Hello, My Faithful
Readers
April 29, 2018
Volume 2, Number 05
Once again I was
fortunate to be selected to be an Election Observer for the OSCE and served as
an observer for the Presidential Election in Montenegro. At first I was
selected to go to Azerbaijan; however, because of their visa requirement I
would not have had enough time to secure the visa – so, I was re-assigned to
Montenegro.
I love these missions
(I’ve done 3 so far – Moldova, Macedonia and Montenegro). As you can see; I
have the “M’s” covered. If not for the elections I wonder if I would ever have
the opportunity to visit these countries. Before I get into the travel aspect
of the mission; I can say that on the first round a new President was elected
in Montenegro. It was a quiet election; about 60% of the population voted. It
is so refreshing to see that not a lot of money is spent on campaigning and
advertising within the country. Candidates don’t have the money needed to do
that; so, it is great not to see billboards plastered with campaign materials.
We observed polling stations that had over 700 registered voters to polling
stations that had 24 registered voters. In the end the new President was
elected.
Montenegro is such a small country. The stats
say it is the size of Connecticut with a population of 600,000 people. Their
main industry is tourism; as because of its small size you can cover different
types of vacation activities in a short period of time. For example; the
mountains (bordering the Serbian Border) brings mountain climbing; skiing,
hiking and all that goes along with that. And the coast (bordering the Adriatic
Sea) brings what is sometimes called the Riveria of the Baltic Peninsula. I was not fortunate to visit the coast; as my
assignment was in the mountains; but, if you want breathtaking vistas; check
out the link below.
In the mountains, my
partner (from Ireland) and I were assigned to observe in Kolasin, Montenegro.
It is a beautiful area in the middle of the country. Kolasin is surrounded by
mountains; and is also one of the areas that Tango Camps are held. Tango is BIG
part of the tourist industry in the country. I was told that people come from
all over the world to participate in these camps. The locals also seem to be
involved with dancing the Tango. I’ve, of course, listed a link for more
information.
One
more thing…or maybe two things. I bought some Cognac to bring home. I like to
buy the locally offered Cognac. I was disappointed with the quality of the
Cognac; but, I’ll drink it anyway. As for the food, seriously, not that I need
food; but, I was disappointed with that also. They feature very heavy dishes –
bread/potatoes/ cheese. It was ok, I won’t miss it. I had a greek salad; or so
it said on the menu. Salad was missing many of the main components.
I had the opportunity
to attend an event sponsored by the International Women’s Association. The
restaurant is new and it is called – Andropovs
Ears. There is much controversy
around the naming of the restaurant as the history is…
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was a Soviet politician and the fourth General
Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union - Following the 18-year
rule of the late Leonid Brezhnev. Word around town is that the name would be
equivalent to naming a restaurant Hitler’s
Eyebrows.
Since I know very little about the topic; I
will leave it at that. However, the location is wonderful and so is the food.
We had clams on the half shell that were flown in from Amsterdam. (as an aside;
we heard that so much seafood is flown to other countries that it is difficult,
if not impossible, to get seafood in Amsterdam). Is that true; I have no idea.
I am just giving you the skinny J
There is a word here that is used to describe
men and that word is “thuggery”
1.
violent behaviour,
especially of a criminal nature.
"a cowardly act of mindless thuggery"
While some men do
present this type of appearance; it is not true. Appearances can be deceptive
and in this case that is true. Many, many men have beards or the start of a
beard (maybe not shaving for days). It gives a hard end look to the men; hence
the name given.
Ok, back to the Dog
situation. I cannot go into all the details again so if you want to catch up
you will have to go back and read my two previous blogs. When things finalized
I wrote to the Department of the Interior here in Georgia and wanted to express
my sadness and disappointment .The Animal Monitoring Agency was not about
protecting dogs; but it was about making sure the owners had the dog’s
paperwork in order. At that point, I closed the book on this and would have to
make a decision to either find another apartment or just put up with the dog
being abused.
Recently the Police
Department called me and asked me to come into the station to talk about the
dog situation. They arranged an interpreter and they said that the case would
now go to the “Prosecutor.” I tried to find out what that meant; but other than
people would now talk about this – that is all I know. Apparently because the
dog is NOT being abused (e.g., being hit, etc.) that kind of violence then they
felt nothing could be done. I said that there are many types of violence/abuse
and what is happening to the dog next door is abusive. When this dog throws
itself against the door; that is violence – so, who knows where this will go.
Film at 11 (HA)
My heater had another
nervous breakdown. Once again no heat or hot water here in the apartment. Just
so frustrating. The landlord did come to repair; but, I never know when it will
kick out. There is something wrong with this heater machine; but, since summer
is approaching I know that nothing will be done (I would think) until winter.
Here in Georgia the motto is “Never do anything today that you can put off
until tomorrow.” I’ve seen this play out over and over again.
This is very strange;
but, I have been craving smoking a cigar. Well, not really smoking/inhaling –
but for some reason the craving is there. Maybe a pipe? No, the feeling is definitely a cigar.
Easter happened here
in Georgia on April 8th. This is a BIG holiday here. I didn’t really
do much; more of a day of rest. I’ve been watching some GREAT documentaries.
Netflix has some terrific and interesting documentaries.
For example; “Wild, Wild Country” – is a Netflix documentary series about the controversial
Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho), his one-time personal assistant Ma
Anand Sheela, and their community of followers in Rajneeshpuram community
located in Wasco County, Oregon.
Also, “Bobby Kennedy for President”
- Historic footage and leading voices of the era examine the "Bobby Phenomenon"
of the 1960s and the legacy of the man who helped redefine the country.
Starring: Robert F. Kennedy.
I spent some time at
the Tbilisi Conservatory listing to FREE music recitals. A piano concert that
was conducted by students and a concert that was performed by (what I thought)
was a teacher. It was amazing. Also a string quartet that was so beautiful. I
just so needed to listen to music. This venue will NOT allow anyone to enter
the hall once the performance begins. I wanted to get a ticket for the Ballet “Sleeping
Beauty” but it was all sold out. Disappointed.
I join a gym here in
Tbilisi. It is located in a very convenient place. I can walk to it; thank
goodness I don’t have to take a bus. The place is so modeled on US gyms if you
close your eyes you would think you were in the States. Air conditioned; floor
to ceiling windows; state-of-the-art equipment. The ONLY negative was that the
locks on the lockers don’t work. I am so out of shape and I really went at it
too hard and man-oh-man…did not do myself any favors. I only joined for (1)
month. I like that arrangement here in Tbilisi as you don’t sign a contract and
just pay month-to-month.
I had to stop training
as I was going on the mission to Montenegro and in and of themselves these
missions are hard to begin with. I was concerned that I would impact what I
needed to do while observing…so, I put it on hold. I do need to get back to it;
but, I need to take it slower.
I also did something
that was so completely out of my comfort zone. I joined a Theater Company. The Harvest
Theater Company is an English speaking company (the only one in Tbilisi), It is
very new; launched in October 2017.
In the tradition of “The
Moth” – storytelling of true original stories we (6 members of the company)
performed a 2-hour program at a local bar. I’ve listed the link below of
another Moth program that focused on School and Being Schooled topics.
The Moth is a
non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling.[1] Founded in 1997, the organization presents a wide range
of theme-based storytelling events across the United States and abroad, often
featuring prominent literary and cultural personalities.[1] The Moth offers a weekly podcast and in 2009 launched a national public radio show, The Moth Radio Hour, which won a 2010 Peabody Award.[2][3]
The
topic for the performance was “Nobody is Home, Adventures Elsewhere.” I was the
first on the program and WOW, did it take something for me to do that. I wanted
to make myself uncomfortable. I wanted to be out of my comfort zone. The
anxiety was through the roof; and it has been some time since I felt that level
of anxiety. It was a week of coaching to firm up my story; dress rehearsal for
the story and a trip to check out the venue. It was like the old days of being
part of the theater community. Of course, all the members are way younger than
me.
The
venue was Tbilisi’s first Speakeasy bar. The bar is at least (2) stories below
ground. And you enter through a café that has a hidden door that slides back
into the wall. It is very cool. It was recently opened and serves Rye Beer
(which I didn’t like). See information below about Rye Beer. Also other types
of beer were available; but, I didn’t try them.
Rye beer refers to any
beer in which rye (generally malted) is substituted for some portion of the
barley malt. One example of this is roggenbier which is a specialty beer
produced with up to sixty percent rye malt. The style originated in Bavaria, in
southern Germany and is brewed with the same type of yeast as a German ...
So
this is my last week of teaching here in Georgia in the classroom. I will keep
my private students; however, the classroom setting is just too frustrating. My
blog has been filled with my complaints about teaching here in Georgia; so, I
don’t want to repeat. But, this action has been a long time coming.
I
have feelers out to lots of organizations…and I also threw my name into the
ring to also be a Long Term Observer for Election (up to now I’ve only done
Short Term Observation). The LTO’s spent anywhere from 6-8 weeks in-country
getting ready for the STO’s to arrive. The LTO’s are the administrative end of
the operation and work with the Core Team of OSCE to insure a smooth
observation. I don’t know if I will be selected. I have a LOT of reading to do,
training programs, to get myself ready to do this. So, we shall see.
I
leave for the United States on May 3rd, 2018. I am going home to
visit family and friends and also check in with doctors and dentists. My
brother’s daughter is getting married and my son will officiate the wedding;
so, it should be a wonderful, joyous event. I plan to visit Wildwood, NJ; New
York City and Washington, DC. I plan to check
out the landscape in Philadelphia during my time home. I’d love to go to Cuba; but you need all
kinds of special permissions; so we shall see.
A
Final note: My meditative practice continues strong. I am counting day 302. It
is almost a year and what a year it has been for me with the meditation. I want
to schedule another program but trying the figure out when and where? Maybe I
will go to Berlin or someplace in Germany. I have a friend in Germany who would
like for me to come and visit. So, we shall see. I am working on it.
Thank
you for sharing this Magical Mystery Tour with me J
Best,
Catherine Lawrence – 4/29/18
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