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.