Last night I spent some time looking over my journals since my arrival in Georgia, now more than 8 months ago. Rereading them has been an insightful event, as I can truly see just how far I have come since then, personally and professionally. Here are a few excerpts about my impressions regarding life in Georgia from the weeks following my arrival. I regret that my time during training is completely devoid of any mention in my journal. Ten days that my personal history is lacking, however, while at training in Kutaisi (I think it is Georgian for “depressing”), everyday was the same: hot, humid, dirty, and dreadful.
August 1st, 2010
I have arrived in Georgia it is a far cry from the life I left behind in Utah. Twice in less than 24 hours there have been questions about the alcohol content of Utah beers. In Amsterdam someone asked me if I had heard of Polygamy Porter. Of course! He goes on to say that his friend bought him one of the shirts…in Springdale.
Zion is never far away…
Leaving Springdale was difficult to say the least. A lot of tears were shed. Saying good-bye to Calvin was epic…finally I just had to walk away; Calvin’s Jewish rock climbing group would arrive shortly…On the way home from the post office I saw him drive-by. It was heart-wrenching. It was after 2 p.m.; I expected him to be long gone for the trip.
August 3rd, 2010
Arriving in Georgia was surreal, and in some ways it still is. [I can attest that even 8 months later life here can still be surreal at times.] Georgia looks a lot like California from a terrain stand point, except the hills are not covered in McMansions. Customs and passport control was so easy compared to Israel. They looked at my passport, stamped it, and said, “Nice smile.” I was done.
For 2 nights we stayed at the Barazeti Palace Hotel. We were the only people staying there, but a lot of people seemed to hang out. And it was the darkest hotel ever. They took energy conservation to a whole new level.
August 17th, 2010
So Georgian guys shave their armpits. It is weird.
August 22nd, 2010
Yesterday was another boring day at the office. I did venture out by myself, however, I bought fresh bread, but I was admonished for spending my money on the family. I also bought toilet paper and hand soap for the family. I have a sinking feeling I have I have mistakenly been using Grandmother’s food soap as hand soap for the past 2 weeks. I am trying not to think about it.
September 4th, 2010
That form of transportation [the marshut’ka] has to be one of the most dehumanizing forms of transport known to man. They pack people in like sardines, just sweating like hogs in the south in the summer. It is simply wretched…
Maybe the police station has a flush toilet that I can use as the school only has Turkish – drop a shot – toilets. Oh the indignity of it all! There is no way I will ever, ever use those toilets! It will be an exceedingly cold day in Hell before I will even consider it as an option. Plus the bathrooms are 1) filty and 2) lacking hand soap. Disgusting. When I first made this realization on Wednesday I made an audible gasp and ran out. Fortunately, school is only 6 hours long. I plan on just holding it the entire time if I have to.
September 9th, 2010
A man came towards me wearing, I kid you not, a shirt that said:
“Nauvoo – The City Beautiful”
It was a true “WTF?” moment. The guy saw me staring at him too. Seriously, how did that shirt get here? I doubt it came in a D.I. [Deseret Industries the Utah equivalent of Goodwill] shipment of humanitarian aid.
September 10th, 2010
GEORGIANS NEED TO LEARN HOW TO QUEUE!
September 15th, 2010
I just made a horrific discovery. The water in the bathroom sinks does not work. That is a major problem. If they want me to come back tomorrow that had best be fixed. Also there is no soap, so I had to bring some from home…I will not let anyone at this school touch me. The threat of disease is too great. Obviously, personal hygiene is not something taught in schools…Perhaps I can use the bathroom problems as a bargaining chip. I will teach an intro to English for teachers’ class, if there is running water and soap in the bathroom. I have high standards, sure, but organization and hygiene should be basic…or so I thought.
September 16th, 2010
Today Jilda was not at school. I did not know this until people asked me where she was. I saw her before I left. Well, it turns out that she didn’t go to school because Jaba hid her shoes and she didn’t want to wear sandals because “it was cold.” Seriously? I had Birkenstocks on this morning. My feet weren’t cold. When I questioned her about the legitimacy of such an excuse she then tried to make it better by saying that Grandma had a headache and was lonely. I get lonely, too, but I would never have someone skip school for that. What a bizarre country this is. It raises the question of just how important is education here? Very? Not at all? When it is convenient? Curious.
September 18th, 2010
I really do not need a lot to live on. I would rather have experience than possessions. The more I can get rid of the better. It is sad, but I am looking forward to going through the boxes at mom’s house of my things. Rid myself of even more things. When I purged so much in July it was this great feeling of freedom. Things I thought I needed, but really I did not. Things I held on to for years thinking I would need them or use them, but nope. The tennis rackets come to mind. It pains me to think about all the money I have spent over the years on things or eating out. Money that could have gone to travelling and new experiences.
So did you ever learn to use the toilets and get used to the lack of soap and water problems?
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