tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63446671151723510652024-02-19T09:36:23.884-06:00Heather's AdventuresHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-57796121608713386182009-06-28T09:29:00.000-05:002009-06-28T09:29:55.966-05:00<div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjathp72VbZgbLRXMq3SYpwrVKYzrUdgkrvveF8PfYlGq_MlJknly-T-XmyZolyY8XVYcwre8Zsb1pLe_ivx5csycsXYoQL9P5qT5R9Uly328LDVfHHdfocgmNM3uTWKkC3F5Zd15JgGVg/s1600-h/IMG_7678.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjathp72VbZgbLRXMq3SYpwrVKYzrUdgkrvveF8PfYlGq_MlJknly-T-XmyZolyY8XVYcwre8Zsb1pLe_ivx5csycsXYoQL9P5qT5R9Uly328LDVfHHdfocgmNM3uTWKkC3F5Zd15JgGVg/s400/IMG_7678.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP5mnEGzsBq8htkFTrZmljE6hBsrPZKLBCuL_S_0WBlmVqJUZdXN-eWfy1IT_npN1AQx8lFtOtMa8djpac5Fia5SCwtiqDc6PgUxlE_8Ws652_qhcMmgGzs-bBjtcU9xppHVQmdMgfPE/s1600-h/IMG_7683.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP5mnEGzsBq8htkFTrZmljE6hBsrPZKLBCuL_S_0WBlmVqJUZdXN-eWfy1IT_npN1AQx8lFtOtMa8djpac5Fia5SCwtiqDc6PgUxlE_8Ws652_qhcMmgGzs-bBjtcU9xppHVQmdMgfPE/s400/IMG_7683.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3Bl15E1_mtryHQPchTf_7FZyG3aZa5YvJD89M5uQjHumqDz3p_R1xUVcyFLnKYq4noN3r_olfry2HD3xiCY2W-XOPmrlJZ1-BJfB-LzDH0AN2F980ZskD26ujGfm8HsQrJbggbsw-0o/s1600-h/IMG_7684.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3Bl15E1_mtryHQPchTf_7FZyG3aZa5YvJD89M5uQjHumqDz3p_R1xUVcyFLnKYq4noN3r_olfry2HD3xiCY2W-XOPmrlJZ1-BJfB-LzDH0AN2F980ZskD26ujGfm8HsQrJbggbsw-0o/s400/IMG_7684.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihnNMQjm-wb5u0Z3gyTcre3wO3rxALAHsCN4Rg93g4FzlemJyfX5gm9W7TSd5Cz31m3kmhgsClQNwbcqp3daOamB0vbusa30y4svNVNsxUQtw4kwxxHw2zdEfu9lORhb2N0Y6LrqdyHk/s1600-h/IMG_7686.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihnNMQjm-wb5u0Z3gyTcre3wO3rxALAHsCN4Rg93g4FzlemJyfX5gm9W7TSd5Cz31m3kmhgsClQNwbcqp3daOamB0vbusa30y4svNVNsxUQtw4kwxxHw2zdEfu9lORhb2N0Y6LrqdyHk/s400/IMG_7686.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-8459440293713562082008-04-30T15:38:00.003-05:002008-04-30T16:00:19.503-05:00Home sweet home!<em>I decided that it was time to go back to Missouri. I am no longer living in Sighnaghi. It was a very hard decision to make but I know it was the right one. I really did enjoy my time over there and getting to live in a manor that I never would have, had I not been a PCV. It was a wonderful opportunity and I don't regret anything. (I didn't come home because I was homesick either.....I felt that I had done everything that I needed to do as a volunteer)<br /><br />I must say that I am very happy to be back home. It has been an adjustment. I am still amazed that you can flush the toilet without adding water and it is OK to flush the paper. Nobody looks at me funny when I take a shower 2 days in a row, they look at me funny when I haven't showered in a day or so. The electricity never goes out so I don't have to plan when I am going to charge my computer or my cell phone. It really is the little things in life that we take for granite. <br /><br />I have been spending my time catching up with family and friends. This past weekend I went to Utah for my grandma's 80th birthday. I'm glad I had the opportunity to attend her birthday party. I spent lots of time telling grandma stories of my adventure and how things were in Georgia. <br /><br />This week I am in Texas visiting my cousin and relaxing. Friday we have a trip to the spa planned for a little pampering! <br /><br />Some time in June I think I'll really start looking for job. I have looked at a few things since I have been home. We'll see my goal is to have some sort of job by the end of the summer.</em>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-59604686865540060882008-03-22T08:27:00.001-05:002008-03-22T08:28:56.451-05:00March 19, 2008<br /><br />So me moving out and getting my own place is just around the corner. Want I really wanted was an apartment, but I can’t seem to find in my meager little price range. Everybody that has an apartment in this town for rent is targeting people that have real salaries. But I did find a room (small studioish) that I can rent. It is on the bottom floor of family compound. People won’t be passing by room on a regular basis as their main living quarters is on the top floor. I have a great view to top it off. I should know by the end of the week if I can live here. If so the family says it will only take them a week to the room ready for me to move into! If all goes well I should be living on my own by the first weekend in April! Unlike living with a host family I will be able to come and go a bit more freely than I can now. I’ll be able to cook my own meals the way I want to. Not to mention I’ll be able to eat as little or as much as I want to with feeling like I’m being force fed by the bebia. Oh, freedom is just around the corner! <br /><br />So on a side bar…yesterday I saw a guy being escorted from the police station in handcuffs. For some reason this shocked me. This really surprised me as I used to deal with people in handcuffs all the time when I worked at the City as a court clerk. It was the first time in about 9 ½ months that I saw somebody in handcuffs, maybe that’s why. <br /><br />PS<br />I still don't know which place I get to move to yet. So no update on that!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-64303224544243358972008-03-22T08:22:00.000-05:002008-03-22T08:26:08.757-05:00<em>March 14, 2008<br /><br />So I hope things are going well there. I saw on the weather report today that you guys in MO should be getting some good old spring thunder storms this weekend! It was super foggy and sprinkled on and off all day today. I woke up around 11:30am since I didn’t have to work today. Got dressed and made myself some breakfast. And since nobody was home I watched CNN and BBC (the only shows in English) while I enjoyed my oatmeal with yogurt and hot tea. The yogurt was a big a treat. They don’t usually buy it since it is so expensive. Not to mention there was farm fresh milk today. I think my body went into shock with the all the dairy I consumed today. <br />I made a few phone calls for the committees I am on and then decided I was tired and should take a little nap. I know, but, I might as well since I can. At home I used to joke how nice it would be not to get out of bed because it’s a rainy day well, here some days I can actually do that. Or not to mention if it is a nice spring afternoon and I don’t feel like working well then fine, I think I’ll go for a nice walk. But as it might sound like your dreams have come true I can’t say that it is always so great. With all that does come some mental and emotional strain. I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to the working hours of my office. When you are used to running around with your head cut off for 8-12 hours a day and then not having complete chaos it is a big adjustment. I like the craziness of having 110 things to due by the end of the day. Sure there might be some organizations in this country that function more like what I am used to but that surely isn’t the organization that I am at. <br />Things are very slowly changing at my office. At least now that it has started to warm up we have been going to the office more often. We are working on developing some projects to help improve the local schools. From what I have learned most of the teachers don’t really have any real training to become teachers. They don’t know how to keep control of their classes. The students are not taught the basic life skills in class like we are throughout the course of our schooling. You may be thinking why any of this is relevant, but think about. When you are in a classroom that is disruptive, how much are you actually learning? Yeah sure our parents taught use basic life skills over the course of lives, but they also learned about those things in school and we continue to learn about those things in school. Sure in some areas people have general information about the basics of hygiene, eating habits, exercise, drugs, sex, and diseases but most regions don’t have this information or don’t know how or are afraid to teach it. If they talk about certain topics then that means there is a problem and well there just aren’t any problems. Sure there was a point in time in America when we didn’t talk about certain topics because they weren’t socially expectable but now we have come to realize that every topic needs to be talked about and information distributed. Sure everybody doesn’t agree about all topics in life but at least we have the freedom to discuss all topics and share information. It’s really hard to think that not everybody has general information about basic life skills. Aren’t simple acts of hygiene just common sense? Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of people here that understand the basics of simple hygiene but it is when you get into the more “racier” topics that people really start to get nervous. </em>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-10133275547653565952008-03-22T08:17:00.000-05:002008-03-22T08:21:51.659-05:00The sweet smells of spring!<em><br /><br />March 12, 2008<br /><br />So things have finally started to warm up here! The flowers and trees are budding. The outhouses have started to smell as they defrost. Ah, the joys of living abroad. There are certain things that you don’t even think about anymore. They just become apart of daily routine. You don’t question where that meat came from or how it was prepared. Oh, we only have one chicken now? Fresh eggs sure are nice along with fresh meat. At home you usually had to go a little out of the way to get fresh eggs here you just go out back and get them from the hen house or from the neighbor. <br /><br />I guess I truly don’t understand just how expensive things have gotten in Georgia. My host family keeps saying how everything has gotten so expensive over the last couple of months. In the states when prices go up on the staple foods you complain a bit but it doesn’t really seem to faze you all that much. You are still going to buy those things in the long run. Here it seems as though people talk about how expensive everything has gotten all the time. People really stop buying those things unless it is a special occasion. The incomes in families of this country aren’t like those of the US nor are there an abundance of alternative options for assistance for struggling families. Before I left the states I had a good job and made a decent amount of money and survived. Here it seems that most people don’t have don’t have decent paying jobs and are struggling just to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Granite some people still think that the government should be providing for them and don’t want to let go of the fact that Georgia is no longer a communist country. Other people are embracing the fact that they are no longer under the communist rule and are open to a changing society with greater opportunities. Trying to explain that not everybody in America is rich is a difficult concept. The view that many here have is tainted for all they see is the “life styles of the rich and famous” which is not how a majority of Americans live. Most Americans struggle to get by on daily basis and have to work hard for what they have.</em>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-83883875873560548362008-03-22T08:12:00.001-05:002008-03-22T08:16:59.080-05:00Turkish BathhouseFebruary 23, 2008<br /><br />A few of fellow PCVs ventured to the Turkish bathhouse! Oh what a treat that was. By the time you divide the cost by 5 people it really isn’t all that expensive to get your skin scrubbed raw. I know you are thinking this sounds very painful but actually it is very relaxing in the long run. I don’t think I have ever been so clean in all my life. There is a hot spring tub (more like luke warm) that you soak in for a bit to loosen up the dirt that just might be caked on those of us that don’t get to shower for extended periods of time. (Baby wipes only do so much) Then you get scrubbed down from head to toe. Then you can sit in a sauna. And for those that feel the need they can take a little dip in an ice cold tub of spring water. I didn’t feel the need since I can get ice cold water to bathe with at my house for free! It might be a little uncomfortable but once you are done you glow! I was so completely relaxed by the time it was said and done. It is well worth the time and lari (Georgian money) to do this every so often.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-33774011534520629392008-02-22T04:17:00.002-06:002008-02-22T04:35:15.771-06:00No Electricity and Frozen PipesFebruary 21, 2008<br /><br />So the pipes are still frozen in Sighnaghi. And now we don't have electricity. Apparently when it gets really windy here it knocks the power out. We have been without electric for 2 days now. It's not so bad during the day because its bright enough to see to read and write. In the evenings well there isn't much to do besides sit and stare at one another in the candlelight! I know it sounds fun and you wish you could do it too. It's totally different when the electric goes out in the states. It usually only goes out because there was a really bad storm or there was an accident and the lines will be repaired in the very near future. Usually you are only without for a few hours at most. Here it's not like the power lines are great and they probably haven't been replaced since before Georgia was a part of the Soviet Union. Of course it's not uncommon here for the electric company to turn off all the electric in an apartment complex because somebody hasn't paid their electric bill. I have a friend who recently lived through 3 weeks of no electricity because somebody didn't pay their electric bill in the apartment complex. Imagine if the electric company did that in the US. Thank goodness it doesn't work that way.<br /><br />On a side note I'm currently without email at my site & not because we don't have electricity either. When the host family moved from the house here in Sighnaghi they had the service disconnected. And my office doesn't have Internet service right now either. I'm told we might get it again in March, but I'm not going to hold my breath. So at this point I only have Internet access when I make it to Tbilisi. So know that I'm doing well and I'm still alive if you haven't heard from me in awhile. Remember I'm not in America and things don't work the same way here!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-44396408525465080372008-02-22T04:08:00.003-06:002008-02-22T05:11:47.164-06:00My trip to the Beach!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4btOdYim3oPvC3pIFeRIzDjJ7gSit8tNM3mrAv8ItpkO4Ztf_fcCNHDZpk5BqRQWJ5eP0LEb5vG52avI9_mu9TIP4_FlX5vTMyt8ZpmBKOIHV4210iIvvOr2GCc9U3zmGIqLeevcsbg/s1600-h/IMG_2394.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4btOdYim3oPvC3pIFeRIzDjJ7gSit8tNM3mrAv8ItpkO4Ztf_fcCNHDZpk5BqRQWJ5eP0LEb5vG52avI9_mu9TIP4_FlX5vTMyt8ZpmBKOIHV4210iIvvOr2GCc9U3zmGIqLeevcsbg/s200/IMG_2394.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169760011399481698" /></a><br />February 13- 18th<br /><br />Usually I'm on a warm tropical island right about now relaxing and soaking up the sun rays. So maybe I'm not there this year but last week I was in Batumi which is a port city. So at least I got to see the water of the Black Sea and the beach. Can't say it was as warm as the Dominican Republic but it was definitely warmer than my town. Unfortunately I didn't get to do any sight seeing because I was there for a conference. While I was there I got to enjoy taking a shower everyday. That was worth it all by itself! My priorities in life have changed some since moving here.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-64123730349737911912008-02-13T03:33:00.001-06:002008-02-13T03:36:48.142-06:00My Trip Home to Missouri<em>February 8, 2008<br /><br />It sure was nice to visit the states, to remember just how good central heating is. Most of the time I was hot while I was there because everywhere you go it’s warm. I always knew that Americans were fortunate for the way we lived but now I truly appreciate it. Not to mention that it isn’t an ordeal to shower everyday. The pipes are still frozen here and have been since two weeks before I left to come home. Being able to shower everyday really does make a person a feel good about themselves when that is what they are used to doing. <br /><br />Anyways, the main reason I came home was that Sarah got married to Mason on the 26th of January. The week before the wedding we spent our time running around taking care of the last minute details. One of those very important details was for me to get my hair cut, pedicure and manicure. Thursday night we had bachelorette party for Sarah at Vivian’s and then went to Mill Stream in St. Charles. Friday evening was the rehearsal and dinner at Trailhead. Everybody enjoyed themselves at dinner and got a chance to visit with each other. <br />Saturday was the big day! The stretch hummer limo came to mom and dad’s to take all the girls to the salon around eight am. We all enjoyed a morning cocktail or two on the way. After the morning at the salon it was off to the church, New Town Chapel in St. Charles, for the main event! All the bridesmaids and bride had a great time getting dressed in the tiny dressing room with all our stuff. I may have started crying when I took Sarah upstairs for her encounter with Mason right before the ceremony. (I bought waterproof mascara just for the occasion.) Sarah was by far the most beautiful bride I have ever seen! The ceremony was absolutely gorgeous and went off without at hitch. We did the picture thing at the church with the families and full bridal party. Afterwards we loaded up the limo to the riverfront in St. Charles to take pictures. As we all know Sarah loves pictures so we spent a lot of time getting our pictures taken. We made it to the reception shortly after 7pm. Mason gave Sarah a piggy back ride into to the reception. Everything at the reception was great and everybody had a great time. Sarah didn’t miss a detail when it came to all decorations at the chapel or the reception. It was a perfect winter wedding. Sarah was a beautiful princess and Mason didn’t look to bad in his monkey suit either. (I really wouldn’t be surprised if Sarah put her dress on again for their first anniversary.)<br />Sunday the happy couple opened gifts at the hotel and wished out of guests a farewell as they made their journeys back home. (They ended up with 7 crock pots. Mason said he would be able to make all the food for the church socials!) Afterwards Sarah lost Mason. Really he got in the car with his parents to head back to Sarah and Mason’s house where we were dropping off their gifts before heading over to mom and dad’s for a little BBQ. (It was a nice warm sunny day. I might have missed having normal BBQ.) Little cousin Catherine and her dad, Brian, enjoyed riding dad’s tractor. I enjoyed the BBQ. After dinner we played a nice friendly game of cards with the whole family. It was like the never ending game but lots of fun.<br />Monday morning we stopped by Chesterfield mall before meeting up with mom and the rest of the family. The electricity was on in half of the mall but not in the other half. I heard someone say that they couldn’t flush the toilet or wash their hands. I had to laugh and think about where I was for a minute. Later Sarah and I met the family went to lunch at Red Lobster and Old Town St. Charles to do a little shopping. Monday evening I went to Court for old time sakes. Same people still show up with maybe a slightly different story.<br />Tuesday evening was pot luck dinner and pictures of Georgia night. (That was the last party that mom and dad have to have at their house for a while.) It was nice to share more stories and pictures with everybody. There are many stories that I didn’t get tell but don’t worry they will all eventually come out. <br />Wednesday I went to City Hall to visit. I spent the whole day up there visiting and going to lunch. I enjoyed getting to see those that I did see. For the most part it seems that everything is still the same around there just a different day. <br />I spent Thursday shopping for things I needed and wanted to take back with me to Georgia. Mason was a good sport shopping with the girls during the day. Thursday evening we all watched movies while the snow fell. <br />Friday morning Sarah, Mason and I ventured out to the store to get the ingredients for a nice pancake breakfast. Later that day we went shopping again. <br />Saturday my last full day home I didn’t do too much. I had my last real meal with my family, shared more pictures. And oh I finally started packing about 10:30 or so! I said my good-byes to Sarah and Mason since I wasn’t taking them to the airport at 5am. Only because I was going to spend the next two days traveling back to Georgia. <br />Sunday arrived. I took my last real hot shower and was off to the airport. Mom and dad dropped me off at the curb and I began my adventure back to Georgia. I flew from St. Louis to Chicago. My flight to Munich left at 5:50pm. I had a nice salad and fountain soda with ice for dinner at the airport. My flight left on time and unfortunately I didn’t sleep much on the 8 ½ flight. The plane landed in Munich around 9am. I stored my carry-on for the day and headed off to see downtown Munich since I had a 12 hour lay-over. There was a carnival in the city center that day. My guess was it was all related to Mardi Gras. I did go to one museum while I was there. I might have actually tried to do more if I hadn’t been so dang tired. I went back to the airport and took a little nap at the gate waiting for my flight to leave around 9pm.<br />By the time I landed in Georgia it was 4 am on February 5th. I took a taxi back to Peace Corps so I could pass the time until the public transportation started. I truly knew I was back in Georgia when I walked into a store before my ride back to site and spotted a pig’s head on the ground. I made it back Sighnaghi around 1pm. I got my bags in my room and lay down for what I thought was going be a short nap only to wake up at 7:30 that night. I found out that while I was home my host family (father, mother and 3 sisters) moved. I knew they were going to be moving but I hadn’t expected them to move while I was gone. So now I am living with the host grandparents until I move out. </em>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-13634421809100009892007-12-22T08:05:00.000-06:002007-12-22T08:09:09.708-06:00Merry ChristmasDecember 21, 2007<br /><br />I realize that it is just a few days before Christmas and usually I’m running around trying to get everything done for the big day, but this year I don’t have to worry about that. I must say that I really do miss running around to all the holiday parties and trying to get everything done. In Georgia they don’t celebrate Christmas on December 25th but on January 7th. From my understanding at this point they do exchange gifts and get together with family members and friends and have a big meal. I will be sure to take good notes when the day arrives. <br /><br />Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s. May this coming year be even better and more exciting than 2007. I think I might do a little traveling this year.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-70152671880565156552007-12-22T08:02:00.000-06:002007-12-22T08:10:18.661-06:00My Birthday Supra<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56RyZh6wpXswQAI4zfGfjxjo6ITBTioVGdwIynM632l7DNGkkqHTG1Ji_MfwXzl71t3ohZPsp_apA7AKUpupu-PeaszYVI-Ag0DRI94AgsTlIsupTNX1YjJ-fNCzMuhe57WsXjTgMPQg/s1600-h/Supra+Table.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56RyZh6wpXswQAI4zfGfjxjo6ITBTioVGdwIynM632l7DNGkkqHTG1Ji_MfwXzl71t3ohZPsp_apA7AKUpupu-PeaszYVI-Ag0DRI94AgsTlIsupTNX1YjJ-fNCzMuhe57WsXjTgMPQg/s200/Supra+Table.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146798185141439682" /></a><br />December 4, 2007<br /><br />December 4th was the day of my big birthday supra. We didn’t have it on the 3rd because my host mother’s birthday was on the 4th so we just had one birthday supra. It was no easy operation getting ready for this supra. It’s not like in the states when you just start shopping a few days in advance and getting all the food and supplies. Here you actually have to make all of the dishes and it takes hours to make everything. Peeling, boiling and slicing vegetables and meats. The process of making a cake is something else too! Dinner lasted for a good 4 ½ hours or so. You might find holiday meals challenging but supras are a whole different ball game as you have tons of food, drinks and different hot dishes are brought out throughout the course of the celebration. It is very important to pace yourself during a supra. I had a nice time but I did miss having my quiet dinner with my family. When you are used to your small family gathers being apart of a big family is night and day different! So I’m now officially another year older……Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-37578235477717740632007-12-22T07:36:00.000-06:002007-12-22T08:01:58.683-06:00Lake Bazeleti<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5H5c5Iedu_P3jDfQtZWIBD5-SG6KKZ4mA_XKMDVR4DeAzrYAnfSk-GcoftTqGv_bFstC-9v93bTU0oWjFWKgGajxeAMMw0F21Tm3g2MS96w1Bjw9rJqA4u9bDJV4APkSPNghd33_qWI/s1600-h/Me.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5H5c5Iedu_P3jDfQtZWIBD5-SG6KKZ4mA_XKMDVR4DeAzrYAnfSk-GcoftTqGv_bFstC-9v93bTU0oWjFWKgGajxeAMMw0F21Tm3g2MS96w1Bjw9rJqA4u9bDJV4APkSPNghd33_qWI/s200/Me.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146796080607464626" /></a><br />Weekend of November 29th<br /><br />This past weekend we had a conference at Lake Bazeleti about an hour north of Tbilisi. The hotel was great as it had just been remodeled. There were several great things about this hotel 1) HEAT 2) TERRYCLOTH BATH ROBES 3) LOTS OF HOT WATER. One doesn’t realize how much they might miss taking a hot shower and being able to put on a bath rob after they get done and not freezing to death. The showers were definitely a great indulgence to this conference. In America I never used the term “bathing” here I use it all the time. There is a difference between bathing and showering. Showering your whole body gets wet and bathing uses only a wash cloth of sorts (wet wipes) and dunking your head under the faucet to wash your hair. You do what you have to do sometimes. Needless to say I really do miss being able to take hot showers and continuing to be warm when I step out of the shower. I did say that I would probably miss my hot showers before I left. Now they are a luxury. <br /><br />Really the purpose of this conference was to talk about safety and security and discuss the different committees that PC has. Friday we spent the entire day discussing safety and security and getting briefed about the current political situation in Georgia. Saturday we discussed the different committees that PC has and other helpful tidbits. But the other main highlight of Saturday was having Turkey dinner with everybody. We spent the afternoon making all the traditional dishes and Saturday night feasting. It was a great time. Not quiet the same as my mom’s but it will do the trick for now. <br /><br />Oh, I also learned how to knit this weekend. I needed something else to do in the winter instead of reading all the time. Now I can add knitting to my list of things to do next to my heater! Have no fear I have started sewing clothes on the sewing machine and I really don’t see that happening anytime. The only sewing machine I saw was a hand crank sewing machine and well that won’t work for me since I couldn’t even sew a straight line when I took home economics in high school.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-62240147989691298642007-12-22T07:30:00.000-06:002007-12-22T08:12:58.352-06:00My first weekend in TbilisiNovember 24, 2007<br /><br />I spent my first weekend in Tbilisi which happened to be Thanksgiving weekend and had a great time. I stayed at an apartment that was well heated and had running hot water! We even had turkey leftovers Friday evening for dinner since I wasn’t there for the actually day! Throughout the course of the weekend I went to several cafes and restaurants. I had a fabulous piece of lasagna at an Italian restaurant along with a nice glass of red wine. I tried to get a little shopping done but didn’t find anything that I needed like warm sweaters. One would think that you could find thick wool sweaters but I could only find light trendy sweaters and I don’t really care about being trendy at this point I just want to be nice and warm! Hopefully the package with my sweaters will get here soon. What I was thinking when I was packing I am not sure but anyways I am just layering everything and that works pretty well.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-68211236444205876632007-10-31T08:48:00.000-05:002007-11-01T07:35:00.700-05:00Sighnaghi's Grand Opening<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBQECQ1O85MEXG0SBYJ3N8ENRPPa2JPEFG59Kr-P8WPNDf0R_ilZdZ20KMaV4_zgwCRDNziz84QAyZUdhy8z7Hsq3-wH6Au3jm9hH362CqK5oiTq_UMQAQo3kG4YHRtfdrD6P9dsskVs/s1600-h/Martigras+Georgian+style.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBQECQ1O85MEXG0SBYJ3N8ENRPPa2JPEFG59Kr-P8WPNDf0R_ilZdZ20KMaV4_zgwCRDNziz84QAyZUdhy8z7Hsq3-wH6Au3jm9hH362CqK5oiTq_UMQAQo3kG4YHRtfdrD6P9dsskVs/s200/Martigras+Georgian+style.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127849079746060482" /></a><br />October 27, 2007<br /><br />Today was the big grand opening of Sighnaghi. Unfortunately, the weather was cold, rainy and foggy so anybody visiting the city didn’t get to enjoy its true beauty. One of my friends, who wants to remain nameless, came into town for the festivities. We hadn’t even made it down the main street without having a nice refreshing shot of tchatcha (homemade vodka). That stuff had a nice little kick for it only being 11:30 in the morning. It sure does warm you up. (I still don’t like the taste vodka and rarely drink it for those who said I would drink it more often living in Georgia.) The main street was lined with booths of crafts, traditional Georgian outfits and weapons. The colors that lined the walls and streets were brilliant. There tons of people and VIPS all over the town. There we little cafés set up along the street where you could buy and enjoy a bottle of wine. There were several concert stages set up in various areas of the town. Later in the evening the President came to town to officiate the unveiling of the town. There were even fireworks at the end of the festival. So I saw my fireworks for the 4th of July a little late. <br /><br />Sunday we checked out several of the new cafés in town. I am just excited to have some place to go every now and then without having to leave town. The café we had lunch at served traditional Georgian food and had a great atmosphere. Later in the afternoon we met some Americans that I have become friends with who are trying to get into the agriculture business in Georgia. We met them at the “French” café. We enjoyed a decent bottle of wine and cheese. It was the perfect rainy Sunday afternoon as it was still cold, rainy and foggy. For what’s worth this little café reminds me of some of the places from home. But it won’t be somewhere I go all the time since the prices there are a little steep for my living allowance. <br /><br />When I first arrived in Sighnaghi I really wondered what was going to become of this town as everything was in shambles. It has come a long way since the end of August and it definitely has the potential to cater to tourists when it’s all said and done. When you walk down the streets it is hard to believe you are in Georgia.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-61328480934907981172007-10-31T08:42:00.000-05:002007-11-01T07:45:10.972-05:00How to make wine...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0J0YltSqx8tK_PGmRbzYc-JzTuWRF6mPl7j0tFGlvfy0IV0Y-XxHU3RGmmSH7gEws3lRJc_j7qmHlYBuO5-aly1qJwlrrZFmeleFx2sLJV1BYMF_w3Z7k3H89m1YeE4dmzKCVyh7Gj8/s1600-h/Grapes.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0J0YltSqx8tK_PGmRbzYc-JzTuWRF6mPl7j0tFGlvfy0IV0Y-XxHU3RGmmSH7gEws3lRJc_j7qmHlYBuO5-aly1qJwlrrZFmeleFx2sLJV1BYMF_w3Z7k3H89m1YeE4dmzKCVyh7Gj8/s200/Grapes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127851575122059474" /></a><br />October 25, 2007<br /><br />So I know I am supposed to be learning how to make wine. I haven’t got the whole process down yet. I seem to be away from the house when they are making the wine. But I will share with you what I have figured out so far. First you harvest the grapes from the vineyard, duh. Second the grapes go through a press which is this hand-crank conveyer belt that sits over a large metal drum that is line with plastic. The grape juice and grape guts then stew in their juice for a period of time. Next you use a strainer and pitcher to pour the juice into another container. This is the only part that I have actually helped with. Then at a later date you have wine. What else do we really need to learn about this process?Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-5373768485791962882007-10-22T08:37:00.000-05:002007-10-22T08:48:47.627-05:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLh219AkyvF4tb6tBP9N4avp8kOd4DjoMSvjcTp2sitttPjjcrymEPMHSmbDqD3uX5AL9P0UP8w-SWZbr_ewLRn7fW3IF0EBv_y8zybe8eMuMqdn_L9nrXyB17WGosjDNFyw2XkDOhrf0/s1600-h/firstbottle.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLh219AkyvF4tb6tBP9N4avp8kOd4DjoMSvjcTp2sitttPjjcrymEPMHSmbDqD3uX5AL9P0UP8w-SWZbr_ewLRn7fW3IF0EBv_y8zybe8eMuMqdn_L9nrXyB17WGosjDNFyw2XkDOhrf0/s200/firstbottle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124156690546314434" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl-E0PPUiUZn16VShGrTRNNvA_ddRaQ_QLeEt-Gd0p5T_oGrx6_QxdvK3txls3mlkHM89FlXc9Ox-PtKXiZ75Y79a3JzLJlG8J2AC18LeD_EjIxEOgVHQwsQHJZyKq3aKfZXRyxExX3Y/s1600-h/mecooking.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl-E0PPUiUZn16VShGrTRNNvA_ddRaQ_QLeEt-Gd0p5T_oGrx6_QxdvK3txls3mlkHM89FlXc9Ox-PtKXiZ75Y79a3JzLJlG8J2AC18LeD_EjIxEOgVHQwsQHJZyKq3aKfZXRyxExX3Y/s200/mecooking.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124156690546314450" /></a><br />October 20, 2007<br /><br />I took a little trip to Rustavi today. I attended a meeting first thing and then afterwards my friends and I went to a pizza place and did a little shopping in the second hand shops. I found a few good bargains, things to keep me warm since I didn’t pack a few things that I should have packed! Once we made it home we started making dinner. We made fajitas with homemade flour tortillas and salsa, salad with romaine lettuce and spinach accompanied with a bottle of red wine. I must say it was a fabulous meal and fun to make! I really do miss cooking. Not that I cooked all that often before I left. But still it would be nice to cook again. The only thing I manage to cook now living with my host family is my breakfast in the morning which consists of oatmeal or eggs! And you can’t really call that cooking either. So maybe I’ll get up the nerve to try and cook my own dinner sometime otherwise I am just going to have to wait until I visit friends around the country that have their own place!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-80682234364620221472007-10-18T07:18:00.000-05:002007-10-19T10:18:11.048-05:00October 17, 2007<br /><br />Today I traveled to Erisimedi, Georgia, which is apparently very close to Azerbijan. This is a village in the Sighnaghi district even though it is 60km away. The ride there was about a 1 ½ hrs in this old Russian style military jeep. First you should know it rained all last night and needless to say ever pothole on the road was filled with water. There was just a few potholes….It was kind of like going off-roadn’ at home. Sarah and Mason would’ve really enjoyed the ride. (Sarah I’m listening “Beer Run” right now) The ride there was definitely adventurous and full of thrills as there could have been a little more cushion in the seats. We went to Esmereti to visit the school and identify what problems they are facing. We passed out surveys and spoke with the staff and students about their difficulties in the school and in the village. So maybe, I didn’t speak; I did a lot of listening as my Georgian language is not that advanced yet! I must say it was very interesting to listen to everybody speak their minds about what they need in the school and the problems they are facing in the village. <br />After we left the school we had lunch at the school director’s house. At home people liked to try and marry me off, well it doesn’t compare to the people here trying to marry me off. There was one particular gentleman at this luncheon who thought we should get married, however, that just isn’t possible since he is double my age. Definitely not my type and thank goodness one of the girls I was with was trying to save me from all the crazy talk. I may not understand everything but I can get enough of a conversation to piece things together. Plus it would never work because I don’t know the language and I am sure that would cause a great strain on any relationship! <br />The scenery was absolutely gorgeous all the way there and on the way back. The clouds from the storm front that had been lingering added a lot of personality to the sky. We even saw a rainbow through the clouds and behind it were snow capped mountains! The view was something I had never seen before and no, Sarah I didn’t have my camera. Not to mention the trees that lined the road were full of bright autumn colors with mountains as the backdrop. <br />The beauty of this country is really something else. There are no words to describe the beauty and no picture could capture the true beauty of Georgia. I’m neither a writer nor a photographer so you’ll just have to do with what you get. Maybe one day I’ll put pictures on this site?Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-21490063780824228432007-10-15T09:37:00.000-05:002007-10-22T08:57:28.227-05:00The President<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XDYrDq8eFFUNz80hQDSPTM-iVGlTagTfHJ1AxQc_hOOLRV5NIMbjYOUEv9wHC0CRJAGInP-SNzwj9w21f7ynW5gD2oNM_jyUwV5936Gf0NENDN1YeoODCM94OKvBCpYFd1dT9Km4wqE/s1600-h/President+Saakashvili.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XDYrDq8eFFUNz80hQDSPTM-iVGlTagTfHJ1AxQc_hOOLRV5NIMbjYOUEv9wHC0CRJAGInP-SNzwj9w21f7ynW5gD2oNM_jyUwV5936Gf0NENDN1YeoODCM94OKvBCpYFd1dT9Km4wqE/s200/President+Saakashvili.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124159087138065634" /></a><br />October 10, 2007<br /><br />So I have seen the President of Georgia up close and personal. That was pretty cool. And I have seen the First Lady all in the same week at different events. I haven’t even been that close to the any of the Presidents of the United States. <br /><br />Last Thursday, October 4, the President of Georgia, came to Sighnaghi for the “grand opening” of all the rehabilitation of this city. All the work has come a long way since I first arrived; however, there is still a lot to be done. I am just excited that I discovered a little café that I can go to every now and then and get a bite to eat. And in the next couple of weeks or so Sighnaghi is getting a “western” mini mart! <br /><br />Last weekend I went to Kutasi for the Breast Cancer Walk, same one we have in the states. I even participated in the “5k” by running. The First Lady did the kick of the race. The whole weekend was a great time as got to help support a great cause and I got to spend time with many of my friends. I even got to eat a chicken Caesar salad with dark green lettuce! The traditional salad in Georgia is just tomato, onion and cucumber, so needless to say have lettuce was a big treat for me. <br /><br />KargadHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-64309844646978518542007-10-01T04:39:00.000-05:002007-10-20T14:38:45.167-05:00Grapes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeodq6ths-GoqkFDei-BvXA0RCoMeg8WggCGVMe8v89tXPLHKGAKS-BItVVioqRO5Awft0W4fldpnTy69TwtbBXiyM0gHD_sUvMYK_LBmJxnm9As7izjL_NWlZWc2k2PqMmLZ7ugKaVk/s1600-h/ME.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeodq6ths-GoqkFDei-BvXA0RCoMeg8WggCGVMe8v89tXPLHKGAKS-BItVVioqRO5Awft0W4fldpnTy69TwtbBXiyM0gHD_sUvMYK_LBmJxnm9As7izjL_NWlZWc2k2PqMmLZ7ugKaVk/s320/ME.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123505599274044562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2M-eOGBilZ8ekkndNyPosJOdMtutq911H23ymFibagMCXQAaZzxi2y8vOI0mXHlfSY6hqSBSDSphIaSQpqaDhy8lcEUPYPTt_sDoK0KIfv60ybKLq5wbrzDq62Rvcp6DiywN5h1wRHU/s1600-h/Grapes1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2M-eOGBilZ8ekkndNyPosJOdMtutq911H23ymFibagMCXQAaZzxi2y8vOI0mXHlfSY6hqSBSDSphIaSQpqaDhy8lcEUPYPTt_sDoK0KIfv60ybKLq5wbrzDq62Rvcp6DiywN5h1wRHU/s320/Grapes1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123499702283947138" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />September 22, 2007<br /><br />Today I went to my first grape harvest! Once we arrived at the vineyard we looked at the wine cellar where the wine is made. There are these large crafts that are placed in the ground and filled with squeezed grapes and left to ferment for a given period of time, a couple to 10 years. Next we went out into the vineyard with our buckets and began picking the black grapes. It’s not like the grape bunches would just come right off the vine some of them you really had to pull hard and then you had smashed grape all over your hands! We helped picked grapes for a little while then we started with the “Harvest Supra”. (Picnic/Party) The table was absolutely gorgeous. There were tons of colorful foods and drinks. There was more than enough food to feed an army. It was like sitting down to a holiday dinner. The eating and the toasting lasted for several hours. I had a great time and I am sure that I will get to do it again very soon as it is the season for harvesting grapes right now!Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-28013700089712561042007-10-01T04:38:00.000-05:002007-10-01T04:39:30.706-05:00Meat MarketSeptember 16, 2007<br /><br />This morning I went to the local bazaar with my host parents. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it! The only thing that I can kind of relate it to is the Wentzville Flea Market but even at that they are two totally different things. So we pull up to the bazaar and outside the main wall there a bunch of people selling live-stock, cows, pigs, chickens, rabbits and sheep. You know, pick out your Christmas dinner take it home and fatten it up a little! So once inside the main wall there are people and stands everywhere. People are walking around with chickens or rabbits hanging upside down that they just bought. There is a large outdoor meat market. There was tons of meat hanging from hooks, row after row, sides of a cow, slabs of ribs, and large pieces of meat. The butchers were cutting the meat into manageable pieces and you could see small chunks of bone go flying as the he chopped away. People were picking out their meat for the upcoming week’s meals. This brings a whole new meaning to running to the local meat market to pick up some fresh steaks for dinner! The amount of raw meat doesn’t compare to anything that I have ever seen before. At first I almost thought I was going to get sick at the sight of all the raw meat and blood but I didn’t. If I had it might have made for a really difficult 2 years of going to the market! So after I made it through that section the rest of the bazaar was stands of fruits and vegetables, cheese, bread and other random household items! It was quit a sight to see everybody walking around with large bags of fresh produce. You know bags large enough to hold 10-15 kilos of peppers, tomatoes or whatever you just picked up! I am only used to going to the produce stand at home and getting 2 pounds of tomatoes at time.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-91566042498321887882007-09-26T07:08:00.000-05:002007-09-26T07:15:34.413-05:00Computer problems again. I had a few good entries ready to go but for some reason my flash drive isn't working! So you'll have to wait yet again. But things are going pretty good. I did get a bunch of packages today which really made my day! I'm off to try and figure out how to get back to Sighnaghi now. I made it to Tbilisi all by myself today without getting too lost. Sometimes I might be directionally challenged? But I made it here and that's all that counts.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-49688368254620428332007-09-12T00:45:00.000-05:002007-09-12T00:49:39.719-05:00Life in SighnaghiAugust 28, 2007<br /><br />I am officially done with training and ready to begin my 2 years as a volunteer in Sighnaghi! The scenery is incredible. I am surrounded by mountains. The view reminds of visiting my grandma in Utah and looking out her big picture window in the morning in the valley and seeing all the mountains. There really are no words to describe the beauty of the mountains and the view it has to offer. I can hardly wait to see all the trees change colors in the fall. In the states it seems like only occasionally you get to take a day here and there to enjoy nature’s beauty but here I feel like I get to take that time every day. <br /><br />Life here in Sighnaghi for me is more of a village life-style where Gori was the city life. Things are very simple and basic here. My host family is huge, 7 members. Grandparents, parents and 3 sisters (10, 7 & 3) and not mention it seems there are an additional 7 people in the house right now. You never really know just how many people you can sleep in one house. Adjusting to being a part of a large family is a bit challenging for me as my family in the states is very small and I had lived on my own for the past couple of years. They are a very nice family and very excited to have me has a member of their family. I have always had close friends with large families and could never really understand what it was like to be member of a large family. I am now starting to understand what it is all about to have a large family. <br /><br />Sighnaghi is being completely rehabilitated by the government in hopes that it will be the newest tourist destination in Georgia. What is complete at this time reminds of Savannah, Georgia. It looks very nice and cozy. There are very few shops and restaurants right now but they say there will be more once the construction is complete. All of the roads have been ripped up and are being redone in stone. I am told that phase one of four is supposed to be completed in October. I have yet to figure out what each of the phases consists of but all phases should be complete by the end of my service.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-83779582578126782252007-09-01T04:26:00.000-05:002007-10-20T15:02:13.514-05:00I am in Sighnaghi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhlUdJp-xAxJrG4ap6J4oabpEm2IDiIz3J7foybbRxPEIpkrw5PlD2Kphu0ywzdCeSf-kE6Gp93ibw86zQA2DYXKS2AowgRBEoAJrT7GTj_SbECO34iUgENzknACuu6q87Ty8RGpAZbs/s1600-h/Sighnaghi.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhlUdJp-xAxJrG4ap6J4oabpEm2IDiIz3J7foybbRxPEIpkrw5PlD2Kphu0ywzdCeSf-kE6Gp93ibw86zQA2DYXKS2AowgRBEoAJrT7GTj_SbECO34iUgENzknACuu6q87Ty8RGpAZbs/s200/Sighnaghi.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123511663767866546" /></a><br /><br /><br />I had a nice long entry typed up but there seems to be some technical issues with downloading that right now.....So I am here and things are going. I am adjusting and meeting people in my community and getting to know my new host family. Everybody is very nice and willing to help me learn the langauage. I am managing with my language skills but there is definitely room for improvement! I heard that Georgian is the 3rd most difficult language to learn? Wheather or not that is true I don't know.<br /><br /> Sighnaghi is absolutlely georgeous and I love all of the views. Once all of the renovations are done things will be pretty impresive. Eventually I will send out pictures but until then you'll just have to wait.<br /><br />Take careHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-74722869319920276752007-08-23T06:58:00.000-05:002007-08-23T07:07:08.049-05:00The next part of my big adventureYes, I am still in Georgia. So far things have been great and extremely crazy! Everything will be calming down as tomorrow is the big swearing-in ceremony and moving day! I will be living in the town of Sighnaghi for the next 2 years. The government is pumping lots of money into the town to turn it into a tourist destination so needless to say there is tons of construction going on. Everything is supposed to be completed by October of this year. <br />I'll write more later and fill everybody in on the last couple of months.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6344667115172351065.post-26783947627989341352007-07-04T11:48:00.000-05:002007-07-04T11:54:00.341-05:00Happy 4th of July!!!!!The much awaited first entry of my adventure to Georgia. I arrived in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 along with 46 other Peace Corps trainees (PCT). We spent the afternoon getting to know each other and learning about the Peace Corps (PC). (It’s a good thing we had to wear name tags since I could hardly remember my own name at this point!) On Wednesday we spent more time going over PC info. When we were done for the day I took a stroll to the White House where I of course had my picture taken.<br />Thursday June 14, I began my journey by flying from Dulles to Munich. Mind you I didn’t really sleep much on the 8 Ѕ hour flight arriving in Munich around 10am Friday. By the time the group figured out how to get to the hotel it was 1pm. I choose to take a nap and get one last "shower". The flight from Munich to Tbilisi was supposed to leave at 10pm but was delayed until 10:30 due to the downpour we had experienced earlier in the evening. I could hardly sit upright at this point I was so exhausted.<br />Our plane arrived in Tbilisi around 4am after a 3 Ѕ hour flight on June 16. We loaded our buses and headed to Tabakhmela where we spent the next 6 days being introduced to the Georgian culture and language. The days were long and exhausting. I was trying to learn about a new country and trying to figure out what time zone I was in. All I wanted to do was sleep when I was supposed awake.<br />Many of you wanted to know if I had to get any vaccinations and well I received a few during this period.<br />June 21, 2007 ~ The day finally came when we got to meet our host families. The anxiety was great and welcomed. We had been discussing ways to integrate into a new family where we may only be able to communicate by charades and English/Georgian dictionaries. My host family is wonderful. I have a mom (deda), dad (mama), sister (da) and brother (dzma). We collected my bags and headed up 5 flights of stairs to our flat. Talk about a workout, I did feel kind of bad since my bags might have been on the heavy side. You try packing for 2 years and see how light your bags are. I really did pack lighter than I usually do thanks to few good friends!<br />My apartment is huge and has lots of space and hardwood floors just like home! My room is pretty big and has a little balcony where I can hang laundry out to dry and look at the mountains. I might mention that I have running water and electricity! I was prepared to go without for the next 2 years really I was. There is a chance that could still happen when I move to my next host family after my 10 weeks of training.<br />June 22, 2007~ We jumped right into language training at 9am. My host mother & brother walked me to school since I had no idea where I was supposed to go. At 2pm they promptly picked me up from school. School is held in the basement of a local NGO which is in very good condition. Since we are in the basement the classroom is a bit chilly which will be nice once we get to the heat of the summer. Did I mention that the temperature here is in the high 70s-80s and hardly any humidity! Not that I would brag but…..<br />June 24, 2007 Monday~ This was my first full day of class since arriving in Gori. We started the day at 9 and officially ended school day around 5. I know I could be a professional student but there is something to be said about trying to learn a new language and learning to live in a new culture all at the same time. The information is overwhelming and intense at times. I am definitely testing myself in all areas of my life right now and learning a lot about myself.<br />June 26, 2007, Wednesday~ (I am not sure if I have the days and dates correct) We had school today which ended early since we had guest speakers from USAID, Eurassia Foundation and Save the Children. After class I went to the market to look around and become familiar with what I could buy once I figure out my budget. At least with this budget I won’t have to worry about student loans, car payments, insurance etc. I just have to make sure I have rent money and water money for the most part!<br />I know I haven’t mentioned it yet but the food here is wonderful. The fruits and vegetables taste ten times better than they do in the states! The tomatoes are absolutely wonderful along with the cherries! I have been introduced to some new fruits that I have never seen or heard of in the states. I would love to tell you what they are but I have no idea how to spell them yet and since my ability to communicate is limited at this point…..<br />July 2, 2007~ Yesterday (7-1) was a very relaxing day, the first one that I have had in quiet some time. I went with several fellow trainees to a volunteer’s house that has been here for the last year for a spaghetti dinner. Don’t get me wrong I really like the cuisine here, but there is something about American food that you just can’t substitute. For example one day last week I went out for lunch with a group of PCTs, this was quiet the experience. First of all the menu is in Georgian, needless to say we can hardly say the alphabet let along put sounds together to construct words! We order a pizza. The pizza has tomato sauce, sausage, mushroom, cheese & mayo! The only thing I can say is that I have never had anything like that before. I did find out after the fact that you can order pizza without the mayo so next time….<br />I am sure that most of you are probably enjoying your long weekends right now, at the lake, doing housework, shopping, BBQing, spending time with friends and family…..you should know that I don’t get a long weekend or anything like that but we don’t have to go classes on Wednesday and the PC is hosting a picnic for us. So at least I won’t be studying for one day!<br /><br />HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!! I hope everybody is enjoying their day off. This is the first time in years that I didn't get a sunburn maybe because I wasn't at the Lake? I did enjoy my time at the picnic. Afterwards I went over to a friends house to do mini pedicures! Don't worry my toes look fabulous once again minus the flowers.....<br />So long.....Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949151890420020318noreply@blogger.com10