Hello, My Faithful Readers
February
11th, 2017
Volume 1, Number 3
I leave for India (Mumbai) on Sunday, 2.12.17;
however, before I leave I wanted to talk about lots of stuff that has been
happening and I’ve experienced in my six month hiatus from my blog. More
information about India coming……
First, here is the link that you can access my “post”
Peace Corps blog. Some friends said they
were having difficulty finding it…so here it is.
When I arrived back in Tbilisi there were a couple
of things I needed to deal with immediately. The first was the phone….I was
wondering why, even though the phone charged and was working (or I thought it
was working) I was not getting calls or messages from folks who said they were
trying to contact me. When I went to the phone store I found out that if no
activity happened on the phone for a one month period; well then, the service
would be discontinued.
That was a surprise; as I had money on the phone;
but, I’m told that it didn’t matter. Once a month money must be added (even a
small amount like 1GEL)..so, I added money to the phone and thought all was in
order. BUT, sorry, no it was not. It seems because my service was discontinued
all of my setting dropped off. I ended up going back three different times to
the phone store to have my setting for texting and the alarm setting. For some
reason, I could not do it…and what a pain that was. Eventually, my phone was up
to speed and I was back in service.
As an aside; this has been one of my peeves here in
Georgia. It just seems that MOST times nothing is ever resolved the 1st
time. I find myself doing things over and over and over and at times it is
maddening. When I went to the phone store and they realized what happened;
instead of working to re-set all of my settings; they only looked at the issue
as to why the phone was disconnected.
Ok, enough about the phone.
The second item was banking. When I went to the bank
to withdraw funds I realized I could not remember my pin code. I tried a couple
of times and then the machine ate my card…oh dear. This was my fault; as I
should have looked up my pin number before I went to the money machine. Of
course, after the machine ate my card I was blocked from doing anything with
the bank and had to wait a couple of hours for the system to re-set. When I
returned to the bank the line was out the door. I still don’t know why there
were so many people waiting for service; but, one of the tellers who knew what
had happened broke the line so that I can by-pass so many of the folks who were
waiting.
Well, as nice as that was…the folks who were before
me were not happy that I broke the line. Even though the bank folks gave me
permission I was concerned that there would be a ruckus for especially the guys
were giving me “looks”….but, it all worked out fine.
It is almost 8:00am and it is still dark….we don’t
have daylight savings time here in Georgia. This is not a problem for me now;
as usually I don’t have to travel this early. But, when I was in the village
this was a problem as I had to travel in the dark (down the mountain) in order
to get to school on time. It is weird to me that it is so dark in the morning.
I so often think it is still night and then realize the day has begun. That is
just another aspect of my life here in Georgia.
Another aspect of my life here is that I must be
always “present” to what is happening. I cannot zone out and operate on “auto
pilot”. Seriously, when I am not in the “zone” bad things happens. I gave lots
of examples when I lived in the village as part of the Peace Corps; however,
here in Tbilisi I must remain vigilant.
Being “present” is good and bad for a number of reasons;
but, to give an example. When I am “present” it can sometimes exhaust me. If I
find that my mind is drifting; then, I stop and catch my breath to see why I am
not focused on what I am doing. At times I must just stay in my apartment and
lock the door…and then I can “zone” out; but, never while I am shopping or on
the marsh; generally, just being all around engaged in the city.
Being “present” also expands time as I am aware of
my experiences; in that, of what I am doing and where I am going. At times I
feel like I’ve lived for a long, long time in the span of one day. I say “Is
this still Monday?”
And, in staying on the topic of time; I don’t know
if it is because I am living in a foreign country or that I am retired;
however, most days I really don’t know what day it is. I am being very serious
about that; because if not for my vitamin container (M-T-W-T-F-S-S) I would not
know what day it is. I also keep a running agenda just to keep myself straight
as to what day it is. Now, maybe this is aging catching up with me; or the fact
that I am not sitting at a desk job with a calendar in front of me…but, it is
real.
One of the great events that happened during the
first couple of months of my living in Tbilisi was that I was part of the
audience to see the Pope during his visit to Tbilisi. I was lucky to get a
couple of seats for the Mass held at one of the stadiums in Tbilisi and one of
my friends attended with me.
I’ve listed a link below of an interview that my
friend and I participated in prior to the Pope’s arrival and the start of the
Mass. It was indeed an honor to be part of this event; and if not for living in
Tbilisi; I would have never been able to see the Pope (as close as I was)…not
that I was that close; but closer than I could have even been in the
States. All attendees were given “Pope
Baseball Caps” and water as we came into the stadium. It was a good thing as it
was a hot and sunny day.
Once I moved into my apartment I had to get myself
acclimated to my surroundings and also to find the things that I needed. For
example, I needed a Hair Dresser and someone who could cut short hair. Women In
Georgia don’t have short hair (or most don’t). The folks who cut hair seriously
don’t know what to do to cut and shape short hair. I had to advertise on a FB
group called “Georgian Wanderers” to get my new community to help me find a
source. And, you will be happy to know that I found a really great guy and he
speaks English.
While I was in the village getting a hair cut;
nobody washed my hair before the hair cut. And, in the village; they didn’t
wash the combs/brushes after each client. That did give me pause; but, I was
lucky and didn’t end up with a problem (if you know what I mean). Here in
Tbilisi it is very different; in that, my hair is washed and conditioned before
the hair cut and all the equipment is sterilized after and during the hair cut.
What a relief.
So, of course the price would have to be different
and the difference is sizable. In the village the cost was 5GEL ($2.00) and
here in Tbilisi the cost is 38GEL ($15.00). That is a BIG difference, but
compared to the cost in the USA of ($40.00); I got a bargain.
I had to find a doctor, dentist, supermarket, the
post office, banks, etc., etc., all the mundane stuff that we all need in order
to set up life and housekeeping. I can tell you that the majority of what I
need has been found. This is a result of good friends sharing their knowledge
so that I didn’t have to recreate the wheel.
A couple of really interesting things happened in
October and November. I applied for a volunteer position with OSCE
(Organization for the Security and Co-Operation in Europe) to help monitor
elections in developing countries. I was selected to monitor the Presidential
Election in Moldova that happened on October 30th, 2016. What an
experience that was. In addition, because the election did not select a clear
candidate for the Presidency; I was invited back for the run-off election that
happened in Mid-November, 2016.
There were two candidates in the run-off. The male
candidate (who did win the popular vote and is now President) had leanings
toward Russia; and the female candidate had leanings toward the West….I don’t
know how this election will change Moldova; but, because I was so involved in the
process I will surely follow.
Both of these events had me jumping up and down. I
learned so much about the country of Moldova (like finding out where it is
located in the world); and also about the election process. Moldova does not
have electronic voting machines that I am used to voting on. The people vote by
casting their ballots on paper and then at the end of the voting period the
votes are counted. This is done in each of the villages. My role, along with a
counter-part volunteer, a translator and a driver was too monitor and report
the various happenings at the precincts.
There was lots of training by the OSCE so that all
the volunteers could assess the process to insure that everything was done
above board. The people in the villages were so happy that we took the time to
make sure that all was legal. I could write a lot about my experience; and will
as time goes on share more of my experiences; but for now I just wanted to fill
in the blanks of what I’ve been doing.
Moldova is one of the fastest shrinking countries –
so it is said. That is because people are leaving in leaps and bounds. Of
course, the country in not shrinking; but its citizens are fleeing as there are
no jobs, or very few jobs, to keep the people of Moldova financially stable. It
is so unfortunate; it is so poor; really much poorer than Georgia; however, I
found that the village homes and general conditions were much better than
Georgia.
I’ve posted a photo of the water wells that are
position along the roads in Moldova. At first I didn’t know what they were. It
is a well with open sides and a roof on top of the well. They are still in use
in Moldova. I just found them very interesting.
And I’ve also posted a picture of the fire brigade
system…this really blew my mind. So, if you scroll down to the bottom you will
see what I mean. The villages are so remote; and there is no formal fire
department in the village. It is a volunteer process.
I’ve also posted a photo of the door to my
apartment. You will see that I live on the 1st floor. I go up one
flight of stairs and make a sharp left turn. I am the door straight ahead. I
was so happy to find an apartment that has an open staircase. Most apartment
staircases are enclosed; but, I like this better. I don’t need to use the elevator
as I can always walk up. Also, it is so open that I am never concerned that
someone is lurking inside. I can see straight up to my door.
Because Tbilisi is 9 hours ahead; I was able to watch the 2016 election results in real time. The US Embassy secured space at the Marriott Courtyard to provide a venue for this event. So many people in attendance; Americans; various other embassies here in Tbilisi; Georgians all came to eat and be part of the history that was going to be made. Of course, we all know how it turned out; :-( - but, it was great to have been invited to this event. Getting up at 6:00am to be at the Marriott at 7:00am was not fun; but, I am glad I made the effort. It will be something that I won't forget.
I am going to close for now; but, before I do - there
has been an unexpected development with my travel to India. It appears that the
visas for the students who will be attending hit a snag; so, my departure has
been delayed until their visa situation has been resolved. I was really disappointed as I was ready to
go. It reminded me so much of when I was ready to leave for the Peace Corps.
That departure was also delayed as a result of the country that I was going to
go to (Azerbaijan) revoking their invitation. Well, my current situation is not
that; but, because the students are coming from Afghanistan there is a little
more red tape involved.
In any event, I hope to leave for India between now
and the 24th of February; if I don’t arrive in India on or before
the 24th my visa won’t be any good and that will be another kettle
of fish J.
I don’t know when I will post the next
blog as I’m told internet is not that reliable where I am going in India.
One of the things I like about the blogging is to
know that this blog is a living document that rises and falls or opens and
closes depending on how life if going. As frustrated as I was (or am) about the
delay in travel; I understand that this is just par for the course when
traveling to areas of the world that sometimes just do not live up to my
standard of organization.
My Faithful Readers – you have my “Thanks” for
taking the time to ride this wonderful ride with me via the blog.
Wells along the road in Moldova
Best, Catherine Lawrence – 2/12/17
