5 years ago
0

Thoughts on Georgian Transportation

by Rawan / Her

Transportation in Georgia is very different from the freeway jungles of Los Angeles. Here are some of my thoughts on how we get around in Georgia.

Marshutka:

When I’m not walking, I’m taking a marshutka. These mini-buses or large vans are a very soviet thing, in fact, the word itself is the modified Russian word “marshrutka.” The public transportation system is very efficient in Georgia. I can go to almost any remote village by marshutka. However, they are not necessarily comfortable. All seats are basically the “middle seat” in the smallest Honda Civic and definitely more uncomfortable than the most economical plane seat.

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When entering the marshutka, you open the passenger door and not the large side door. All the seats have been configured to fit more passengers. Side note, the two machines on the left side of the photo are pay boxes!

Even though they are very efficient and cheap, I’m just going to throw it out there that I am not a fan. Since I was 17 years old, I grew a distaste to crowded places. I’m not claustrophobic, but cramped spaces are physically and mentally uncomfortable for me. I am short and people tend to just squish me. Because marshutkas are inherently small, everyone gets squished. It is not so bad in the winter, but the summer makes for a lot of sweat swapping. Also, there is an old wives’ tale that if you open the windows and the breeze hits your chest, you will get sick. So imagine being cramped in a small space with no AC and no open windows. If you can imagine that, then you have successfully imagined every marshutka ride in the summer.

My family asks me, “why don’t you just take a bus?” And the answer is, “I’ve only seen modern, large buses in Tbilisi.” At my site, there is one route that has a bus. However, same as all the other marshutkas, the buses are given to us by Germany (not sure if donated or paid). Once Germany deems the bus or marshutka too old or unusable, they ship them off to Georgia. So the buses and marshutkas in my town (and likely all of Georgia excluding Tbilisi) are run-down and unsafe in accordance with American standards. I’ve seen broken down marshutkas on the side of the highway on the way to Tbilisi countless times.

On another note, the way we pay inner-city marshutka is also different. In the U.S, there is generally some sort of coin machine or card reader once you enter the bus. In Georgia, you generally pay when you are leaving the marshutka. There are few exceptions where you pay before the ride starts. Of course, there is not a written down system. For example, in the inner-city marshutaks, I pay when I leave. If I’m going to Tbilisi, I pay before. It is such a funny system. Regardless, drivers prefer if you pay with coins for shorter rides because there is no such thing as a coin machine or a card reader.

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The driver has a stash of coins and some bills on the dashboard of his marshutka. They sometimes put a small board or plastic to keep on top of the coins to keep them from moving around.

Riding to a different village or a town, it is prudent to bring the exact change. Many times, these prices are not posted anywhere. Locals know the prices and as Peace Corps Volunteers, we learned quickly to become local when it comes to marshutka prices. Since they are not posted anywhere, the marshutka can easily take advantage of foreigners if they wanted to. However, Peace Corps Volunteers speak Georgian and we know the routes well. Thus, we don’t usually get ripped off. It may just happen once or twice in the entire two years, which is a very low number. Personally, I have only got ripped off once because I did not have exact change. Such a rookie mistake.

Private Transportation/Cars:

In regards to private transportation, as Peace Corps Volunteers, we are not allowed to drive or own vehicles in the country in which we serve. Even though many (if not most) Georgians do not own a car, some do. I still see many Soviet vehicles still on the road and some people turn them into makeshift taxis in the small villages. My friend Nicole who visited me last year jokes that I should give her one as a gift and ship it from Georgia. Seeing them on the road is like opening up a time capsule.

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Two different Soviet cars back-to-back driving around town.

Of course, there are plenty of people that drive more updated versions of cars. However, if you visit Georgia you will still see plenty of Soviet cars. Speaking of modern cars, a lot of times, bumpers just somehow get lost. If the car gets into an accident, they just remove the bumper. They will tie the license plate with some rope or hammer in some nails and call it a day. I see a missing front bumper as least once a day. A lot of Taxis will also have lost bumpers and I still ride in them.

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To protect the privacy of the owner, I’m only going to provide a side image of the SUV. This picture was provided to me by a friend of mine, John.

Taxis:

Taxis are available and frequent in Georgia. Every town and village has a local taxi driver. In some remote areas, the only way in and out is by taxi. Some villages only have a marshutka going to and from Tbilisi or the next largest town once a day. I’ve visited some other Peace Corps Volunteers at their sites and I had to take a taxi. They are affordable but can get pricey if you make it into a habit. Therefore, as Peace Corps Volunteers, we usually do not take taxis unless necessary. I generally only take them in Tbilisi if I have a lot of luggage/equipment or if there isn’t a public transportation route in that direction.

Trains:

Trains, of course, exist in Georgia. They are most likely the least frequent method of public transportation that I embark on. The “fast” train does not really come through my site. It bypasses it, which is very annoying. If I were to take the fast train, I go to a neighboring village. At that point, it is just faster to take a marshutka from the bus station. Other volunteers take the take more frequently. It honestly depends where you are leaving and where you are going. For me, it just doesn’t make much sense. I do take the train when there is heavy snow and I need to go to Tbilisi. I find it safer than taking a broken down marshutka with a speedy driver through the rolling mountains of Georgia.

Metro:

There is only one metro system in all of Georgia and naturally, it is located in the capital, Tbilisi. While I’m in Tbilisi, I take the metro every single time. It is incredibly convenient and cheap. The metro only has two lines but Tbilisi is not a very large city compared to other capitals in the world; therefore, it works fine. It is 50 tetri for each ride, so it is cheaper than taxis and faster than walking. If you ever visit Tbilisi, I recommend the metro. It was built during the Soviet era and it still works great.

 

If you are curious about other people’s thoughts on transportation, read this article here.

 

6 years ago
0

Five Things that I do in Georgia but not in the United ...

by Rawan / Her

This blog post provides some macro examples of how different my daily life, the simple nuances, is in Georgia…

I have always recommended people to travel. Better yet, I actually think living in a country outside of your own is even a better personal growth experiment. Living outside your own country gives you a sense of another way to live life.

Here are just 5 examples of things that I do in Georgia that I do not do in the United States. These 10 examples provide you with a lens on how my life is truly different than my former life in the United States. Examples are no particular order.

  1.  Making small talk with my neighbors when using the bathroom

    As mentioned in this blog post, my bathroom is actually outside. Would you like to venture a guess? My neighbor’s bathroom is also outside. Like many people, the first thing I do in the morning is walk to use the bathroom. Sometimes, I will see my neighbors doing the same thing early in the morning. Both of us are in pajamas and have messy hair, but we will nod in acknowledgment to each other. Other times, in the middle of the day, my neighbor might stop me for a small chat regarding the bills or the animals in our yard.

    My dad (the real one, not my host dad) loves this fact about my Georgian home. Each time I talk with him on Skype or Facebook Messenger, he asks me about my bathroom. He finds it hilarious that I have a separate key to lock up my bathroom door and another key for the main part of the house.

    Me and my Dad
    I was talking with my dad via Facebook Messanger a few days ago and sure enough, he asked me about the bathroom

  2. Brushing my teeth in the Kitchen

    Given that the bathroom is outside, Justin and I have found that brushing our teeth in the kitchen is much easier. First, there is not a single storage cabinet or a drawer in our bathroom. There is one, very unstable shelf in the bathroom. There is nothing of importance on that shelf. My shampoo, conditioner, and shaving cream are located on top of the washing machine in the bathroom. Thus, it would be difficult to store our toothbrush in a clean, stable, and dry place in the bathroom.

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    Brushing my teeth in my kitchen. Don’t worry, my kitchen sink is constantly kept scrubbed and cleaned since both food and toothpaste goes down that sink.

     

    Secondly, winters can be very harsh in Georgia. To avoid going outside completely, brushing our teeth in the kitchen is much easier because it is warmer. Funny enough though, we do not put our toothbrushes in the kitchen. The floor is not straight, either due to improper engineering or the constant termites. Therefore, we put our toothbrushes on a steady dresser in the bedroom. This is all because I like my electric toothbrush standing up. I do not like the bristles of the toothbrush to touch unsanitary surfaces. If I were to put it in the kitchen, the toothbrush would constantly fall over because the floor is not straight.

  3. Paying rent in cash and without a lease

    I have an image that anyone who pays their rent in cash without a lease in the United States is probably up to no good. They may be smugglers, drug dealers, or engaging in other illicit activity. I thank Hollywood for this savory imagery. In Georgia, if you pay your rent in cash, you are ordinary. You are also ordinary if there is no lease.

    When we searched for an apartment nearly two years ago, we agreed with our landlord that we would pay on the first day of each month. I remember asking about some sort of lease and I got a weird glance. We had a Georgian friend of ours help with the intricate translations and she even said it was not necessary.

    When the end of the month rolls by, Justin or I give our landlord, Levani, a call. He will stop by and pick up the cash and then leaves. Sometimes, I will give him the cash at the end of Mass at our local church. Funny enough, most of the times, we do not even pay him on the first. Because we do it in person, sometimes the both of us are not available on the first day of the month. So we might pay a few days late or a few days early. It is a somewhat flexible schedule.

  4. Not showering every day

    This should not be surprising given that showering is an uncomfortable experience in most Georgian homes. The whole process is generally an hour, even though the actual bathing/scrubbing is about 7 minutes (shampooing and shaving legs included). Excluding the summer months, it takes a while to heat the room. It takes a while to figure out the right water temperature. Thirdly, the most time-consuming aspect is mopping and drying the bathroom after the shower.

    If we had reliable water flow and stable temperature, I would be tempted to shower more often. Secondly, if there was an actual shower “room” instead of just a shower head hanging in the middle of the room, then mopping all the walls and floor would not be necessary. The process would be much quicker.

    Do not worry or fret because we still clean ourselves on the non-shower days. Baby wipes are one of the greatest inventions in modern history. We have no babies in our apartment, but there is always a packet of 120 wipes lying around the apartment. Justin and I have been experimenting with different fragrances. At this point, we really detest the regular baby wipe smell. We bought the “blue ocean” recently, which does not smell like the ocean, but it does smell nice.

  5. Reheating Food without a Microwave

    During my time in Georgia, I think I have seen less than a dozen microwaves in over two years. There was not a single microwave in my entire village during PST (to the best of my knowledge). My host family at my site does not have a microwave. My apartment now does not have a microwave.

    Surprisingly, my office at World Vision does have a microwave. Yet, even at work, I reheat any leftovers on the stove. The microwave at work is very weak and lame. It might take 7 minutes to reheat a small plate. It does not heat the food evenly and I have to keep on mixing the food to distribute the heat. I realized that the effort is not worth it because heating the food on the stove is more efficient with time and more effective with heat distribution.

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    My ineffective office microwave. It takes five minutes to microwave anything to get the food to lukewarm temperature.

     

    Ironically, stores at my site will sell microwave popcorn packets. I have tried to find popcorn kernels and they are difficult to find. Yet, microwave popcorn packets are easy and available. I’ve come to realize that people simply rip the packet open and pop the popcorn over the stove.

In conclusion, do not take the simple things in life for granted. Something that you could use every day is simply just not available elsewhere. Stay tuned for part 2..

6 years ago
0

Let’s Play Together

by Rawan / Her

Let’s Play Together is a project I co-lead with a couple of other volunteers and McLain Association for Children (MAC) that provides an opportunity for children of all abilities to learn, play, and engage with each other. Someone very special to me taught me at a young age why this is important and I dedicate this blog post to Natasha.

 

Every Friday, my mother’s side of the family gets together, and we share a feast together. I have moved away, but they still do this in my original hometown. When I was a child, I was fortunate that my great-grandmother was still alive and I was able to get to know her. Up until her death, the entire family would gather around my great grandmother’s table. Now, we gather around my grandparents’ table. Each Friday, we spend hours chatting and eating. When I was about 5 years old, my sister, Shereen, and I thought my mom’s first cousin, Natasha, was the coolest. At the time, Natasha lived with my great grandmother. We were very interested in Barbies and Natasha, my mom’s cousin, was also interested in them! In fact, I think Natasha was sometimes more invested in the storylines that our Barbies’ lived than we were.

Family Lunches
Some members of my family for what I am assuming is a wedding reception. However, for lunches, we would have at least 2 dozen members of the family get together. Natasha is the young adult female with black hair on the left. My great-grandparents are at the head of the table.

Natasha was only a few years younger than my mother. Therefore, we absolutely loved the fact that a grown adult wanted to play Barbies with us for hours on end. As we got older, Shereen and I began noticing that Natasha was the only adult who was interested. We were confused why did Natasha not have her own family or do things like the other adults did. As young children, we did not complain because she was an awesome playmate. My mother explained that Natasha was special and has a warm heart, but her brain developed a little differently. Not fully understanding that concept, we continued playing barbies with Natasha every Friday in her room for a few years.

As Shereen and I grew older, we also grew out of our Barbies phase. Natasha did not. It got really awkward telling her that, “No, Natasha, we don’t want to play Barbies with you today.” I was 11 years old and I looking back, I want to punch my 11-year-old self in the face. Natasha had a mental disability and although she had an adult body, she never developed an adult state of mind. Natasha was patient and offered to play other games with us. I can’t remember what other games she offered, but I knew that Shereen and I probably broke her heart because we weren’t interested in the other games she offered.

Natasha as a baby
My mother (right), my aunt (top center), and Natasha as a baby (bottom center).

At the time, my original hometown did not have resources or centers for persons with disabilities. In fact, there was still a stigma and misunderstandings regarding disabilities, mental or physical.  My grandfather did a lot of innovative things for his niece, Natasha. However, she still spent most of her time living with her grandmother and most of the time isolated. My family loved her and included her in our family activities, but I know that she felt different.

In the year 2000, my parents, sisters, and I moved thousands of miles away. Therefore, we only saw Natasha during the summers when we visited. A few years after that, when I was 18, my great-grandmother passed away. Natasha moved next door to live with her first cousins in her own small apartment that as above the cousins’ house. When I was still in college, Natasha passed away, alone, when she was about 35 years old. I do not remember the last conversation I had with her. Yet, the only thing that kept on looping over and over in my mind was the memory of me telling Natasha, “No, I do not feel like playing Barbies with you today.” Shereen felt the same way. We felt immense guilt for some reason. My mother told us, “Do not worry, Natasha, knows that you two loved her.”

Regardless, I always felt that I needed to do something that honors Natasha’s life. I just never knew how, until now. A little over a year ago, my sitemate Karen, a G15, co-lead a Peace Corps project called “Let’s Play Together” (LPT). This project is a partnership with the McLain Foundation for Children in Georgia and Peace Corps Volunteers. We create one-day events in various towns and villages in Georgia, mostly in underserved villages. In these events, children and young adults of all abilities play, dance, create art, play tug-of-war, and other fun activities throughout the day. In the last couple of years, we had hundreds of children participate in Khashuri, Batumi, Sachkere, Terjola, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Gori, Poti, Ozurgeti, and even Tbilisi.

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My G15 sitemate, Karen (left) and I (right) during the Let’s Play Together event in Khashuri on Saturday, June 10th, 2016

Karen pulled me into the project and after she finished her Peace Corps service, I took over her role as the logistics person for Let’s Play Together. I currently co-lead this project with my friend Courtney. We have led four amazing events in this school year and we are currently in the process of handing the project over to the two amazing G17s for them to run the project next year. I truly feel like this project helps me honor Natasha’s life and provides a way for me to make an impact in Georgia, specifically for young Georgians with various and different abilities.

Like Natasha, Georgians with different abilities, specifically outside of Tbilisi, have very little resources and opportunities. Many face stigmas and the community still believes in this crazy myths surrounding disabilities. One time, I heard a story, that If I remember correctly, a little boy in an underserved village became bedridden because the family was told that the child was not supposed to go outside or do anything due to his condition. The boy would not have been bedridden if the family was properly educated. Basically, the child became MORE disadvantaged due to the stigma and lack of education regarding disabilities. I was dumbfounded.

In June 2017, we hosted a Let’s Play Together event in the town of Khashuri. That Saturday morning, it started to rain. Karen and Courtney O., the G15s who ran the committee before Courtney A. and me, expressed concern regarding the event. I remember telling Karen, “why does it matter if it rains?! It rains all the time in Georgia and life moves on.” Then Karen told me the shocking news that an old Georgian wife’s tale if a person with a disability is in the rain, that his/her disability will worsen. Sure enough, only two children with disabilities showed up. The other parents were concerned about their children because it was raining. Luckily enough, by 10:30 a.m., the sun started peaking through the clouds. We called many parents to remind them of the event. We had more children with disabilities come, but still, the number of participating children could have been higher if it weren’t for the rain.

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Let’s Play Together event in Zugdidi, Georgia in December 2017. Courtney (immediately left of the poster in the green shirt) and I (immediate right of the poster in the red shirt) are the G16 committee leaders. The remaining people in the photo are the Peace Corps Volunteers that participated in the event that day.

Another story, not related to Let’s Play Together, but still worth mentioning is the healing myths of Ureki’s magnetic beach sand. Ureki is a town in the western part of Georgia along the coast of the Black Sea. The beach is absolutely gorgeous; the sand is black and fine. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, it is said that “it heals people with its disabilities.” Justin and I have been to this beach a couple of times. We will see many children with wheelchairs lying on the beach. I do not have words for this, except to say, that I doubt that this myth is scientifically supported. Many Georgians that I have met swear by this and the beach’s healing powers. I find it upsetting because a lot of children with disabilities are tucked away in their family homes. They are not active in society. Yet, I will find children of various abilities on the beach with their parents praying close by. Here is another blog post in which describes briefly where the healing powers come from.

This is one of the reasons why Let’s Play Together is such a great project. MAC provides all sorts of resources for the event. Physical therapists attend the event and help us. We have games that involve everybody- regardless of level. Our games are intriguing, involving mind and body and creating a bond between the participants and youth volunteers.

Therefore, Let’s Play Together has such a simple concept, yet it is very impactful. Having an event in which children of various abilities play together demystifies our differences. Through games and dance, we all realize we are more alike than different. Every person on this earth has value and can create impact. It is important that we create a safe space in which people of all backgrounds feel valued and appreciated in life. The event may be only a few hours long, but I know that it means a lot for our participants and volunteers. It means a lot to me to be a part of such a strong and impactful project during my service.

 

7 years ago
0

Expressing Gratitude

by Rawan / Her

I remember as a child whenever I couldn’t get a new toy, I would whine, “I wish I were rich. Then, we could buy it.” My mother and grandmother would look at me and tell me to re-evaluate my definition of being rich. They said that richness can come in many forms. The corniest one of all is, “richness in the heart, where you are full of the love given by family and friends.” Naturally, they received the biggest eye roll a child could give. At the time, they weren’t getting any love with that response.

 

My facial expression as a kid probably looked like this cutie.

 

Now, as an adult, I have to agree with their definition. I’m probably going to impart that same “corny and lame” definition to my future children. I’m assuming, but I think we can all agree that there is truth to their definition. However, how many of us would still chase after the traditional sense of being rich- you know, the one with money? A year into service, I don’t think I will be chasing massive “traditional wealth” any longer. However, I will not deny that I would like to live comfortably. Basically, I want to be able to take modest vacations once a year and live in a small house that I own. In essence, I would like to be solidly middle class.

During service, I have a lot of positives and negatives moments just like any other person. However, in the Peace Corps, the lows tend to go a little deeper than an average person in America. Caveat, pain is all relative. For instance, my Georgian neighbors do not think it is a bad day if their water runs out as well as their electricity, internet, and gas. They just deal with it because that is their daily life. However, in the beginning of my service, that would be a bad day for me. Why? Because I never had to deal with all things going out concurrently in the United States (if I paid my bills that is). My definition of a bad day means so different than a year ago.

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Just last week the electricity went out due to a rain storm. We did not have electricity for hours. Yet, we worked away at the office.

During my Peace Corps mid-service training last month, when I turned on the hot water in the shower at the hotel, it did not work. Instead of fussing with the nozzle or getting irritated, I just took a REALLY cold shower. I got used to things not working that I did not even try to fix it. Low and behold, if I turned the nozzle to the cold end and waited, hot water would have appeared. My mistake. I should have tried to outplay the engineering of the bathroom design. This insignificant experience shows you something though, I no longer get frustrated over the little annoying things in life. I just move on and deal with the “bad.” I only discovered that the water indicators were switched after conversing with my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers who experienced the same thing. I have gotten to the point now that when I do have the perfect shower temperature, I have a great day. Little things like that make me ecstatic.

Therefore, if hot showers make me happy, imagine how grateful I am for having friends and family visit me. As you already know, my great-uncle visited in February and my friend Sarah visited me in April. In July, I had four different people visit me. My friend Nicole, one of my closest friends since I was 14 years old, came for nearly three weeks. My friend Tim, from my study abroad experience in Amsterdam, came from England. Then, my aunt and uncle from my dad’s side came for a weekend at the end of July. Then, my friend Danielle visits me a month later. I don’t know anyone as fortunate to have this many people visit them during their Peace Corps. Thus, I feel rich that I have so many people in my life supporting me in this journey that they are willing enough to take a plane to this part of the world.

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Danielle and I holding the Georgian Flag during her first day visiting me on Shepard’s Day, August 12, 2017.

In terms of the love and support I receive, I am very rich. It does not take much for me to remember this either. Every day, in my town, I see children begging for money. I see old ladies sitting on street corners outstretching their hand for some spare change. There are a lot of street dogs and cats. I do have the hardest time with seeing the children and the dogs.

For children, I cannot imagine growing up and being ignored by everybody or even worse, being treated worse than an animal. The street children are shoved and kicked out of restaurants. The children do harass the customers. Sometimes, the children even wrap their bodies around unwilling customers’ legs. I just cannot even imagine the psychological damage, the abuse, and the neglect they grow up with. The silver lining is that I’ve traveled to countries were situations for street children is much worse. There are organizations, including mine, that works to help alleviate child poverty and advocate for children’s rights.

I cannot say so much for the cats and dogs. One day, as I was walking home from work, I heard the loudest cries I’ve ever heard around the corner from my house. I turned to see where the noise is coming from and I saw a dog limping and yelling. One of its hind legs was nearly severed. The dog was limping and one of its legs was hanging on by a thread. A pool of blood was underneath where it was standing. I assumed that the dog was run-over by a car. In those few minutes, I have no idea if anyone helped the dog. I’m not perfect either, I was so horrified that I walked away crying. I was not able to stomach the sight. For the next 30 minutes, I heard the dog yell in pain and I simply prayed.

In America, I would have gone to the dog and called someone. I had no idea what to do in Georgia, so I simply prayed and hoped it wouldn’t suffer for too much longer. On a positive note, Georgia is trying to take care of its stray dogs as much as they can. Nearly all of the stray dogs have received rabies shots and it is indicated by a tag on their ear. Also, many people feed these dogs with bread or scraps of food. There is still hope in this world.

7 years ago
0

Thoughts in the Midst of Darkness. Literally.

by Rawan / Her

This is my second blog post that I have written in darkness. However, this time, in complete darkness. The only thing illuminating this room is my laptop screen, which is powered by my reserve battery. I am sitting on my bed with a pillow propped up to support my back. Yet, even with my laptop turned on, I still cannot properly see my toes. It is really dark in here. As you may guess, I currently do not have any electricity. I have not had electricity for a few hours now, which, is not uncommon in most places of the world.

Since I have no electricity, I have no internet and no power. My electricity supports the internet modem (obviously). I will post this when the Internet returns. As for the water, I do not have city water (aka running water) 24 hours a day. In the afternoon, the city water stops and I use a pump, powered by electricity, to give me water. Thus, no electricity means no water, no electronics (except for this laptop), and no internet.

I did finally remember that I have a candle and definitely took advantage of it.

Whenever there is a bad storm, the power goes out. It does not surprise me or even frustrate me. Sometimes I think it is funny and sometimes I place internal bets on how long it will last. However, what always happens is reflection. The running theory is that when you have no distractions or modern conveniences- again, except for this laptop- there is a lot of room for reflection. Here is what I think I have learned with only 9 months of service left…

1) I do not miss or depend on modern conveniences as much as I thought I would. I do not own any of the following in my home: a dryer, TV, microwave, an enclosed shower, attached indoor toilet, or even a sofa. The thing I miss the most is ironically the sofa. Soviet-style dining room chairs are not the most comfortable and neither is a 40-year-old mattress. Sometimes, I just want a sofa. However, my life does not feel any less complete with any of the abovementioned absent in my life. Sure, they made my life easier, but I don’t actually truly crave them. It is more like a fond memory, something I kinda miss. However, it is something I can live without.

So many homes in Georgia have these Soviet-Union chairs. Our home does as well. 

 

2) Working on something I love sometimes does not feel like work. I do not think I put in 40 hours in the office, realistically I put in close to 32-35. However, I do believe I work more than 40 hours a week easily if I include my secondary projects. I go home and I work on activities and committees that I have cofounded with my Peace Corps friends. It is hard work, but it has meaning. I may not see the impact or have instant gratification, but I believe in the work I do. Therefore, it does not feel like a chore. I truly enjoy doing it in my free time. That is an odd concept, volunteering to do work on my free time without any expectations of receiving anything in return.

One of my major projects was to co-found METS Camp: a STEM-themed summer camp

 

3) I’ve become more creative and innovative with little resources. I have literally conducted workshops out of upcycled paper and nothing else. In the U.S, when we think of a professional training, we thinking conference rooms, snacks, notebooks, whiteboards, you name it. As long as I have some sort of roof in bad weather, I’m good to go. I don’t even need a functioning restroom with running water to host an event for dozens of people. Excepting to have all those resources and conveniences would be a very diva-like move indeed.

I have learned to ask more meaningful questions to see how we can teach and train without any visual aids. During DREAM Camp, we had break-out sessions. Since they were occurring concurrently, we only had one projector. For fairness and sustainability, we decided that the three concurrent breakout sessions would require ZERO resources except for chairs and maybe some sheets of paper. Even with few resources, the sessions were meaningful and successful.

Some of the campers at DREAM Camp after our Breakout Session

 

4) I’ve grown to become a more patient person. When projects do not go smoothly, and they never do, I ride out the bumpy wave. I have grown to be more patient with the unexpected turbulence. However, I am not immune to having bad days. For example, yesterday, I was a bit of miss cranky pants. We were buying supplies for our composting grant and the merchants were less than helpful. Things were not delivered on time, ATMs decided not dispense cash, and credit card readers decided to become illiterate. After an hour of walking around the city figuring things out, I thought to myself, “why can’t things just work in this country sometimes?”

It was ironic because this bad attitude was only 24 hours after I had presented on a panel. On this panel, I said, “You can’t change your situation or people, but you can change your attitude.” So basically, I had to take my own advice or be a hypocrite. It was not easy. However, I have noticed that I have become better at practicing patience.

5) Gratefulness is a feeling that encompasses me the most. Maybe I count my blessings to keep me sane, or maybe the difficulties have pointed out the beautiful things in life. I don’t know why, but I feel grateful most days now. Life is not easy in the Peace Corps and I think when little miracles happen they seem really big. When people show up to a meeting on time, I feel like I moved heaven and earth. When my youth take my advice seriously, I feel like I actually made a difference. In the United States, little miracles are easy to ignore because they do not take so much effort to achieve. Feeling all the feels makes me feel in a sense happier. Peace Corps has been rewarding and I seriously hope that general feeling does not go away.

7 years ago
0
England

Mini Reverse Culture Shock in England

by Rawan / Her
We wanted to ring in 2017 in England with our friends and then head out for an epic adventure in Morocco. As mentioned in the About Us page, Justin and I studied abroad in Amsterdam together in 2009. We became very close to a couple of cool dudes from England. We haven’t seen either of them in a few years and New Years was the perfect way to remedy that. An unintended perk of going to England is experiencing the developed world for 3 days.
When Chris picked us up from Stansted Airport at 1:00 a.m., Justin told him, “I have a feeling you will hear a lot about Georgia the next 3 days.” Georgia was the immediate topic of conversation the second we got in the car. Until that moment, the only time I would speak English to a native speaker in person was another PCV. So some of the conversations with had with Chris just seemed so surreal. To paraphrase some of our conversations:
Conversation 1 [driving home from the airport]
Chris: So sorry for the driving, I can’t really see from the fog [Chris was driving perfectly despite not seeing more than 5 feet ahead]
Me: This is the first time I’m in a car and I’m not scared for my life in 9 months
Chris: …okay…
Justin: Marshutka drivers in Georgia speed like crazy and they like to pass other drivers even on a curvy road on a cliff
Me: Yeah, this is really relaxing
Meanwhile, Chris not happy about driving in the fog
Conversation 2 [first thing in the morning the next day]
Chris and Victoria: What would you guys like to do while you are here? Any activities you want to do in England?
Me: Shower
Chris and Victoria: haha, but seriously
Me: Very serious. I’ve been looking forward to showering the most. Everything else comes second.
Chris and Victoria: (Realizing I’m not joking) Anything else?
Justin: I need to fix my iPhone. Can we go to the Apple Store?
Chris and Victoria realized we may be the easiest people to please
Brighton Pier
We walked around the pier in Brighton before heading to the Apple store to fix Justin’s phone
 
Conversation 3 [15 minutes later]
Me: Anything I need to be aware of for the shower? Is there anything I need to plug in for the water to run?
Chris and Victoria [confused]
Me: Oops! I forgot water runs all the time! In Georgia, I got to plug-in something for the pump to work…(I proceed to explain our complicated water system)
Chris and Victoria: That sounds complicated
Me: Yeah, That’s why daily showers isn’t a thing. I swear, you really don’t smell though.
Conversation 4 (at small, local grocery store)
Rawan: OMFG! THEY HAVE AVOCADOS?! WHO ELSE WANTS AVOCADOS? [I’m touching avocados for the first time in 9 months in a debatably abnormal way]
Everybody: I’m okay, thanks.
Rawan: No, seriously. My life is complete.
Everybody: How are you going to eat them?
Me: I don’t care, I’ll even eat it on plain toast.
I eat it on plain toast later and I realized I put avocados on a pedestal. I repeat, do not eat it plain on toast. 
Avocados Galore!
I bought two avocados. I ate the first one as toast and the second one I lugged around with me to Morocco. Ended up eating it at the Sahara Dessert.
 
Conversation 5
Tim: So I calculated what 15 pounds are in Georgian Lari.
Me: Yeah, what is it?
Tim: It is nearly 50 Lari
Me: FIFTY LARI! That is how much I spend on food for two weeks at the bazaar!
Tim: Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered for the casino tickets [casino tickets were 15 pounds per person]
Me: That is so generous of you. Are you sure?
Tim: You got no money
Me: [attempting to whip back a come-back with no avail]

After dozens of conversations that sounded like this, our friends weren’t entirely convinced of the wonderful lives we were leading. But Justin and I joked that despite the lack of life conveniences’, we still love our lives in the Peace Corps.  I told them that the best part is the relationships I’ve developed in the community. Talking about my Georgian friends, I couldn’t help but feel proud on how much I’ve integrated into the community.
 
Conversation 6
Me: Georgians are one of the nicest people and they seriously watch out for us
Everybody nods
Me: For example, two days ago, I got my haircut. I was so nervous getting it done because I can’t explain in Georgian very well. So my Georgian tutor spent the whole day finding me an appointment. Then, she came with me to the appointment and had her husband drop us off. She stayed with me the entire time even though she wasn’t getting anything done. I mean, seriously, who else would do that? No one in America would hand-hold me like that.
Victoria: That’s true. I can’t imagine any of my coworkers doing anything like that.
Georgians can be so generous with time and simple gifts. Then I’m pretty sure Justin told them about each time he rides the Marshutka with someone he knows, he fare is paid for.  I also told them that my boss has helped me out more times that I can count. When I had trouble with my water at my apartment, my boss was the one who translated and mediated the issue with my landlord. I mean, I wouldn’t dream of dragging my American boss into my personal mess back home.
So when you hear that quote, that “money can’t buy happiness,” whoever said that is 100% correct. However, conveniences can help elevate that happiness when you are stressed. I’m not doubting that part. Basically, I get super elated when I take a hot shower. I get ecstatic when I see clean carpeted floors at a hotel. Hearing English on TV are angels singing through the clouds. But it is important to note, I’m not depressed when I don’t have those things. Because what fuels my happiness (and mental stability) are different things. It makes my day when my counterparts laugh with me as I attempt to speak their language. It makes feel honored when the kids at the daycare center I help out at run up to me when they see me. In life, it is really the little things that count. It is truly the people that matter the most.
As we were ending our vacation in Morocco, Justin and I noticed that were homesick. And I mean homesick for Georgia. I feel like we have built a life in Georgia and it started feeling like home. It doesn’t hurt that when we landed back in Georgia someone recognized me. As we were paying for our bus tickets from the airport to the city center, the cashier said, “I remember you. We had a training together.” She said it with such confidence that I totally believed her. Now, what training is she talking about? I have no clue. Do I even remember this woman? No, but maybe she does look familiar? Either way, it is a good sign of community integration.
Home Sweet Home
The small wine bottle we got for free upon entering Georgia at the airport 🙂