Sliding Into the Homestretch

Ladies and gentlemen we are now in the homestretch. I have 5 months left. I am out of leave days, and I have no more money so I am here in Georgia until I finish in mid/late June. I can do this!

After my delayed return from Bulgaria I had to spent a few days in Kutaisi to figure out how to buy a whiteboard and transport it back to Poti. I never knew it was going to end up being so complicated. I was finally able to work it out with a store and showed up at 10am to pick everything up. We loaded some things into the shop assistant's car and then he motioned for me to put the 2x1 meter board on the roof of the car and then hold onto it from the front seat with my hand out the window (it wasn't secured at all). He then held it down on his side and started up the car. Before we could pull out though he decided to light up a cigarette and then we drove off. He opted to take the back roads as well as a few sidewalks. Halfway though he answered a phone call while still smoking, driving, and holding the whiteboard down. (HE ONLY HAS 2 HANDS!) Luckily he was skilled with his knee and we avoided all the potholes on the way. Apparently the marshutka had already left the station so we needed to catch it on the way out of town which we did and which lead to this sight-

Just strapping my whiteboard to the roof of this marshutka

This was the last major purchase I had to make with my grant money so I was stoked to have it all done with. However, when I got to Poti I discovered that they had given me the wrong size whiteboard stand so I need to go back to Kutaisi to exchange that. It's a never ending struggle.

Fast forward to later that same night when Randi asked if I could help the NGO she works for. They were looking for someone to play Santa while they delivered toys they had collected for some needy kids in town. It was SO MUCH FUN! The kids loved seeing Santa Clause, they loved they toys, and I loved playing the part. This was never on my bucket list, but I am putting it on my list now and checking it off!

The best Santa Claus you ever did see

Another great moment came when I was able to go and visit my orphan friends nearby. I had brought some gifts back from home for them but I hadn't been able to deliver them until I got back from Bulgaria. I brought them their own copy of UNO as well as Chutes and Ladders and Candyland. I had a blast teaching them how to play some of the games and they loves all the new things that there was to discover and learn. However turn based games are difficult for them so learning to wait their turn is going to be REALLY hard. 

Playing games with the orphans 

After being home for a whole 1 day, I left again the next morning to travel back across the country and visit my PST host family. In Georgia they use 2 different calendars, the one most of us are used to and then an old Orthodox calendar which tends to have different dates for holidays like Christmas- Jan 8th, and New Years- Jan 14th. Hence I was going to spend Old New Year's Day in the village with one of my favorite families. It was well worth it!

Cute little Dima

I live in a larger city so we don't always practice old traditions and customs so there was plenty to learn while I was in the village. For example, you can imagine my surprise when I opened a pot that was cooking on the wood stove and found a severed pig's head boiling... Apparently this is a common delicacy for the season and everyone loves it. Cue having a pig head starring at me from the dinner table while eating. Pig's head aside, everything else was delicious. I didn't do much while visiting but that is hardly a problem. We ate and ate and talked and talked and I read and read. After weeks of travel and running around it was nice to finally be able to relax and have some peace and quiet- something that is elusive here in Georgia. 

Oh look what's for dinner

Now school is back in session. All the teachers are back and they have changed the class schedule on me once again so I had to adjust my teaching schedule. I had to give up teaching my adorable 1st graders and pick up a class of not so adorable 9th graders- they aren't too back though. I have 5 more months of teaching so we'll see how much progress we can make in the short amount of time that is left. 

He says that the ears are delicious

On a final note, we got an email today inviting us to apply for our close of service dates. I'll probably be choosing June 18th or 19th. That means I really only have 5 months left- crazy, I am still waiting to hear back on all my applications but it is crazy to me that time is winding down so quickly. School will end, I'll wrap up my service, then I'll probably say my goodbyes and do some traveling before heading home and moving on to the new changes that will hopefully be waiting for me. I can't wait to figure out what those changes will be. 

A Frozen Escape

It is now a week since I was in Stockholm, flying home from the US. I am currently sitting on a train passing through the Bulgarian countryside, there is plenty to catch up on. When I arrived home I found that my host grandmother and mother had both gotten ill and I was unwilling to risk getting sick so I spent a lot of time holed up in my room. This was a good thing since it isolated me and got me to really start working on my grad school applications. The application process has become very cumbersome and I just wanted to be done. I feel like I am ready for grad school, however applying for school was intimidating since I have decided to apply to some of the top programs and schools. Also I haven’t had to write anything of importance (besides this stream of consciousness blog) in years so my writing skills have gotten rusty.

First snowy night in Sofia

I am looking at studying International Affairs and Public Policy. The programs that I am applying to are all interdisciplinary with bits of business, finance, political science, economics, history, and other disciplines mixed together. Despite the anxiety of applications, the process left me excited at the prospect of going back to school. In the end I decided to apply to Georgetown’s Masters of Foreign Service, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Columbia’s Masters of International Affairs, and Tufts Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy. Now I just need to wait 3 months to see if I get in and if I can get any funding to help pay for it. One semester alone will end up costing more than my entire undergrad…

Some late night sightseeing in the snow

As for Bulgaria, this trip has become a reward for finishing my applications. I originally booked a cheap ticket to Sofia in the fall and after booking a ticket to the US wasn’t going to be able to use the Sofia one. However, they ended up canceling my original flight and I had to rebook. It ended up working out perfectly and I rebooked for a shorter time period that would actually work for me. I told myself however that I wouldn’t be able to come on this trip unless I had finished my applications so at 1am the night before/day of my flight, I finished my final two applications and packed my bags.

Hitting up museums to stay warm

Just like in the US the snow started in Sofia the moment my plan landed, and it went for two days. I hadn’t planned any part of my trip before my arrival so things have been very flexible. A fellow PCV Evan ended up being on my same flight so we have met up a few times. Additionally, two G14s who have already left Georgia met up with us in Sofia so my solo trip hasn’t been all that solo so far. The past three days have been a lot of fun- minus the snow and below freezing temperatures. Sofia isn’t much larger than Tbilisi but due to its location and geography it has a more diverse population and food scene. Food is one of the most important parts of traveling, and Sofia is doing a great job at providing a variety of flavors.

Old Communist Party HQ for Bulgaria... I bet it was always a party in there...

I am back in Georgia now and it is nice to look back on my trip to Bulgaria from a far. Sofia was a great city to explore and there is plenty that would be worth coming back to see- hopefully in warmer temperatures. On Sunday I got up early to catch a train to Bulgaria’s second largest city, Plovdiv. The process was complicated since I don’t speak Bulgarian and no one seemed to speak English. Luckily the train was late and I had plenty of time to figure out where to go and what to do.

Luckily it was so cold our there wasn't a single person or car out to get in the way of this shot

When I arrived in Plovdiv I was excited because it instantly felt warmer. So warm that I decided to walk a bit before finding a bush that could take me to the local church that I had found online. The congregation was really small because of the cold but it was nice to meet some friendly Bulgarians as well as some of the local missionaries. After church I found a hostel to check into and then set out to explore the town. I started with an interesting museum and then walked around outside but I didn’t last long due to the cold. The night did culminate with the first decent Mexican food I have had on this side of the Atlantic so I’ll mark the day as a win.

Another museum detour, but this one wasn't heated.

Most of that night was spent in the hostel talking to two others travelers, one from Malaysia and the other from Finland. The topics for discussion were wide ranging and so were the views and perspectives from each person. The people you meet when traveling are fascinating and the conversations always have something to offer if you just pay close attention.

More snowy churches 

The next morning things were better and I was able to see more of this historic town. Plovdiv is over 6,000 years old. There was so much history to learn. There were ruins from the Roman empire as well as revival homes and structures from the 17th century as well as modern bohemian/hipster neighborhoods. Plovdiv was A-ok in my book. (I should note that it is also more deserving of a visit in the non-winter months so that you can more fully take advantage of is surrounding nature and natural beautify.

It was so cold my phone died after taking this picture. 

After 2 days in Plovdiv I took another train back to Sofia where much to my dismay it had started snowing again. The train was an hour delayed and many stores were closed when I got in so I gave up on my search for food and just went to bed. The next morning I gorged myself on free breakfast at the first opportunity and then made sure that the last thing I did was grab what Evan declared to be the best panni he had ever eating- it was pretty amazing!

Traditional Bulgarian houses

When I got back to the hostel to check out I happened to noticed that another traveler had just called a cab so I offered to split it with him. Coincidentally he was also traveling to Georgia. His name was Jin and he is from South Korea. He has been traveling for months, including traveling on the trans-Siberian railway. We stuck together which was nice since it took us 90 minutes to check in and get to the gate, it was a madhouse. Once we arrived at the gate it was time to board and then our luck ran out as we continued to sit on board for 3 hours waiting for take-off. After 3 hours they had to deplane everyone and we went inside but less than an hour later we were cleared to go and had to run back to the plane. Even then it took about and 1 or more to eventually take off. We arrived in Georgia 5 hours late.

5 hours on the runway...

I am back now and everything is great (or at least seems that way) because the weather is considerably warmer. I am no longer freezing nor wrapped from head to toe in various layers of fabric trying to escape the frigid air. I am out of leave days now so it is time to buckle down. There are about 5 more months to go and plenty of projects to complete in the meantime.

Home for Christmas

Going home during my Peace Corps service was never something I had planned on, but it was a much needed break. I love living and working in Georgia, my overall experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer has been phenomenal. However, as I mentioned previously, it is easy to get worn out in the daily grind. When I am in Georgia I feel that I have to always be “on.” The moments when I can truly relax are few and far between. Part of this is due to Georgian culture and the other part is due to the Peace Corps culture of being a volunteer 24/7. Thus going home became an opportunity to truly relax.

The annual Christmas tree of lights around the statue of St George in Freedom Square

The trip home went smoothly but I was prepared for the worst. The evening before my flight I met up with some other volunteers and we went to a nice dinner to celebrate Liz’s birthday. Afterwards we went out dancing and then it was time for me to gather my things and head to the airport for my 4am flight. I had a 6-hour layover in Stockholm and opted to stay in the airport rather than venture out. Luckily I found that the airport hotel had an offer for people to use their gym/spa and eat breakfast so that is what I did. The entire experience was wonderful. The buffet breakfast was simply amazing (if I was a crier, I probably would’ve cried when I saw it). The people so kind. The pool and sauna were relaxing. I could go on an on.

Christmas Eve PJs with the family

After leaving from Stockholm I had a direct flight to Las Vegas and then it was on to Salt Lake City. I had no issues picking up and rechecking my luggage at each stage, even better the large snow storm didn’t hit Utah until I landed. Once I had my luggage it was into the car and straight home for some Christmas Eve festivities.

A white Christmas

Being home for this Christmas was perfect because it was the first time my whole family has been together in 3 years. All of my siblings were there, as well as their spouses and my new little nephew. Home is home and it was good to be back. Christmas day was cold and snowy- just like it should be. There was so much food to be eaten and I didn’t hold back one bit- too many flavors to savor and too little time.

My adorable nephew Zealand 

The most common question I was asked was if it was strange to be back. Did I have reverse culture shock? Honestly, it just felt normal. I think I have spent enough time abroad that I can adapt to new things easily enough, but I don’t forget what home or my normal is like. That being said I can say that I was utterly amazed by the toilets in America. I had forgotten how they flush and I was mesmerized every time. The silent swirling water stands in contrast so the variety of flushes in Georgia.

Family picture in the snow

The majority of my time home was spent visiting people. I visited friends from high school, college, and DC. I also spent time with grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins. Best of all I spent hours playing with my adorable nephew. I was glad I was able to meet him while he is still small. By the time I make it home he will probably be a year old, walking, and beginning to gabber.

3pm Stockholm sunset

After a week at home I was ready to get back to Georgia and finish my work. The return flight took the same route, except this time I took the time to leave the airport and visit Stockholm. It was New Year’s day so many businesses were closed and I had a hard time finding a reasonable place to eat. I walked a lot until I found a restaurant serving traditional Swedish food- the reindeer meatballs were delicious! After eating I wandered the town and checked out some sights. I think my favorite moment was when I walked into an old church and was doing some reflecting on the New Year, a lady came into the church sat at the organ and played, How Great Thou Art. A favorite hymn of mine which just warmed my soul.

Wandering the streets of Stockholm

Stockholm was a beautiful city. It was brisk but not oppressive and everyone was friendly. The strangest part was the 3pm sunset. I hadn’t thought much about that before, but given how far north the city is the days are considerably shorter. It was helpful for my jet lag though because it tricked my body into thinking I spent a whole day in Sweden so the 36 hours home felt like 48 and my body has adjusted rapidly. Soon enough I was in Tbilisi. The bus wasn’t operating for some reason so I had to take a taxi home- I hate the airport taxis. The driver agreed to a decent fare but he wouldn’t stop pestering me to teach him English and help him get a job in Germany. He also drove at least 20-30 kmh under the speed limit and kept taking shots of vodka as he drove...Welcome back to Georgia :)