Mom Came Down to Georgia: part 1

I need to preface my blog by stating that I am not a well-traveled person.  The extent of my travel includes only brief trips to Mexico and Canada.   Therefore, flying around the world was an adventure beyond my wildest dreams- or nightmares I wasn't quite sure which when I began this adventure. 

I left the comforts of home and familiar food Wednesday morning but given the distance I didn't arrive in Tbilisi until Friday morning.  I had a 12-hour layover in Istanbul Turkey which was an adventure in itself and one I don't wish to ever repeat. As soon as I got on the plane to Georgia I felt like I had stepped back in time.  The crew was dressed in skirts and blouses with little hats, and we boarded the plan by walking out on the tarmac and up a portable set of stairs. For me, it was definitely a step back in time.

I arrived in Tbilisi sometime around 2:00 am, and I must say it was good to see Logan’s happy face waiting for me just outside the baggage claim.  I was tired, hungry and ready to be with someone who could just take over and let me just relax.  After a big hug we were off to start our adventure together.  As we walked towards the exit he leaned in to tell me to brace myself for what was waiting outside. How crazy could it be?  Its 2:00 am, shouldn't most people be in bed? How wrong I was.  I think every taxi driver the country was waiting outside smoking and yelling.  I almost wanted to turn back, but grabbed my son’s arm and held on to him and my luggage.  After what sounded like a yelling match and some very unhappy people, Logan turned to me and pointed out the taxi to get into.  I wasn't sure this was a good idea - after all hadn't they just been fighting?  I soon found out that this is how Georgians speak - loud and full of emotion.  Let the fun begin!

The capital city of Tbilisi was a good place to start acclimating me to this foreign country.  English is still commonly spoken, and there are a few American style restaurants here and there.  Including the dessert shop Luca Polare which sold the best gelato I have ever had, I’m not a huge ice cream fan but I loved this stuff! 

The first stop on my tour was the Peace Corp office. Getting to meet all the people behind the scenes working to keep Logan safe, productive, and happy was wonderful.  I have a new love and appreciation for all of them.  After a quick bite to eat we stopped by the FLEX (State Dept. funded high school exchange) program office and Logan introduced me to some of the Georgians he has worked with.  I was so amazed at the work they do and the caliber of the kids that are in this program.  Finally, we headed out to explore the city - touring through old town Tbilisi, my first castle, a waterfall, several churches, and a mosque until sundown. 

That evening we met up with other PCVs at the new "Hard Rock" Tbilisi.  Knowing this was probably my last familiar meal I really enjoyed myself, but probably not as much as the PCV's who have gone without some of these American favorites for much longer than me.  It was fun to get to meet and interact with so many of them and to get to celebrate Melody’s birthday.  We then decided to make the night last a little longer and take the funicular up to the Ferris wheel on top of the hill overlooking Tbilisi.  Unfortunately, we arrived just after the Ferris wheel had closed for the night, so we settled for some hot doughnuts and ice cream. Luckily, Logan decided we needed to walk home rather than take a taxi so we could at least pretend to work off the food we’d just eaten. It was way past my bedtime when we arrived back at the AirBnb and I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.  

Saturday morning, I woke up to see Logan dressed and ready for the day. I wasn't about to let him think his mother was too old and/or out of shape so I quickly got ready for another long day.  We were soon on our way to the transit station for another taxi cab shouting/haggling match. We found a driver and were off. Our first stop was the Ananauri Fortress, built on a hill overlooking a valley/present day reservoir.  The view was stunning.  Next, we were continued onto the town of Stepatsminda at the base of Mount Kazbegi.  As we neared the guesthouse our driver started complaining about the dirt road and began to drive slowly and carefully like his vehicle was some precious commodity regardless of the fact that he’d spent the past two hours roaring through the mountains like it was the Indy 500. 

Kazbegi turned out to be an adventure I wasn't ready for.  We took another car up the mountain and it was most definitely the scariest journey of my life. The bumpy dirt roads were barely wide enough for one vehicle, and yet they were packed in both directions with large vans flying around corners with and narrowly squeezing past each other as they barely avoided going off the edge.  I spent the ride praying and hanging onto dear life while Logan sat utterly relaxed.

After a long day of hiking, walking, and exploring we headed to our guest house only to find that there was a miscommunication and dinner was not waiting for us. We had to walk all the way back down to the town to get some dinner.  Like the lunch we had earlier in the day, dinner didn’t turn out very well. I started to wonder if I’d find anything I like to eat, besides the tomato and cucumber salad which was quickly becoming my staple.  Later we walk back up the hill to our our cold no heater-less room.  Logan told me this was just a mild taste of what winter was like. We hunkered down in our beds with our covers pulled over our heads – it’s just like camping, I kept telling myself.  

(I would like to note that on this day I got over 30,000 steps and climbed over 221 flights of stairs according to my Vivofit, Logan was not taking it easy on me.) 

Sunday morning, we headed back to Tbilisi to attend church.  We were a little late but considering the 3 hour marshutka ride back into town, I was just glad we made it there at all.  Church was another new experience for me. I've never attend church meetings that weren’t in English. Here they were speaking Georgian, Russian, and some English.  My favorite part was getting to attend the primary classes and see these sweet spirits singing familiar songs in Georgian and English.  Later that day, after some more sightseeing, we ended our time in Tbilisi by going to dinner with Logan’s friend Nino, a FLEX alumnus.  She was so nice and kind and I so loved hearing her speak English as if it was her native language.  At dinner I laughed as she and Logan talked about FLEX exchange students and their experiences in the US. Afterwards we parted ways and we gathered out belongings and headed to Melody’s house in Tserovani.

Tserovani is an IDP (internally displaced person, like an internal refugee) settlement. Overall, it was much better than I had imagined.  I had pictured a refugee camp with haphazardly built shelters and homes. This settlement was made of identical homes- 2 bedrooms, living room, bathroom and kitchen.  I was amazed to learn that these hundreds of homes were built in just a few months following the August 2008 war with Russia when many  of these people were forced to flee from their homes in the now occupied territory.

After our tour of the settlement with Melody we headed to the old Georgian capital of Mskheta. A quaint town with picturesque streets and shops.  We meet up with Sophia a PCV with Logan’s group and had lunch. With some convincing I decided to give khinkali (Georgian dumplings) another try.  They were so much better than the ones we'd had in Kazbegi.  I really liked it, and since Sophia was there we were even able to order mushroom khinkali without many objections from Logan.  Our stay in Mskheta was short because we needed to board another marshutka, this time to Gori (Stalin’s birthplace) followed by a short taxi ride to Skra (the small village Logan spent his first three months in).

By visiting Skra I finally get to meet Logan’s first host family and who I refer to as his Village Family.  As soon as we stopped in front of the house the family was out the street to meet us.  Logan was quickly hugged and welcomed like their long lost son.  I loved seeing how much he has been welcomed into this family.  I could see right away why Logan likes to come back and visit them whenever possible.  Irma, the host mom, was so warm and kind to me. She was eager to show me around the village and all through their orchards and vineyards.  It was a beautiful place and I loved walking around a learning about their way of life.  It was late when we made it back to the house but Irma still had plans to serve some of Logan’s favorite foods.  In no time at all, there were all kinds of food being set out for us. It was so much more than I could ever imagine eating on an empty stomach, not to mention the fact that my stomach was still adjusting to all the new foods and tastes.  I tried as much as I dared and Logan covered for me a few times by eating off my plate or making it look like I had tried more than I actually did.  I certainly didn't want to offend anyone, but at the same time I knew that my fragile stomach could only handle so much. To top it all off I even got to experience the dreaded outhouse I had seen pictures of a year ago.  It wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected, but I was fine only visiting it once. Thankfully my body agreed with my mind.

Tuesday once again started bright and early, we said our good byes and caught a train from the village to Borjomi. Turns out the train is much more enjoyable than the marshutka. Borjomi was our destination but we stopped only long enough to drop off our stuff off and catch the next marshutka. 

Marshutkas are always an adventure, and this day it didn't disappoint.  We found the spot to wait and soon the marshutka pulled up. As soon as we started to approach it another newer marshutka pulled up behind. We decided we would just get on that one instead.  As we got on the second marshutka the first driver came around asking us what we were doing and launched into a triad yelling at our driver and seemingly us and others who choose this vehicle over his. Most Georgian sounds like yelling but I knew without a doubt this was no holds barred yelling.  The guy was going postal.  There was no way I was going to get on that marshutka with this stark raving lunatic.  After no one decided to move he took off squeezing his tires as he left.  Our driver waited around for a few more minutes before taking off.  He had remained calm the entire time, but he must have internalized his anger because he seemed to be taking it all out on the road.  I really thought this might be the end for me.  We were flying around corners, and passing everything in our way.  In no time at all we passed that first marshutka.  I was so relieved when we finally made it to our destination. I wasn't sure Logan could ever get me back in another marshutka again. 

We met up with another one of Logan’s friends for lunch and then took a taxi up to see the Rabati Fortress.  Finally, a really fortress and not another rundown set of ruins on a mountain top. It was beautiful and everything I imagined a fortress to be.  It had recently undergone some major renovations but it was worth it.  The grounds were amazing, full of color and contrast.  The buildings were restored and refurbished but still maintained the old feel but with a clean look.  I loved hiking up the stairs in the tower and I felt like Rapunzel when we reached the top.  The views from the openings were beyond description.  Taking pictures really didn't do the place justice. 

After spending plenty of time exploring the museum and fortress grounds we headed off to see the ancient cave city of Vardzia, another place I was looking forward to experiencing.  I had reviewed Logan’s pictures before coming and knew this was one place I really wanted to see.  It did not disappoint.  I am still amazed at how this cave city could even exist.  How in the world did these monks create such a place in the side of a mountain?  The caves were used to live in, to eat and prepare food, to worship, and who knows what else. It was unbelievable to think of the community they were able to create in the side of this mountain, not to mention how they got supplies and tools up there to construct what they did.  It would be an arduous endeavor today but to think that it was done almost 1,000 years ago is mind boggling to me. 

When it was time to return to Borjomi and I had no choice but to haul my butt back into another marshutka. We caught the last marshutka headed back to Borjomi and expected the normal 45 min ride. However, this driver unlike all the others was in no hurry to arrive anywhere.  We were driving so slow even semis were passing us.  We stopped for anyone that even remotely looked like they may need a ride somewhere.  You would have thought he was trying to fill empty seats, but no!  We were at capacity with some people standing.  To top this all off we were about 2 miles from our stop when a passenger talked him in to stopping for a break.  It turned out to be a 20-minute smoke break! We arrived back in Borjomi an hour later than expected. Starving and ready for some dinner.

Whoa We're Halfway There

It's the same old drill

I have no pictures to share

So haikus will do

Mid-service training

Singing, dancing, and learning

With my G15s

17 months are up

At least 9 more months to go

Time is flying by

In so little time

Volunteers are like family 

Georgia is my home

Now it is time for school

New classes and new students

New frustrations too?

But first some good news

My mother is coming soon

Friday we shall meet

Just you wait and see

One last bit of summer fun

See you in two weeks!

BUILDing Strong Futures

The exhaustion is real. I have finally spent my first night back in my own bed in almost a month. Following my whirlwind vacation through Europe I arrived back in Georgia at 5 am running on 2.5 hours of sleep. I immediately jumped back into speaking Georgian and found a decent driver to take me back to my place in Poti where I said hello to my host family, dropped off my dirty laundry, grabbed some new clothes, and caught the first van out of town headed to Ureki where I joined up with my summer camp. I mentioned previously how disappointed I was when we had to move the camp but luckily the logistics worked out so that I could join for the end of it all. Throughout my trip I was working in the evenings to make sure thing were going well back in Georgia. We had problem after problem arise. Everything from campers and counselors canceling to problems with logistics and curriculum. This camp has been one of the biggest projects I have worked on while in Georgia and now was the time to put it all on the table and watch how it played out.

Our 28 BUILD campers for week 2

From talking with my fellow volunteers who were present for the first week of camp I could tell that things had been a little rough but they all mentioned that it had been a very positive experience for everyone involved. However, now that week 2 was starting they were exhausted and spent. I got to take a short nap and then it was time to jump back into camp mode.

Making campers earn back their handbooks with some minor embarrassment 

The goal of our BUILD (boys united in leadership development) camp is to help teach the boys the lesson they aren’t getting at home or school. On the first day they are introduced to the concept of goal setting and the various types of leadership. They are also paired off into groups and assigned a counselor who is generally a few years older who acts as their mentor. Day 2 is focused on a basic training in project design and management (PDM) and campers are introduced to the idea that they can become change agents in their own communities. Through the PDM training they begin to develop their ideas for a club or project that they can implement in their own communities which helps to make the camp a more sustainable endeavor rather than a one-week getaway.

Project planning is well underway

Day 3 we begin to push the envelope a bit by teaching sessions on gender equality, positive masculinity, peer pressure, and men’s health. For the most part these are all new ideas for the boys. We challenge the idea that women are somehow inferior to men mentally and physically and they washing and cleaning are tasks that only they can do. We introduce the notion that the opposite of man isn’t woman but rather boy and that manhood is based on strength of character rather than machismo and physical strength. That smoking and alcohol use aren’t indicators of manhood nor rungs on the ladder of popularity. We also have an open and honest conversation about all issues related to men’s health including puberty and sex and allow the boys to ask questions anonymously. By the end of the day the boys are exhausted but they are also opening up and beginning to have great conversations with each other as well as their counselors.

Everyone want's to answer a question

The last two days are focused on employability and volunteerism trainings. For our employability trainings we first gathered a panel of male Georgian role models and conducted a Q&A session with the boys. Then we help hands on lessons on resume writing, public speaking, interviewing, and time management which focused on teaching and practicing these new skills that the boys need to learn and acquire in order to be successful later on. Through these sessions they begin to realize that aside from their formal studies they need to also develop themselves in other areas in order to be successful in life.

Counselor Papuna teaching boys about time management

Finally, we had our day dedicated to volunteerism and service. We talk a lot about the importance of being empowered to make change in their communities so we took the time to organize a service project that they could take part in to gain hands on experience with the joy of service and help spark an interest in giving back. This year we took them to a social house, like a foster care/orphanage hybrid, where they learned from Lado the caretaker who has devoted himself to taking care of 7 boys from diverse difficult backgrounds. They played with the boys and also provided some much needed labor to clean, paint, weed, and clean up the grounds around the house. For many boys it was their favorite part of camp.

PCVs with Lado prepping corn to dry to make popcorn 

Most of these sessions and activities were new to camp this year and requires a lot of time and planning during the “off-season” but it was worth it. There were plenty of bumps in the implementation process but I am confident that next year will be even better. This small camp that we started last year will be able to grown and become an important force for change in Georgia.

Friendly, wall-sit competition 

Now let’s get back to the week that was. Perfect plans can only go so far when they run into the realities of working with youth. We were confident that we had chosen some outstanding youth, but no one is perfect. On my second morning at camp I was leading the morning session and told the boys that if they couldn’t pull it together to keep the bathrooms clean they would start cleaning them themselves rather than the camp staff. Needless to say no one changes overnight and soon I was teaching boys how to clean a bathroom, something they had never done. My childhood was clearly something very different from theirs.

Cleaning toilets can be fun, right?

We also had to deal with rule breakers. Georgian youth aren’t subject to much discipline in general so while they might have rules they are required to follow the only consequence many of them have experienced is getting yelled at by an angry adult. Per Peace Corps rules youth are not allowed to smoke or drink at PC sponsored events with volunteers. Early on in the week aka from day 1, I was suspicious of a few kids who were attempting to be sneaky- something Georgians youth are terrible at. After repeated warnings we finally confronted the boy we knew had brought cigarettes to camp. He is 17 and already addicted. It was the last day of camp and sending him home would do more harm than good so we deducted points from his team and made him clean the bathroom. His false apology quickly turned into annoyance and anger when he had to submit to the consequences but it was still a good lesson. I’m assuming there are no hard feelings since he was still talking to me on the last day of camp.

Counselors Rezi and Lazare singing some good karaoke

Finally, a lot of problems came to a head on the last day of camp. We had introduced a team based point competition to the camp and had been arbitrarily awarding and taking points away all week. Kids were determined to help their team win and became very eager to earn points and point out reasons why others should not. The spirit of completion overtook the kids by the end of the week and during our final activity the project presentations devolved into an angry and bitter competition. We had to come up with some quick object lessons and cancel the points competition to restore order and friendship at the camp. We were up until 3 am on Friday night preparing for the final session Saturday which was our last chance to hopefully share a message that would create a lasting change with the boys. Everything ended up going well and their cooperation and friendships were restored by the end of the morning just in time to pack their belongings and head back home.

Having our come to Jesus  teamwork wrap up meeting

Overall I felt that camp was a success despite all the setbacks and difficulties. I haven’t invested so much into one project over such a long period of time and I can say that I am very pleased with the outcome so far. Now we will move onto phase two and focus on encouraging the boys to start sharing what they have learned and working to create some positive bottom-up change across the country. By the time camp comes around next year I will be long gone from Georgia, but I feel that we have set up a strong foundation for the camp to continue growing and establishing itself here. There were plenty of lessons learned and great memories made. 

Last BUILD camp photo of 2016

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Travel: Eat, Pray, Love, Repeat

I am always at a loss when it comes to reporting on a vacation. I’d love to tell you everything, but I’d also love for it to not be a travel log of all the places I saw while away. I can start by giving you the stats though. I spent 16 days traveling 1,650 miles through 8 countries and 21 cities to reunite with 4 old friends and eat uncountable amounts of calories (paying in 5 different currencies) and have new adventures. It was a trip for the ages!

Perast, Montenegro

Part 1 of my trip was 3 days of solo travel, a first for this highly extroverted traveler. I was a little bit nervous at first but the excitement of trying something new was also great. I made my way to Tirana, Albania on an early morning flight from Tbilisi and so my journey began. I had time to kill in Tirana so I decided to wander the city and find food (a common occurrence in my travels). After talking to a few locals I got some good tips and found a café where I proceeded to order a fest for about $3 and was floored by the deliciousness of it all. Great food followed by a nice tour through the center of town left me with a good taste for Albania and a desire to come back and really explore more. 

Thanks for the good times Tirana!

The rest of my solo vacation was spent in Montenegro. I stayed in the old walled city of Kotor in a hostel with a bunch of other strangers. On my first night I made friends with a Chilean who had just graduated from college and was taking time off to travel. We had some great conversation. I love the interesting people I meet when traveling. The next day I took a tour of Montenegro with some other people from the hostel who were visiting from various other European countries. It was a beautiful day trip. I especially loved when out Muslim tour guide took us into an old Serbian Orthodox monastery. He shared with us views of how it was a special place and even though you may not adhere to the same religion as those who frequent this holy site, you can still come and feel a sense of peace and rejuvenation. It was a simple message but in it he hit on the truth that our shared differences don’t have to be something that divides us. In the end Montenegro was a magical place of rocky mountain landscapes, moving monasteries, old cities, crystal clear waters, and of course delicious cuisine.

The monastery in the cliff where we visited on our tour

A small church on a man made island in the bay. Can you imagine how many rocks they had to throw down into the deep bay to make an ISLAND let alone one large and stable enough for building!

Old Kotor in the bottom left and the Kotor bay

Just a pretty view of Montenegrin nature

After my time in Montenegro I moved on to Croatia where I joined up with my friends Erik and Erika, as well as Erik’s parents who were joining us on their way home from a mission in Ukraine. What followed was a wonderful 6-day tour through one of the most geographically stunning countries I have ever seen. We based ourselves in Dubrovnik, Split, Plitvice, and Zagreb but also rented a car and traveled all over the coast. The cities were old walled off sea towns dating back to the Roman Empire. The food was a delicious cousin of Italian and the scenery was simply stunning. Some of my favorite memories include our day long boat tour of the islands near Split, the magical exfoliating black mud we covered ourselves with in Nin, and the impressive Plitvice park where we were surrounded with pristine lakes and rushing water unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. It was also wonderful to meet up with friends I haven’t seen in over a year, including Erika who I first met 10 years ago when I started my Freshman year at Utah State. You never know who is going to turn into a lifelong friend, but she was definitely a good choice.

Dubrovnik from above, I can't even describe it!

Old streets and stairways in Dubrovnik

Some free spa therapy in Nin

Plitvice Lakes in all their glory

We had to hike around for hours to find this view point

Exploring Croatia by sea

After my whirlwind tour of Croatia part 3 of my trip took me off to Prague where I meet up with my friends Katie and Rachel whom I met while living in DC but have since relocated back to Salt Lake. They’d both been traveling for a week or so before meeting me in Prague so we were all at the same level of tiredness but we just couldn’t stop. Prague’s sights were simply stunning. We walked all over the sprawling town and spent a lot of time eating our new favorite local street food- chimney cakes, which are basically cylinders of fried dough with different coatings. It is probably a good thing we didn’t count how many we ate.

If I lived in Prague I'd start the first Chimney Cake Anonymous chapter

While I loved the time we spent in Prague my favorite memory of the Czech Republic was the day we spent touring the countryside in our rental car. We visited a beautiful castle, a charming village, and a beautiful town all in the southern part of Bohemia. I am always struck by the blend and balance of modern and historic in the cities and towns across Europe. These places are full of history and they wear it very well.

Stunning sunset in Prague

Paddle boats in the evening

Jumping for joy wherever I go

Krumlov <3

I'm a big fan of colored buildings all lined up. 

After a few days in the Czech Republic we took a midnight train to Vienna and got an early start touring the Schonbrunn palace which was incredible. What I loved even more was learning about the history of the country through the history of the people who have inhabited the impressive palace. I never enjoyed studying European history and its endless cycle of war and conquest, but I was suddenly very interested in the lives and stories of these people. While in Vienna I also had some time to myself where I went on another walking tour through the old section of town. I visited their moving holocaust memorial and also spent some time in quite meditation inside a Jesuit church which while very plain from the outside was quite impressive from the inside. I’ve noticed that whenever I am traveling I often seek out memorials of tragedy like the holocaust memorials scattered through Europe, as well as places of faith like mosques, cathedrals, and synagogues. In these places I find my thoughts reflecting on humanity and our shared history both the good and the bad. Through my travels I have acquired a deep set trust in the innate goodness of other people, despite our often all too apparent shortcomings and differences. Our world history is riddled with painful memories but in those dark moments there are truly inspiring stories of hope, humanity, perseverance, and love.

First stop in Vienna, getting fancy at the palace

Vienna is full of impressive buildings

The Jesuit church where I spent time reflecting 

Holocaust memorial in Vienna, an inverted library. 

The final stops on my trip were Bratislava and Budapest. Bratislava became the hidden gem of the trip with its small cozy atmosphere. We had our best meal of the trip here, and stayed out late just wandering the streets of their old town. Budapest then quickly became our favorite main attraction. Someone referred to it as the Paris of the East and I will not dispute that. It was bustling and lively with interesting architecture and monuments as well. I devoured the history of the town while touring the National Museum in the Buda castle, impressed by the number of times the city was destroyed and rebuilt after endless sieges and wars well into the 20^th century. On our second day with met up with a new friend and local who spent the evening with us and willingly shared his knowledge of the Hungarian life and history.

Bratislava simple and quaint

Working on my nature photography

Sunsets on the Danube in Budapest

After a few days in Budapest, including half a day spent relaxing in their famous natural public baths, it was time to wrap up my trip with a redeye flight back to Georgia. While the 16 days spent traveling through Eastern Europe were not the most relaxing, I still felt energized and rejuvenated on other levels. This is what traveling is all about to me- getting out of your comfort zone, meeting new people, learning more about other’s histories and experiences, rediscovering how good the world is, experiencing the wonders of both the natural and man-made world, challenging your views, finding the majestic, and of course eating everything you can because calories don’t count when you’re on vacation!

Inside St Stephen's Basilica

The Hungarian parliament building

St. Mathias church

Shoes on the Danube memorial to victims of Nazi violence during WWII

Holocaust memorial to victims and those who hid Jews in Budapest. 

Best of trips, best of women

P.S. You can see all the trip pics on my facebook album here