5 years ago
0

Three Things that Georgians Find Odd about Americans

by Rawan / Her

After living here for some time, I’ve realized that there are some things that Georgians just simply find odd about Americans. Of course, I’m talking in broad brush strokes here. I’m writing in generalizations (on both respects- Americans and Georgians); however, there is truth to this pattern.

  1. That we want to live alone

    When I first told my supervisor at work that I wanted to move out and I would appreciate if he kept an eye out for apartments, his first response was, “I know another great host family for you.” I said, “Oh, I don’t want another host family. My host family now is really great. I just want my own apartment with Justin.” He then was a bit worried about how I and Justin would manage to handle things on our own (see number 2 below). He did not understand why we needed our own space. Last week, I showed my English club this video. The National Geographic video highlights a man, Billy Burr, living alone in the Colorado woods. The point of the video was more along the lines of climate change. We were supposed to discuss climate change. When the video concluded, want to venture a guess what we ended talking about for twice the length of the video? “Why did he live alone?” “What happened to him that he is living alone?” So after explaining how living alone in America is not weird, I laughed and said, “It is funny how my take away is climate change and yours is him living alone. This is how you can tell we come from different cultures.” We both laughed and moved on to the lesson at hand.

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    My old neighborhood of my first apartment where we lived independently

     

    Georgians have an amazing sense of community and for the most part, they enjoy living together. Once, I delivered a training about “Identifying your Assets” to increase awareness of internal and external resources and talents that they could use to improve their employability chances. One of my students listed her neighbors as external assets. This is something I would have never thought of writing down. Coming from very large metropolitan and overcrowded cities in the United States, I sometimes had no idea who even lived next door to me.  I’m sure that rural America has a stronger sense of local community than Los Angeles or San Francisco, but I wouldn’t know since I’ve never lived in rural America. Even in cities in Georgia have a strong sense of local community. Thus, that would be my guess why they cannot conceptualize why we would choose to live alone.

  2. That we know how to cook and fend for ourselves

    This one is reserved mainly for the older generation. When I lived with my PST host family, the host mom joked that I will take her back with me so she can be my maid. I told her that my apartment was about 700 square feet and so I won’t need a maid. Apparently, all the American movies that she must have seen included only rich Americans with maids. She was thought I was pulling her leg when I told her that I do all the cleaning in my apartment. Correction- Justin and I do all the cleaning. I made sure to add Justin to break stereotypes when I talk to Georgians and also give credit where credit is due. My older colleagues at my office now were pleasantly surprised when I would bring leftovers that I cooked for lunch the next day. I seriously have no idea where this stereotype about Americans originated? Maybe because in TV shows and movies we tend to be eating at restaurants?  Other Peace Corps Volunteers have also experienced the same thing from their colleagues or members of the community.

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    Prepping for Thanksgiving 2018

    One of my Georgian friends, Ana, even confirmed this stereotype last week when we went out for some tea. I was telling her some weird conversations that I have had with other Georgians and she even confirmed this one with me. Honestly, I never know how to respond. I simply say, “yes, I love to cook and I enjoy doing it.” It is possible that my host families made these comments as an indirect way for wanting to continue to host us. My host families were in charge of providing meals for us on a daily basis. Maybe when I indicated that I wanted to cook in their homes, they felt that I no longer wanted them to host me? This is pure speculation- but I do know after 3 years living here at Georgians take pride in being great hosts to their guests.

  3. We exercise by choice and run for fun

    I’ll just point out very quickly that I have yet to run recreationally in Georgia. Right before our Peace Corps departure date, I was training for a half-marathon for months. However, it is very odd to see someone running here for “fun” or “exercise.” I already stand out and I just wasn’t in the mood to deal with more ogling stares. It is a lazy excuse, I know. But nonetheless, it is the excuse that I’m sticking with. Other, more motivated, Peace Corps friends of mine have continued their running regime. They do get questioned why they are doing it and they do get stares during their runs.

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    There is a local central park in my town; however, I can’t recall seeing anyone run for recreational purposes

     

    I’ll also say that is odder for women to exercise than it is more fun. Georgian men participate in sports such as Rugby, heavy lifting, and boxing. I have male PCV friends that would go to their local gym and have a friendly boxing match with their local Georgian male friends. With the exception of large cities in Georgia, I do not believe that female sightings at gyms are very common. I live in a large city and I’ve been to an all-female gym in town. However, I do not think that participating in an active lifestyle is on the mind of an average Georgian outside of Tbilisi.

 

5 years ago
0

Questions Georgians Love to Ask Me

by Rawan / Her

Over my two years in Georgia, I’ve come to notice that there is a large pattern of the types of questions Georgians ask me and other Peace Corps Volunteers.

1.”Do you like Georgia?” 

The first question tends to be, “Do you like Georgia?” Thankfully, Georgia does hold a special place in my heart and forever will. Therefore, I feel comfortable answering the question truthfully. Oddly, the reasons that I like Georgia are reasons that take Georgians by surprise. For example, I love Georgian dance and folk music. When I say this, they are surprised or shocked. Their facial expressions imply that this is not a reason that is deemed worthy.

2. “Do you like Khachapuri?” and/or “Do you like Khinkhali?”

What is deemed worthy as a reason to love Georgia? Well, their second question would suggest why I should love Georgia- Khachapuri. Georgians will almost always follow the “Do you like Georgia?” with, “Do you like Khachapuri?” In the beginning, this question did not bother me. Now, I try so hard not to roll my eyes. This topic is controversial. Georgians love cheese. Georgians love their Khachapuri. If you do not love Khachapuri, you are almost a traitor. I think the best analogy I could come up with is if an American does not like Pizza or Hamburgers. Even vegetarians and vegans in America will partake in Fourth of July BBQs with a veggie burger. Personally, since I am lactose intolerant, I prefer Lobiani over Khachapuri. Lobiani basically means “bean-y” which is a bread with beans in it, so essentially bean bread. It is probably one of my favorites.

3. “Do you have a husband/wife?” “Do you want a Georgian husband/wife?”

I have yet to come across a female Peace Corps Volunteer who has not been asked this question. I believe men also get this question, but I’m not sure if it is as frequently. Thankfully, I do have a husband and so I do not have to turn down their offer for them to find me one. Marriage is a sacred goal in Georgia.

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Justin and I at the World Cup in Russia (2018). Very lucky to be serving with a spouse in the Peace Corps 🙂

To choose to stay unmarried raises eyebrows and questions. My family comes from a different culture that has very similar attitudes as Georgians in regards to marriage. Therefore, I can understand where this question is coming from.

4. “How do you know Georgian? Why are you in Georgia?”

This is a fair question. I have yet to meet a single foreigner that speaks Georgian that is not a Peace Corps Volunteer. I think this is because my site is mostly ethnically Georgian and few foreigners live in my site. However, other villages and towns in Georgia have more diversity. For example, there are Peace Corps Volunteers that are placed in villages that have a large population of Armenians and/or Azeris. The other Peace Corps Volunteers have told me that non-ethnic Georgians speak Georgian, but their level of fluency is not uniform across the board. Some speak it fluently and others speak only a few words. Of course there are expats in Georgia; however, they tend to reside in Tbilisi, the capital. Similar to the non-ethnic Georgians, I’ve heard that there are expats that speak Georgian and some that don’t. The pattern does stand that Georgian is not as popular to learn as Russian among non-native Georgians.

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Justin and I found a head statue of JFK at the Hermitage in Russia. As we all know, JFK founded the Peace Corps, which takes language integration seriously.

As for us, Peace Corps Volunteers, we gain so much respect from the community by learning and speaking Georgian. They appreciate the effort and it definitely helps us integrate. More on that in this old blog post of mine.

5. How come you do not speak Russian? 

Ironically, when I speak Georgian to Georgians that I just met, they will respond in Russian. I will repeat in Georgian that I do not speak Russian, but I speak Georgian. They will still speak in Russian or they will ask me “how do I know Georgian?” In the Soviet times, Georgians (with the exception of top government officials) were not allowed to travel outside of the Soviet Union. According to my counterparts and friends, Georgia was isolated and everyone only knew what was within the Soviet Union. Therefore, they assumed that everyone knows Russian and this thought carries into the present.

Supringsly, some Georgians will think that many Americans will also know Russian. I tell them that Spanish is the second most common language in America. I will tell them that I understand a lot of Spanish and Georgians are shocked- why Spanish??? Why not Russian??? I tell them that if an American speaks Russian, more often than not, they are immigrants or first-generation Russian (or Russian speaking nations). If not, then they chose to learn in university.

6. How much money did and/or do you make? 

This is probably one of the most culturally different question that Georgians ask me that Americans just won’t. In the United States, it is considered rude and invasive to ask someone how much money someone makes. In Georgia, this could literally be one of the first questions they ask when they first meet me. Yes, I’ll say it again- many have asked me this during our first interaction.

I try to deflect my answer by using this as an opportunity to talk about Americans as a whole. I’ll say something like, “yes, we make more money than Georgians, but our living expenses also cost a lot of money. Therefore, we, too, do not have a lot of savings. The average American is now in the working class and our middle class is shrinking.” I give this answer because a common misconception is that Americans are rich. My host sister during PST joked that I should smuggle her in my suitcase and that she will be my maid in America. When I told her that I lived in one bedroom apartment for years in California, she did not believe me. She also did not believe me that I told her that I have been working since high school to help support myself.

At the end of the day, a huge part of our job as Peace Corps Volunteers is answering these types of questions. They may seem simple, but we are combating misconceptions. Our answers can help bridge a gap of knowledge and increase the foundation of friendship between the United States and Georgia.

6 years ago
0

The Job Interview Process in the Republic of Georgia: A...

by Rawan / Her

I’ve helped my organization at least twice in the interview process for my secondary organization,  Youth2Georgia. This blog describes my perspective on the difference between American interview cultural practices vs. Georgian interview cultural practices.

In America, the beginning of any new job is generally overwhelming and it involves a lot of paperwork. You have to sign the W-2s, the 401K paperwork (if you are lucky), and read all the policies and procedures. Starting Peace Corps is ten times more complicated than that. We have to go through legal clearance, medical clearance, and months of waiting even after our offer letter has arrived. Here is an infographic about applying to Peace Corps. P.S- can I still call it offer letter considering we don’t get paid a salary?!

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The amount of paperwork that we need to fill out for Peace Corps is just… ahh, a lot!

On the other end of the spectrum, starting my role as a Peace Corps Volunteer in my organization, World Vision, was actually very different. Since all my Peace Corps paperwork was done either before PST or during PST, there was not much to do once I became an official volunteer. So once I got to site, I remember there was a lot of sitting around.

I recall lounging at work wondering what to do next. My supervisor at work did not give me anything to do. I offered to help, but what was I supposed to do given I had no idea what was going on?! I attempted to learn as much as possible by YouTubing and Googling World Vision in general. Finding out about the projects in Georgia was a bit more difficult. Granted, at least I am assigned to an international organization, so I was able to learn a few things.

Other volunteers could not research their organizations because most of them operate locally. If they published any of their work on the internet, it was most likely on their Facebook page and in the Georgian language only. Having business websites is not really a thing in Georgia. If you recall my previous posts regarding Facebook, creating a Facebook page is the number one way to advertise one’s business.

 

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I thought this GIF is perfect. Why? Peace Corps Volunteers constantly have interesting body ailments that we may or may not google…But we also Google work related things.

 

This makes me wonder what would one do if he/she were interested in applying to a Georgian organization? Well, I do not think intense Google stalking is the answer. Word of mouth wins again. Being well integrated into the community places an advantage. Many of the jobs are advertised on job.ge.  Looking at that website is generally the extent of any online search. Also, since many of the industries are not very wide-spread in Georgia, “everyone knows everyone” is somewhat true here. During my short time here, I am familiar with many of the NGOs in my community.

Still, how does the interview process different than America? Since I have been involved in a few interviews with candidates at my organization, I thought I would write a blog post about this.

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In America, I’ve seen hundreds of applicants apply for one position opening. Here, I have not seen more than 10 people apply thus far per job opening.

First off, In America, the candidate and the interviewer shake hands once the interview is about to start. Greetings are exchanged during the handshake. In Georgia, I do not think handshakes are exchanged as often. To come and think of it, I can’t remember in the last round of interviews if anyone exchanged handshakes.

One of the main differences between American interviews and Georgians interviews is the usage and format of resumes. In college, I was taught over and over again that when I go to an interview, I should have several printed copies of my resumes. In Georgia, candidates do not walk in with printed copies of their resume. A few months ago, I delivered a job interviewing skills training. During the session, I informed the participants that in America, it is expected that the candidate should have printed copies. One of the adults in the room shook her head passionately. She interrupted me and said in Georgian, “Do not print your resumes in Georgia. It is a waste of paper.” Then she looked at me and asked, “Why would you print it since they have a digital copy of it when you applied? Can’t they just print it themselves?” A valid question for which I do not have a logical answer to besides that it is cultural and makes the candidate look more prepared.

The format of a resume is also very different in Georgia. In America, we truly focus on the length. We love 1-page resumes. The maximum you will see is a 2-pager for a long-term veteran of an industry. In Georgia, I have seen 19-year olds with a 5-page resume. It is because length and format are not very emphasized. Georgian resumes look more like an outline. Also, the information resembles a European resume. For example, almost all Georgians will input their birth date (including the year) and their photo on the first page. I’ve seen several resumes where Georgians will also put their place of birth. In America, asking someone’s birthday and place of origin is illegal.

My favorite cultural difference between Georgia and America is phone etiquette. In the U.S., if you get a call during a meeting, you either ignore the call or step outside the room to take it. In Georgia, you take the phone call. Best part, you actually have the conversation! Granted, it is normally in hushed tones, but nonetheless, it is still distracting to others in the room. Georgians will put their phone to their ear and cover their mouth with their free hand. You hear a bunch of whispers and you can’t help but look at the person. I’ll give Georgians credit, the phone conversations typically last less than 10 minutes.

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Just going to pick up the phone…. no big deal

This etiquette does also occur during interviews. My boss’ phone rang several times during the interviews. He picked them up, spoke quickly in the room, and hung up. Meanwhile, I also received two phone calls. I ignored the phone calls and then put my phone on vibrate. The only reason why it was not on silent is that we have a policy that Peace Corps needs to be able to reach us at all times in case of an emergency. Thus, putting it on silent could jeopardize my safety and potentially break policy. During the break, I called my Peace Corps friends back to see why they called. I have not been able to shake off my American phone etiquette despite having lived here for two years.

Another distinction is the expectations of questions from the candidate. I have conducted interviews in my past. I worked in HR and a restaurant team lead, so I had plenty of practice interviewing candidates. It is an expectation that good candidates will ask thoughtful and meaningful questions at the end of the interview. Many HR professionals and hiring managers in America believe that when a candidate asks questions about the position, it shows genuine interest in the company and the role. In Georgia, none of my team members were expecting questions as “a must” from any of the candidates. They allowed the candidates to ask questions, but when they did not have any, it was no big deal.

All in all, there seem to be less unwritten rules and expectations in Georgia. I could, of course, be wrong. I’m writing this from my experience at one organization in Georgia. I cannot speak to how interviews are conducted country-wide. However, this relaxed attitude is consistent throughout the country. On a whole, Georgia seems to be more relaxed about many, countless things that Americans take more seriously. Take for instance time and punctuality. Americans value punctuality. and Georgians do not take it as seriously.

At this point, I am very curious about how I will behave in an American office environment when I return. I can’t help but believe that Georgia has made me more relaxed and less of a type-A personality over these past two years. It is certain that I will experience reverse-culture shock for sure…

6 years ago
0

Welcome to Jurassic Park

by Rawan / Her

No, this is not click bait. My friends and I actually camped where the dinosaurs once lived. I will admit, the campsite site is not called, “Jurassic Park,” but rather, “Sataplia- Imereti Caves Protected Areas.”

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The entrance sign

Here is your Georgian lesson for the day, “Tapli” means “honey.” The kind that you eat, not the nickname that your grandmother has for you. The Georgian language has some logic to it, whenever the “place” for something is, you add, “sa” in front of it. Therefore, “Sataplia” loosely translates to, “the place where the honey is.” So, why am I referring to it as the Real Jurassic Park? Well, Sataplia is well-known in Georgia for the dinosaur footprints and its beautiful caves.

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Katharine, Peace Corps Volunteer, took this wonderful picture of the dinosaur footprints

The plan was to leave in the morning on Saturday, November 25th, 2017. We originally wanted to go to Oktase Canyon, but they were not allowing any visitors because of the snow. Many of us traveled far for this camping trip (I did not), so the snow was not going to stop us from camping. So we settled on Sataplia because it was close and mainly because they were open to visitors.

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Sataplia National Park has this viewing balcony that you can view the mountains and the city of Kutaisi. (photo cred: Erin)

Everyone who knew we were camping thought we were crazy. The other American Peace Corps Volunteers thought, “Don’t freeze out there!” Thanksgiving weekend has been the first snow of the season for many parts of Georgia. The Georgians were simply dumbfounded to why anyone would want to sleep outside- by choice. I was able to get a local Georgian friend of mine to call his uncle to drop us off at Sataplia. His question was, “Where are you going after Sataplia?” Our answer, “We are staying at Sataplia.” He kept on repeating the question, because why on earth would anyone stay in Sataplia in the snow. From then on, we coined the theme of the camping trip, “#Campingordeath.”

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Outbound to camping! Front right-hand corner: Neil. Second row (left to right): me, Joe, Erin, Katharine, and Cherish. Back row: Tyler’s hand (you can only see him waving) (photo cred: Neil)

When we arrived, we definitely looked like the crazy Americans. The park rangers were confused as to why we had so many things with us. When we explained to them that we are Peace Corps Volunteers who want to go camping, they welcomed us with open arms! The director of the park had hosted (as a host family) a Peace Corps Volunteer in 2013. So within minutes, some of them left the park to go buy some cha-cha (similar to vodka), wine, and bread to celebrate!

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“Quick! Do the T-Rex!” Sataplia has a couple of dinosaur models in the park. (photo cred: Lasha, via Erin’s phone)

In the meantime, one of the park rangers, Lasha, took us a personal tour of the caves and the park. Lasha embodied the hospitality of Georgia. Of course, the entire tour was in Georgian, but we understood most of it 😉

For the next couple of hours, we drank and ate bread with the park rangers in their office. We shared with them our pretzels and snacks that we bought for the trip. You simply cannot get a better cultural integration moment than that! We laughed and ate and just enjoyed each other’s company.

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Neil and I collecting firewood! The snow was slippery, especially when walking with a huge log downhill! (photo cred: Katharine)

By the time we finished drinking and snacking with the park rangers, it was almost 4:30 p.m. We immediately started setting up our camp and collected firewood. It was the first time in my life collecting firewood. For bonfires in the U.S, we would just buy the wood at the store. Nope, I spent the next couple of hours looking for dead, fallen branches in the woods. I’m not going to lie, I surprised myself with how much I carried and contributed.

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Collecting firewood during sunset! I loved this photo that Erin took of me. It just captures the beautiful Georgian nature.

The park rangers let us borrow their shovels, so we used that to remove the snow where our tents would be. Then, we set up our tents and our sleeping bags. I inherited an old sleeping that has been passed down several Peace Corps generations in Georgia. I am very thankful for it because it kept me alive throughout the night.

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One of my favorite pictures of the trip. Erin captured our campsite with the set setting down. It is picture perfect, to say the least.

We spent the night telling each other stories, huddled around each other to stay warm. Tyler kept up the fire most of the night and he did such a good job. Yay us for collecting enough firewood! It was definitely a fun experience camping. Now, would I do it again in the muddy snow? Debatable.

I also found out that on our way back, the park rangers had given the office key to one of us. They offered their indoor office in case it was too cold outside. So, it was nice knowing that they did not want to find seven, dead American bodies lying in the snow the next morning.