Saturday, May 26, 2012
Week three has come to an end. It was exhausting and just as stressful as week two. While some of the Georgian words are starting to make sense, we have been bombarded with hundreds of new ones and a multitude of case usage. Suzanne has been working in the classroom with a teacher counterpart and current volunteer getting use to the classroom routine and all the other duties around her teaching work. I have been learning the ins and outs of the Georgian CBO (community based organizations) and NGOs. Training included project design and management and grant writing. Most all of the work I will be doing will be in the grant writing area as that is the way most CBO and NGO get their money.
Right now I am on a marshutka (minibus) heading to the city of Batumi. This is a 6 hour trip. There I will meet up with a current PCV to spend a work day with him and observe what a SEOD volunteer’s life is like. Batumi is a resort city on the Black Sea so I seem to have been given the prize location for this task, hope it doesn’t rule out final placement as this is suppose to be very nice, pictures to follow.
Where is Suzanne? She is on her way to Khoni, a town about 2 hours North and a little East of Batumi. She is with another trainee and they will be shadowing a current PCV teacher on Monday.
So we are on our own this weekend returning to our lovely town of Telavi on Tuesday. I mean really on our own as no one in this marshutka speaks English so getting directions and understanding how and where to stop is important.
I will add more later this evening.
Tom
Wow! You two are living the experience of a lifetime. And SOH is catching a glimpse of it through you. So far learning and becoming acquainted with the language and culture. Then you will go out give of yourselves as you always do. I am so happy for you and proud to call you dear friends.