Hello, My Faithful
Readers
March 30, 2018
Volume 2, Number 04
Happy Easter!
Once again I was
selected to be part of the US Delegation to observe an upcoming election. This
time I will be going to Montenegro to observe their Presidential
Election which happens on April 15th. I am excited about this as it
will be my 3rd mission (Moldova, Macedonia and now Montenegro) –
seems like I have the “M” countries covered!
Honestly, I really had
little or no knowledge about these countries prior to being part of the OSCE
(Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe). The OSCE mandate includes issues such as arms control,
promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, and fair elections. I am
truly honored to be a part of the work that is done to insure fair elections by
the OSCE.
I am going to have some extra time in the capital
city – Podgorica. A friend sent this link as something to explore while I am
there.
My April blog will detail my adventures. Stay
tuned J
I joined a gym here in Tbilisi. This has been a
long time coming and I am happy that I finally got my act together and I’m in
action.
Snap Fitness is the organization and they are
worldwide. I looked at a couple of other fitness centers here in Tbilisi;
however, Snap Fitness seemed to be the best. It is very close to my apartment
(I can walk to the gym); its air conditioned and the venue has floor to ceiling
windows that allows wonderful natural light. There are lots of great aspects to
this and the fact that a contract is NOT required is high on the list. It is
month to month and that works for me. The cost is reasonable and its open 24/7…they
have all kinds of evening class (BTW – which are included in the fee). The use of the equipment and classes (boxing,
Spin, Aerobic, Pilates and Zumba) is unlimited.
Elevators are a concern here in Georgia (at
least to me they are). Recently in the Law School I was in an elevator whose
door got stuck when it was opening. As a result the elevator could not move
since the door was slightly ajar. We were on the 4th floor and the
girls that were in the car with me started to jump up and down (thinking that
would get the elevator moving). I
started to push buttons and then the door slowly opened and we hopped down onto
the landing on the 4th floor. Yes, you read that correctly. Most
times elevators do not make a smooth entry level with the floor so you have to
step down to get off. I have a friend
who lives on the 9th floor and the one and ONLY time I used her
elevator as it shakes and creeks so badly it makes me nervous. I only got in
because there was another woman making the trip up. In her building you have to
pay (10 tetri) to ride the elevator and the money is used for repairs. I don’t
visit her often; but when I do I walk up and down.
The Dog situation has improved somewhat. As you
may remember from my last blog my neighbors leave their dog alone for hours and
hours and this high strung dog barks, howls, cries, moans and whimpers. He also
throws himself against the front door. After many conversations with the
family, and then placing a note on the door (which really had no response from
the family); I had to call the police. In addition to my being subjected to the
noise abuse; it is clear that this dog is being abused. This dog does not like being alone.
The police did come, an action that gave me
great hope as I thought there could be some resolve to this situation. The
interaction lasted for 2-1/2 hours; filling out forms and trying to communicate
(via an interpreter). As the police
arrived the family appeared. At this point I go into my “post-catholic” mode of
saying “I’m sorry” – I really didn’t want to call the police but as they (the
family) were not listening to how sad it was to listen to their dog so they
left me no choice. I was told that I would be contacted by the Animal
Monitoring Service to talk with them about the situation.
After a week went by; and the dog was still in
crisis, I wrote to the Monitoring Service. Another week has gone by and I’ve
heard nothing from the Monitoring Service. The family thinks the solution to
this problem is to give the dog access to another terrace they have in the
apartment. The dog can go out on this back terrace that faces a busy street so
he can see people and cars. However, after being alone for hours and hours the
dog does runs back into the apartment and then the barking, howling, crying,
etc., etc., begins again. This is not a solution as what will happen with bad
weather or when winter comes?
I do try to keep a positive frame of mind but
it is really hard to do that living in Georgia. It seems that people here just
flaunt authority; maybe there is no authority here. Again “The only rule there is here in Georgia is to not follow the rules”. I am just overwhelmed at times, in this
country of implied hospitality how inconsiderate the overall population is.
Final Report: Not surprised but difficult to
accept that the agency that is slated to Protect Animals has said that nothing
can be done with the barking dog. The same story here in Georgia; they talk a
good game but there is no substance behind it. I am going to have to move;
cannot stand to listen to the distress I hear for hours at a time from this
dog.
The bottom line is that the Animal Monitoring
Agency is NOT about protection of animals. It is about paperwork. As long as
the dog family had their dog paperwork in order then basically the family can
do whatever they want with the dog. That is why it is called the Animal
Monitoring Agency and NOT the Animal
Protection agency. Once again, not surprised as this is how life is here in
Georgia. Pathetic!
Four new regulations went into effect here in
Georgia as of March 1st. This is something that is so needed; as it
is so dangerous to cross the street above ground. Even at designated crosswalks
you often take your life in your hands; as drivers often run through stop
lights. But, hopefully these new regulations will make people think about
safety. Hope always spring eternal.
I’ve listed a link to a blog post that I came
across recently that so mirrors my impressions and reality of my life here in
Georgia. I so often feel alone in my thinking of how life goes on here in
Georgia. I ask myself “Am I the only one who sees past the façade that Georgia
shows off to the world?” Appearances are
so important here.
March 3rd was Mother’s Day here in
Georgia. As a holiday banks were closed
as well as the Usa2Georgia shipper service; however, most everything else was
open. I remember a few years back that just about everything was closed when a
holiday was celebrated.
At
times in the building I live in; they shut the water off. I guess this is
because they are working within the water system; however, there is never any
notice. I turn the water on and no water comes out. So, when I take a shower I
have this in mind. We don’t have a building manager here in the building (at
least none that I know of or was told of). There is an older woman who cleans
the steps here in the building. She is really not a very nice person as she
demands money; although my landlord tells me that she does this on her own
accord. She comes around every now and then and just keeps banging on the doors
until you answer. One time I did give her money and she told me (in Georgian –
which I understood clearly) that it was not enough. She wanted more. It was a
difficult situation as I didn’t want to be disrespectful to this woman but she
just was not going away. I did finally close the door and she continued to
harass me. She finally went away.
Teaching
Update: Not that many weeks left to
teach; and since I will be away in Montenegro for the election I will miss some
additional classes. I wanted to share a “gem” that the Law students told me
recently. They said “I was the ONLY teacher in the whole University that DID
NOT allow them to talk and text during class!” Really, that is so sad that
other teachers would not hold you to a standard befitting that of a person soon
to practice the profession of Law? But maybe because so few law school
graduates practice law (there are just so few jobs) they don’t see the
importance of what they can gain during class time.
So
many students leave the classroom at the 1 hour break (it’s a 2 hour class). I
was going to give the test in the 2nd half in order to force them to
stay; however, I decided not to do that. I just don’t want to force anyone to
do something that needs doing. It would
make life harder for me as I would need to stay after class in order to mark
and post the grades. A thought – if they all leave at the half mark then I
would have an hour to myself and still get paid for it J
I’ve listed a link below that will give you
photographs of some of the buildings that are a little odd (to say the least).
Some are in use and others are not. You will be able to tell once you see the
condition. (Just some useless information).
I went to the theater recently to listen to the
orchestra do a 1 night performance with a theme of Movie Music. Absolutely, it
was one of the best (if not THE best) concert I’ve been to here in Georgia. I
just LOVE this theater and to hear movie themes such as – Star Wars (the entire
movie score); Superman; Schindler’s List and Indiana Jones. I was just over the
moon. I would have bought another ticket for the next night if they would be
another performance.
If you click the link to the theater; you will see
my FAVORITE seat. It is on the right hand side balcony, on the 1st
level. My seat is about 4 booths down from the piano; what a GREAT seat.
The English Speaking Union, through the British
Corner here in Tbilisi, is once again holding Public Speaking competitions for
young adults (ages 16 to 20) to win a trip to England. The winner will
represent Georgia and participate in a competition to preview Public Speaking
Skills. I think a total of 60 (approximate) English Speaking countries will be
represented.
I do have a connection with the British Corner (I
taught in their Sunday Program) in past years and was invited to be a judge at
the (2) local competitions of Public Speaking. It was indeed honored to be
given this role. The topic: “The best way
to predict the future is to invent it”. The students who spoke were
excellent. I could clearly see that these students were part of the privileged
members of Georgian Society. Their English was excellent; and in addition their
thinking and presentation skills were sharp.
The final competition was held on March 29th
at the Bank of Georgia headquarters (link below). This is a very strange and
interesting building; if you are into architecture then you should check this
out.
So, the British Ambassador (link below) was a judge
– who BTW was a previous winner of this competition. Also the CEO of the Bank
of Georgia – who BTW financially sponsored this event here in Georgia as well
as will finance the trip to London that the winner will receive, also served as
a judge.
The program featured (10) finalist giving a 5 minute
speech on the topic of “Great Artists
have no Country”. After all was said and done the winner was chosen. Her
presentation used Charlie Chaplin as her artist. It was a great presentation
and a well earned win. All the students did a great job.
I’ve gone on talking/writing way longer than I
initially thought; but, want to end on what I think is a sad (if not
surprising) note here in Georgia. The article speaks to the approval of both
men and women as it pertains to spousal beating/abuse. I read these numbers and
think about how Georgian’s say that women are worshiped here in Georgia. Just
more of the same; wherein they talk a good game but there is no substance behind
it. The same holds true for how they think they are a hospitable people or
country. I’ve seen that first hand that the hospitality only comes when someone
can observe. Behind closed doors it’s a different story.
Ok, my
Faithful Readers…thank you for your support in reading and following my
“Magical Mystery Tour”…
Best,
Catherine Lawrence – March 30, 2018
April 2017 at Michelle's place with friends!
