite. After a week of training I can confidently say that these students are ready- America are you?
In a bit of a whomp whomp turn of events, the weather has decided to not cooperate with me today. I've found myself indoors on the computer and able to get back to updating my blog- thank the rain not me.
So I've gotten into taking 360 pics and this is what they look like when the computer isn't cooperating...
I finally made it back to my site on Father's day and was able to talk with my family for a bit. The next three days were all about getting the summer months started on the right foot. First I met with my counterpart teachers to start planning for the school year. Afterwards I stopped by the post office to pick up my shipment of English books from the Darien BookAid group. They are a volunteer organization that accepts book donations and then allows PCVs around the world to write to them and request a free shipment of books, my school is so excited to have these new books as learning tool.
My book order arrived, via France apparently
After getting school business all squared away it was time to get summer vacation business started and that included a trip to the beach. For this first trip I brought along a rake and spent some time raking up a nice piece of beach for my use throughout the summer. Storms tend to bring trash and debris to the beach and there is no one there to take care of it so things can get pretty bad. Luckily my section is now looking great!
Shout out to anyone following LogansCalves on instagram still
The next day our new sitemate (a G16 PCV assigned to Poti) came to visit for a few days like we had done last year. His visit coincided with a G6 (PCV from 2006-2008) who came back as part of a 10 year anniversary trip. It was a lot of fun to hear about Poti almost a decade ago and to be able to see the changes in the city from what she had known. Of course our day ended at the beach once again. We had a great time and Randi and I are both excited to have another sitemate in town who we can do some great work with.
I might have stolen this from his facebook but...meet our new friend
After a few days at site I was off again on the next leg of summer travel and business. The next stop was a training with the 8 Georgian counselors for our boys' summer camp. These 8 guys have proven to be top notch stellar young men who are really looking to make a difference. It was so much fun getting to know them and introduce them to our plans for this summer's camp. I we ran through plans for camp and then I gave a training on teaching and how to approach their roles as counselors to the boys who will be attending our camp. After the training was over they had their first hard task- selecting which 56 boys would be our finalists from a list of close to 300 applicants! BUILD camp has grown a lot from the small 3 counselor 20 boy group that we had last year. I am getting more and more excited to see what we will be able to pull of this summer when camp finally arrives.
Vardzia the 11th cent cave city
The next task was finishing my preparations for the FLEX pre-departure orientation (PDO) that was going to be taking place the next weekend. Prepping for PDO has been very insightful for me as I study the lessons and messages we want to convey to these new exchange students. I have found myself reflecting more on my own experiences abroad and the attitudes I bring to the situations I find myself in. I can only imagine what their experiences will be like in the USA.
More holes in rocks
After a long day of work in the office I took a cab back to Gori where I met up with Daniel who had been off traveling and then I headed back to Skra to visit my host family. I was able to spend the night with them before heading to Ateni (a nearby village) on Saturday to set up our Megobari picnic, an annual tradition where the old and new volunteers are finally able to meet each other and start to mingle and get to know each other better. Last year the picnic wasn't very enjoyable we really wanted to plan a great one for the volunteers this year, and I think we did. The location was cool and shady and we had plenty of food and some activities as well. There have been a lot of goodbyes lately as G14 volunteers have closed out their service and began to depart, but it has also been exciting to get to know the new volunteers who we will get to serve with during our last year in Georgia. Mixed emotions all around!
I'm chaperoning this bunch
After the picnic Melody and I made our way back to Skra to spend some more time with my host family. Spending time with them means eating copious amounts of fresh fruit which no one could complain again. We ate cherries and raspberries until it hurt! This is my favorite time of year in the village and the only thing missing was a swim in the river. That house will forever be one of my peace places in this world and somewhere I hope to be able to visit again even after I leave Georgia.
Campfire fun with 15-16 year olds
From the village we headed back into Tbilisi and on Sunday I was able to meet and greet some more friends from the States. Brooke has been traveling around the world for over a year and finally made it to Georgia where she is bouncing around for a month. Jordan and company have been traveling around Turkey and Albania and stopped by Georgia for a few days so I was able to show them around Tbilisi. I love getting out into the city with friends and being able to share some of the things that I love most about Georgia. It really is a fantastic place!
The Rabati fortress
Monday morning I was on the move again. This time I was headed back west and planned to meet up halfway with some of my English club students who were headed out on a field trip. They were crammed onto a marshutka and kindly allowed me to follow them in Goga's car where there was AC and not 20 kids singing pop songs at the top of their lungs. With the amount of miles we covered I don't know if I would have survived the trip.
From the top of the citadel in Rabati
Our first stop was the old 12th century cave city of Vardzia. It was unlike anywhere else I had been. It was a city carved into the side of a mountain. We explored various rooms with secret passageways and even a working church that is still used by local monks and visitors. After the caves we traveled into the mountains and up to an old observatory where we learned about some Georgian astronomy history. After a great tour we ended up in a meadow down the mountain where we had a picnic dinner which we cooked over the fire and included all the Georgian staples of bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, khachapuri, and meat. Then there was a fire, music, and lots of Georgian dancing.
Pano time
The next day we got up and visited the fortress known as Rabati which was beautiful. In the Rabati area there was a synagogue, orthodox church, and a mosque. The only other place with all three in Georgia would be Tbilisi. The place was immaculate and beautiful. We took a tour and visited their museum which had a great history of the region connecting it to ancient world history in BC taking place in the Middle East. A highlight for most of the students however, was the filming of some new Indian movie which was going on while we were visiting and ended up being a major distraction for all of them. If I ever find out what they were filming maybe I'll watch it.
This place is called the Green Monastery, fitting name
After the Rabati fortress we took a trip to another peaceful mountain monastery and then to Borjomi to rest and eat some food. We ordered some 300 khinkali thinking that the students would be starving and eat it all but we were wrong (there was no way 30 people would eat 300 khinkali, but Georgian pride dictates that you must be able to eat a lot of khinkali and should never run out). Then it was back to Poti in a rainstorm that seemed to never end.
Nice topographic map of Georgia I found in Borjomi, Poti is where that lighthouse is
When I arrived in Poti late Tuesday night I was surprised to be greeted by a couple of G14s who had asked if they could spend the night at my house while they waited for their ship to leave the next morning. Only their ship ended up getting delayed 3 days and they spent all that time in Poti with my host family. It was great to see Sarah and Joe again before they left the country but I felt bad they'd been stranded at my house for so long without me there. However, my host family is the best and they made them feel right at home. Luckily the next day they were finally able to set sail and I had enough time to do some wash and start packing again for my next summer adventure,
