Grapes

September 22, 2007

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!

Meat Market

September 16, 2007

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.

Computer 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.

Life in Sighnaghi

August 28, 2007

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.

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.

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.

I am in Sighnaghi

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.

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.

Take care

The next part of my big adventure

Yes, 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.
I'll write more later and fill everybody in on the last couple of months.

Happy 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.
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.
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.
Many of you wanted to know if I had to get any vaccinations and well I received a few during this period.
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!
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.
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…..
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.
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!
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…..
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….
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!

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.....
So long.....