Almost two years ago Suzanne and I submitted our Peace Corps application…June 30th 2010 to be exact. It was the ending of one step and the beginning of the next which has led to this day where we are about to embark on our two year service in the Republic of Georgia. For those who are not familiar with this part of the world, Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. Georgia covers a territory of 69,700 km² and its population is almost 4.7 million. Georgia is a unitary, semi-presidential republic, with the government elected through a representative democracy.
First, a little history about our blog title, georgiegirlandboy. Back in 1966 there was a movie playing called Georgy Girl a popular British film. The title song, performed by Australian band The Seekers, became a hit single and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song (music by Tom Springfield, lyrics by Jim Dale).
I met Suzanne in 1967 while the song was still popular and I was in the habit of singing the first few bars to her. When we learned that we were headed to ‘Georgia’ for our Peace Corps service the title of this blog just fell into place.
Monday, April 30th is the day of our staging event in Philadelphia, PA. We will be gathering with the other new PCVs to review our paper work, learn about the Peace Corps expectations, get our tickets and other things before we retire for the night. On Tuesday May 1st, we head to New York’s JFK airport where we will board our plane for the 10hr + flight to Istanbul with a connecting flight to Tbilisi the capital of Georgia. After a few days of orientation in Tbilisi, we then head out to our Pre Service Training site for almost three months of language, cross cultural, safety and health training.
And so our Blog begins. As time allows we will endeavor to keep it up to date and informative. Feel free to add your comments and to share it with your friends. So until next time, ნახვამდის (nakhvamdis) which is ‘Goodbye’ in Georgian.
We love you. Have a great adventure.
I will hear the song every time I think of you both on this new journey in your life — blessings and safe travel!
nakhvamdis for now… Mary
We will miss you terribly, but wish you well on the wonderful adventure. We are very proud of you and admire your willingness to give to others.
Hey there, Georgie girl and boy! Blessings on you both! We wish you the best on your journey.
Georgie girl and boy!
Have fun and be safe!
Still waiting to hear from your son regarding POA.
Have a wonderful adventure – working to bring Peace.
Hope your viisit with your family was super. May you be blessed always in your new adventure. Looking forward to your next blog. John & Gina
We hope you have the time of your life!
Miss you already.
Marc and Debi
Holly Georgia! Good luck! sleep well! The Buick took 2 lbs of freon and is working so far! Hope for no leaks! Did you ever give it a tune-up or transmission flush in the last 5 years? I do not think it needs it.Well , will keep you informed on its progress! What a smooth ride! What sort of gas mileage were you getting and how many gallons does it hold? Should have asked you before! Carl and Karen
Jean, Michelle and I are having happy hour on the deck of Casa Burke – fabulous Friday evening in early May. Just want to say, we love you guys, very excited for you. Here’s to even days and nights. We love you. Brian and Jean Burke and Michelle