Shoes

I packed a pair of wellies, shower shoes, tennis shoes, and wore my black round toe ballet flats to Georgia. However, no one told me how serious Georgians are about their shoes.

On our first day of exploring Georgia, I decided to wear my grey and light blue tennis shoes with a skirt and a top. Grant it, I thought the combination was a stretch, but it was a comfy choice that I knew my feet wouldn’t regret… if only, I had considered my pride.  I definitely knew something was wrong as I walked down the streets and people would not stare at me, as we had been warned, but they were staring at my shoes! In the metro, an older woman glanced down and shook her head. As I walked down a tree-lined street, a group of men sitting on concrete benches nudged each other, pointed, and snickered.  

Well, clearly something had to change. In my search for shoes, I asked the native TLG representatives where could I find appropriate shoes. My choices were expensive department stores like Zara, a Walmart-ish store called Goodwill, a bazaar, or a second hand shop.

On the last day, our group of volunteers went to a bazaar/mall (which resembled the malls in Manila). The bazaar was what you would expect, small alley ways created by vendors ‘stalls with a roof made of tarp. Wandering through the bazaar, there seemed to be some organization as to which section certain items were sold. With my broken Russian, I managed to get 10 laris ($8) off of two pairs of shoes from a female shoe vendor.

Now, I have two lovely pairs of pointed ballet flats that are Georgian appropriate. My current shoe conundrum is how to keep them clean. Somehow, I imagined Georgia to be covered in hills full of lush grass and large deciduous oaks; however it’s more like Tatoui from Star Wars. Dust is everywhere and constantly getting on my new shoes.  In Tbilisi, I was always baffled looking at people’s immaculate shoes on the metro. How do they do it?

The other day when I made the mistake of rubbing my shoes on my pants, my host sister pulled a wipe from her purse and told me to use it on my pants. So my task today is to go into town by marshutka (local bus) and buy some wipes in my mangled version of Georgian.

After all my shoes issues, I can’t help but think how much my grandmother would enjoy this land of fashionable pristine shoes.  

Exploring the Tbilisi before Orientation

Tbilisi has many statues around the city much like this one.

 Famous bath houses of Tbilisi.

Old Tbilisi Fortress

Mother Georgia Statue, aka Queen Tamara

Kathleen and I riding the cable car to the fortress.

Group of TLG volunteers at the fortress.

Tying a wish on the Wish Tree.

The Village/City Conundrum

My conversations with the volunteers have been the typical get to know you questions such as "What's your name?" "Where are you from?" "Are you enjoying Tbilisi?" "What's your opinion about the food?" "Do you know ____ in Georgian?" On the positive side, we no longer have to specify in which  Georgia we are working. Although one reoccurring question that everyone asks is, "So, are you hoping for a village, town, or city?" 

Of course, we are all "randomly" selected to a host family and location, but the ramifications of this decision are quite daunting. It will be our first time in Georgia alone as the only foreigner (for many who are placed in the village) and away from the hotel. Our locations will set precedence for the pace of our lives.

When asking this question, I believe many of us are curious as to why someone would choose one location over another and the insights their decision tells us about their personalities.  I also think most of us are looking for comfort of a new perspective. If the village is the worst case scenario, why does Volunteer X want to go there? Am I missing something? 

Luckily (although others would disagree), we won't be place in the high mountainous regions, or in villages with less than 50 students at our school. From what I've heard, one is usually placed within a bus ride  away from a city or town. This may be a long bus ride, but if you haven't spoken to someone in English for a month, an hour bus ride would not be too awful.

Today, we find out our regions and host families. Thank god, we have free minutes to call other volunteers.

Orientation in Tbilisi

For future TLG-ers, after you arrive in Tbilisi, the puzzle pieces slowly come together. These are pictures from my life at orientation in Tbilisi.

Photo of the hotel:

Today's morning spread (We were lucky to have scrambled eggs. Normally, we have hard boiled eggs) :

Methodology course: 

Georgian class:

Typical schedule (it's very close to other TLG bloggers' posts from previous groups):

Getting from Point A to Point B for TLGers

This post is for future TLGers with some advice.

Before departing, make sure you join the TLG Facebook page, you will not only get updates about the program, but you will meet people who are leaving from the same airports as you. In Istanbul,  I had planned to meet two volunteers at the Starbucks during our layover. 

Don't worry you will meet TLG volunteers along the way (aka you're not the only crazy one). Before I arrived at Istanbul, I met several volunteers in Chicago. There can only be so many young American backpackers who are traveling in Istanbul/Warsaw- the rest are volunteers. If someone has a huge pack and 'looks' American at your layover, go say 'hey'. Worse case scenario, the person won't be from TLG, but have an amazing story like the guy who I met in Chicago. He is a student at UT who is taking a semester off of school, traveling to Germany, and working on a horse farm in order to spend time with his German girlfriend. 

When you arrive in Tbilisi, go through customs, collect your baggage, and walk through the sliding doors. There, you will find TLG representatives. Don't forget to exchange some money ($100 usd or so) and pick up a map from the information kiosk.  

One last piece of advice, drink as much liquids as possible at your meals in the hotel and eat the cheese. Each sweltering day you are allotted four water bottles. Even though this is generous, do not be alarmed if you glance down at your hands, only to find kielbasa. Eat the cheese. It has salt that will return your fingers to their previous condition.  Also, air conditioning doesn't really exist in the hotel either....good luck sleeping.

End Results

I am packed and ready to go. My life for the next 10 months has been contained in one traveling pack (hiding in the duffel bag), one carry-on suitcase, and one purse/sack (unfortunately, this means no sledding with old suitcases in the winter). 

The Inevitable Post: Packing

The Job

Georgia in yellow

I will be on my way to Tbilisi, Georgia, the country, in three days for the Teach and Learn Georgia (TLG) orientation. TLG is a program initiated by Ministry of Education that enables English speakers to teach (with the assistance of  Georgian English teachers) conversation and listening skills to Georgian students (grades 1-6 or police officers). 

For the next ten months, I will be living in this small country in the Caucasus with a host family. Georgians, according to my research, are known for their hospitality and fierce pride-they have a lot of history of which to be proud (as depicted in the statue Mother Georgia in Tbilisi). Georgia is also known for its wine and subsequently, a drink akin to vodka made from leftover grape bits called cha-cha. Delicious khachapuri (think deep-dish white pizza) and khinkali (dumplings) come from this region. 

The Packing List 

Like any normal TLG-volunteer, I am going to post my packing list for future volunteers (please, withhold any judgement, non-participants). In a couple of months I will be able to share with you if I packed too much or not enough.

CLOTHES
Shoes 
Galoshes ~Flip flops ~Trainers ~Black ballet flats ~Brown work-appropriate heels~House slippers

Jackets
Rain jacket~ Winter Jacket ~ Leather Jacket ~3 cardigans

Bottoms
3 jeans~ 1 pair of black pants  ~4 skirts (navy/olive/black/winter)~2 around the house pants (I have been advised to bring stretchy pants. You either gain lots or loose lots in Georgia)

Tops
2 tank tops~ 6 short sleeve ~5 long sleeve~ 1 turtleneck ~ 1 work out top (short sleeve loose wick t-shirt from previous 5k, too tight might attract too much unwanted attention)

2 Scarves (summer/winter)
2 pairs of wool socks
2 dresses (winter/fall-spring)
Winter bed clothes (wool sweater/wool leg warmers/flannel)
Many undergarments

SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Simple English dictionary
Expo Markers and two white boards (8x11)
Flash cards (blank and sight words) *I've read bring as many as you can*
Scissors 
Prizes (stickers and nifty erasers) 
2 packs of chalk
Notebooks/writing pads
Several paperback books to read
Binder with plastic sleeves (see Living Rootless link below)

ELECTRONICS
Electronic Reader (great for downloading books/electronic Georgian to English flashcards)
iPod
Computer
Thumb drives (These are great if you have to go to an internet cafe and want to keep up a blog or make worksheets. They will save you time)
Camera
C Plug Adapter+ Voltage Converter (220-150 <~~~for Americans)
Alarm Clock
Various Batteries
  
MISC.
Lavender Sachets
Resistance bands (much lighter than weights)
Tote for school
Host family gift
2 light weight travel towels (from REI, X-LG/Med)
Toiletries
Sunglasses
2 pairs of up-to-date glasses
Contacts
Hand sanitizer (to carry to school, I've seen blogs about a lack of soap in bathrooms) 
Travel -size wrinkle release spray (no wrinkles, clothes smell good)
Imodium, Ibuprofen, Benadryl
Bug spray
Vitamins 
Sewing kit
Wind-up flashlight 
Travel Journal

I relied on several other blogs when packing:

-Living Rootless (great list for everything)
-Teaching Brave  (general but informative)
-Unofficial Guide to TLG  (great list for females)
-TLG Post from Bruna (a list of reality checks as you begin hyperventilating while packing)
     -Advice from her post: "Don't over-pack. You probably won't be in a shack somewhere and probably won't need a lot of things that you think you will need. Georgia has pretty much anything you will need and if not in your village, you can probably find it in the nearest city." 

We'll see...