Hello, My Faithful
Readers
November 10, 2017
Volume 1, Number 14
Day
130 of Daily Meditation
It has been more time that I would like (between
blog posts); as October was a busy, busy month. When I last wrote I said that I
would be going to Macedonia to observe their Municipal Elections that were
schedule for October 15th. Well, I was an Observer for that election
as well as the run-off election on October 29th; because no clear
winners resulted. Back-to-back international travel was wonderful but it did
take a toll. I needed to be away a week for each election and when I returned I
needed to catch up…so, that is my story and I am sticking to it J.
I love being part of the US Delegation to Observe
Elections with the OSCE and OHIHR organizations. It is wonderful to travel with
this group; meet such interesting people; see the country and how life is
organized – I could go on; but, the experience does take its toll. We, the
Observers spend a lot of time preparing to do the job of observing to insure a
fair and free election. I am very honored to be selected as a STO (Short Term
Observer).
I want to share some of my experiences on both trips
as well as catch you up with what has been happening here in Georgia!
But first, as you can see today marks 130 days of Daily Meditation. This I am
also proud of and especially that I was able to continue the practice while
traveling. I organize my life around making sure that I spend the hour each day
with myself. I do take this practice one day at a time as, honestly, some days
I am looking for excuses not to meditate. At times it is just easier to
distract rather than focus; but, overall the results of the Daily Meditation
have been worth the time and sometimes being uncomfortable.
So, let us begin with new here in Georgia. Recently,
as I was riding on the metro bus, a couple of boys got on with a DOG. Wow, it
was a first for me as I have never seen a dog on the bus. Now, this was not
your average street dog (who by-the-way are so mistreated and starving). But,
this dog was a cute little (not sure of the breed) well taken care of dog. The
dog just stood his ground as the bus started to move. Almost like this was a
routine occurrence for it. He was so calm and confident. The boys did have him
on a leash; but I think he would have been fine without it.
When I ride the escalator here in Georgia I am
always curious about the booth at the bottom of the moving stairway that houses
the escalator attendant. So, (see below) I was happy to see this article about
the topic. These attendants are assigned at every metro station here in
Tbilisi. The article talks about if this practice is a holdover from the Soviet
period where jobs were created just so there were jobs for everyone.
Just like in Moscow the escalators here in Tbilisi
are FAST moving. The article refers to jumping on the escalator and feeling
that you are going over Niagara Falls. Yes, sometimes it feels like that to me.
I usually wait until no one is behind me and I very gingerly approach the
moving stair to wait until my foot can connect and then hold on for dear life
to the moving hand rail. I do not move once I get on. The protocol is to stand
on the “right” side while other passengers can move past you on the left. It is
mostly a “2 minute” ride from top to bottom.
Anyway, back to the attendant. I know there is a
person in the booth but seriously have no idea if it is a man or woman. I just
don’t pay attention. I would hope that the attendant would be able to shut down
the system if there is a problem; but I just don’t know exactly what powers
they have (if any). I guess this is a job just like other jobs; boring as all
get out. Watching people go up and down on the moving staircase.
I want to add a new section to the blog and think I
will keep a separate running tally of events (don’t know why I didn’t think of
this sooner). The new section will be called “Tales from the Classroom”.
Of course, not original; however, the stories will be. I just continue to shake
my head in disbelief at the antics in the classroom that I see.
As I was teaching University Students recently two
situations arose that boggled my mind. Now, I am not sure why I was boggled as
equally strange situations have occurred in the classroom; but, something
clicked in me that said “you must write these situations down”; and so – here
it is.
The first came as a result of a female student not
having her textbook. Again, I don’t know why I singled this student out as many
students don’t come to call with their textbook. As we are in the 7th
week of class; I asked her why? She said that “the book didn’t fit in her handbag.” She then pointed to her very small handbag
that was on her desk. I thought she was kidding; but, Georgians usually don’t
kid around. I gave her some suggestions…like, bring a bigger handbag or use a
book bag; but, her face was deadpan and I got no response.
The second situation happened as I was marking the
weekly quiz. It is a “given” here in Georgia that students cheat on tests. This
is a behavior that it allowed and at times even encouraged from the 1st
grade forward; so, having students cheat in college is not new. However, the
student who was cheating was so engrossed in her cheating that she failed to
place her OWN NAME on the quiz paper. She actually wrote the name of the person
who she was cheating from.
So,
let us leave Georgia for the moment so that I can share of my adventures in
Macedonia
The first deployment, October 15th
election, I was stationed in Tetovo. This city is in the Northeast area of the
country. My partner and I were positioned to visit polling stations in the city
itself. This was a real new experience for me as I have previously been
positioned in the villages. Because we were in the city we were able to see
many, many polling stations as car travel between locations was at a minimal.
It was great to meet so many dedicated and caring folks who wanted the election
to go off peacefully and fairly.
Here are some really interesting items about Tetovo.
First, they have a female Mayor (who was up for
re-election and won). Women here, as well as around the world, are working to
make it into the political landscape. I was happy to see it happening here.
Another point about Tetovo is that they have NO gas
lines. That is, all the cooking is done on electric stoves. To take it one step
further; ALL HEATING is done with WOOD BURNING STOVES as without gas lines that
do not have gas heat systems. I was also amazed by this; as in this day and age
– and this is a fair sized city not to have gas heat…well, I was surprised. As
a result when you go up into the mountains (which surround the city) you see a
haze of smoke. It is not very dense but you can see the haze hovering over the
city. I didn’t find it difficult breathing in Tetovo; but, since I was there in
October and winter has not really hit I wonder what it will be like in the dead
of winter when everyone is using wood burning stoves.
Another point is that they DO NOT have a city bus
service. The buses stop at the Bus station to pick people up to take to the
villages (ONLY). They do not stop at areas within the city to transport people.
Again, I was surprised and wondered how a city could operate without a bus
system? Most people walk, take a taxi or they drive is they have a car. Other
folks live within walking distance of shops and work and don’t need to go out
of their circle very often. I guess this make the city quieter; but….Wow,
cannot imagine not standing on a corner waiting for a bus. It seems that folks
have just adjusted (this is what people do)…and it does work. The city it
functional and thriving; so, more of an inconvenience (at times).
The exchange rate is wonderful (for me as an
American). It is 53Denar to $1USD…and for example, a bottle of water is
40Denar. A salad in some places costs 120Denar…so, you can see how inexpensive
it is. And, BTW – The salads are AWESOME. The fruits and vegetables look like
they are fake – but, they are real, beautiful and delicious.
Borek is a must try in Macedonia. It is like a pie
filled with either cheese or meat. I’m told you can get half and
half….another staple…..
Ajvar is a spread made of eggplant and red
peppers….I was told it is do delicious; but I didn’t try it. The combination is
not good for my digestive system (especially when traveling – if you know what
I mean).
I could go on and on…so many wonderful and new
things to try..but one other thing I wanted to mention the “Feelings” I had
while in Macedonia. So, I have lived here in Georgia now going on 4 years…and
yet, I have never felt other than “American.” It is not a bad thing….I love
being an “American”; however, in Macedonia I felt for the FIRST time like a
“European”. It was a really unique and wonderful feeling; however, I could not
tell you why I felt like that.
Maybe, just maybe, because there are so many
nationalities in Macedonia that I interacted with. The fella who served as our interpreter was
Albanian; our driver was Macedonian. I met folks from Kosovo and Serbia.
Because we were deployed to the Northwest corner of the country, at times I met
so many Albanian’s I felt like I was in Albania (although I was still in
Macedonia). All different kinds of flags were posted representing each
nationality; and wonderfully everyone seemed to get along.
There were so many mosques in the area that the only
other place that I saw that many mosques was in Egypt. I just love the “Call to
Prayer” and it seemed to just seamlessly fold into the daily course of the day.
I have posted the link to the Painted Mosque in Tetovo that I was able to
visit. It is an amazing space.
So let us go back to the question of why I felt
European for the very first time in Macedonia and what that exactly feels like?
I wish I knew; as once I returned here to Tbilisi that European feeling was
gone. I was back being an “American.” Of
course it is not a bad thing; but very different. Even when I was in Western
Europe, France, Italy…etc., I never had that European feeling.
I know I am leaving lots of stuff out and I will
include in later blogs once they come to mind. But, just one more point.
Because I was in the City I was able to observe one of the Prisons in Tetovo –
as inmates are allowed to vote (if they are registered) – and most were. It
felt more than a Rehabilitation House than a prison. It was all men and there
were 4 men (2 sets of bunk beds in the room). A shoe tree was outside the room
to accommodate the shoes. It was a facility that was not new and modern; but,
it seemed very functional.
The metal detector going into the prison didn’t
work; but, at a glance it didn’t look like anyone was interested in escaping. With
unemployment at 25% in Macedonia maybe these men were jailed for what is called
“soft” crime and with conditions on the outside being difficult – being inside
with room and board was OK? I don’t know; these are just my impressions. The
men all had very nice sports type clothing on and most had great, brand new
sneakers. Everyone looked peaceful; no agitation.
The last census was done in Macedonia in the early
2000’s; so no one really knows how many people are actually living there.
Riding thru the villages I saw many, many homes that were empty with the
windows shuttered. There were so many empty buildings; some that were started
and left unfinished.
Some news from air travel….there was a “cat” on the
plane. It was in a pet carrier; but this cat was not happy. It cried the entire
flight. At first I thought it was a baby and I thought, poor kid – I
understand. But when I realized it was a “Cat” I was not a happy camper. Why do
they allow this in the passenger cabin? It is not fair to paying customers to hear
this during the flight. Reminds me of the Birds on the Doha flight – but, at
least they were quiet.
Another aspect is the neck pillow that it seems
everyone uses…how can I be a frequent flyer without having one of those pillows
attached to your luggage? Well, I gave in and bought one and then promptly lost
it as I am not used to having this pillow to drag around. So, I gave in again
and bought another one, and once again lost it. Ok, these things are not cheap
and after losing (2) decided it just is not for me. I felt like I was dragging
around a person and they was worried about losing it; which is exactly what I
did…..
I could go on but I am not writing a book – so, let
me close with a couple more aspects of Georgia.
A brand new metro stationed opened here in Tbilisi
(see link below).. This station has been on-going construction since I arrived
here in Tbilisi 3+ years ago – so progress is being made. I have not had the
opportunity to check it out; but, I am sure it will be a welcomed addition. So
often, because of the traffic, it is so much better to be underground – faster.
I will close for now as I plan to post another blog
very soon. I have so much to share about the second time I went to Macedonia
for the October 29th election and even more stuff about
Georgia. One final point – my trip to
Turkey for Christmas has been cancelled. It seems that the Turkish Government
will not issue VISAS to US passport holders. Not sure of all the whys and
wherefores but I imagine it has something to do with the US placing
restrictions on Turkey.
In any event, I am so disappointed. I already had my
air tickets purchased and waiting to hear if Turkish Air will reimburse as it
is NOT my fault I cannot go. At this point, unless something arises, I will be
spending Christmas/New Years in Georgia for the very first time. I have
traveled outside of Georgia during these holidays since the year I arrived. So,
this will be a new experience for me celebrating my Christmas (Georgian
Christmas is in January) here in Tbilisi. I am sure there will be lots of write
about.
Thank you, My Faithful Readers for sharing this
GRAND adventure with me.
Best, Catherine Lawrence – 11/10/17
Haze that falls over Tetovo :-(
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