I’m still exhausted. Stupid virus. In spite of feeling ridiculously tired, I dragged myself to school. This is mostly because I have no other symptoms of illness (except for a scratchy throat). Wed is not a bad day for me, class wise, and I knew that I could get through it. I would probably have been fine, except that on my break between classes, 2 teachers who started English lessons in Kobuleti last night, came in to ask me to help them with their English.
They both had very much energy and the Georgian attitude of "I’m here now. Anything else you were planning to do will have to wait." This isn’t restricted to interactions with foreigners, either, this is culturally pervasive. Planning to go shopping, well, someone stopped by to visit, so you’ll have to change your plans. I can’t get over it and it kinda drives me crazy.
Also this morning, I received a novel of a text message from the Georgian English teacher that I met on the marshrutka on Saturday. She wanted to know when I would be coming to see her school and visit her house. There was a lot of other things too, but most are irrelevant, though she did conclude with, "Everything will be ok. I promise." Which, of course, leads me to believe that I have reason to worry. I mean, if things are actually going to be ok, you don’t need to say so, right?
When I got home, I had a much needed nap. But even an hour of sleep is not very helpful when the dreams are so action-packed. When I woke up, I felt like I hadn’t slept at all. My body did feel more rested though, so I spent about 45 mins helping Achi with his English homework. It’s amazing what he can figure out when you give him enough time and don’t just yell the answers at him.
I’ve read a little and watched some Veronica Mars. With my throat feeling as raw as it is, I’ve tried to avoid talking, though people keep calling me. During one phone conversation I did decide that if I feel this bad tomorrow, I’m not going in to school.
Just checked my e-mail and had the cutest message from Mr.Blue Eyes. God I love that kid. Those few sentences just perked me right up. But at the same time, they made me a little homesick. Moreso than I already was, just from being not-quite-sick.
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sept. 27 - So Weird
Today was a very weird day. It started out normal, though I didn’t want to get out of bed. In spite of a full night’s sleep, I was exhausted. Anyway, I sucked it up and got to school. Luckily, Monday is the day when I don’t have my 2 worst classes, so things in class went smoothly. While my school day had gone smoothly, this was not the case for my friends. I received calls from Boston, Joker and Sailor about their crappy classes, and misbehaving students.
Just after first period, the director came in and handed me a bunch of roses (cut from a garden) and a box of chocolates, for my birthday. Also for my birthday, Co-teach and another teacher, Photo (because of her obsession with taking pictures), decided to take me into Batumi for dinner. It was a very sweet offer, so I agreed to go.
We left right after school and this is where things started going wrong. First, the other teachers had to sign up for an English class in Kobuleti. So Co-teach and I hung out at the marshrutka stop to wait for them. By the time they were done, only one other teacher was coming to Batumi. This didn’t deter us, though, so we caught a marshrutka and were on our way.
We went to Restaurant Sanapiro (that’s Georgian for beach) right on the coast. The view was lovely and the cameras were brought out. The girls love pictures. They wanted pictures of themselves and me and me with each of them and us in front of the water and in front of the scenery. They took more pictures than you’d believe.
Once the waiter came, the cameras were put away (for a while). I wanted pizza, so we ordered one without meat. I also wanted a ‘gliasse’ (which is the Georgian milkshake) but they didn’t have any. Just once, I’d like to go to a restaurant here where everything that’s on the menu is actually in the restaurant. But I’m not holding my breath. In addition to the pizza, the girls ordered an Adjaran Khajapuri (bread boat with egg and cheese) for each of us.
Of course, after the khajapuri, no one had room for pizza, though we all ate one slice. They were joking about asking to take it with us and I said that in Canada we do that. Apparently, doggy-bags are a no-no in Georgia. As we sat digesting, the waiter brought a beautiful fruit tray out to our table. One of Photo’s relatives works at the restaurant and sent it to us. We picked at the fruit for a while longer and then left.
From the restaurant, we had a lovely view of the port. The girls decided that they wanted a picture on the cruise ship that we could see. When we finished eating, they went to where the cruise ship was loading and using the "visiting foreigner" as an excuse, they tried to talk their way on. Of course the guards said no, because the ship was preparing to leave. So we wandered the dock, taking pictures in front of other boats and the water.
Co-teach and Photo each had an errand to run, so that’s where we headed when we were done with pictures. On the way, Co-teach called her cousin to get us a ride back to Kobuleti. He finished work at six and said he would pick us up, after. Co-teach’s errand was getting a teacher’s book to go with our grade 9 text. Every time she’s tried to buy it before, the store didn’t have it. They still didn’t have it.
Photo’s errand involved trying to return a cell phone that she was having problems with. I couldn’t understand most of what happened, but it took a really long time. I was exhausted and bored, so I called Joker while I waited. He was at the café and entertained me with stories about his day and comments from the others.
When Photo finished yelling at the phone guy (with no results that I could see) we went to check another store for Co-teach’s book. They didn’t have it either, but by this point it was 6:05 and I was hopeful of getting home soon. Silly me, not in Georgia.
We ended up walking back along the coast to "find a bench to sit on". When I asked Co-teach why, her response was, "who knows when he will come". There were no public benches, so we ended up back at the restaurant. Photo spoke to someone and told them that we didn’t want to order. That was fine and we sat down.
About half an hour later, the waitress brought out 3 bowls of ice cream and 3 turkish coffees. They asked if she had the wrong table, but it was for us. Photo’s relative had sent it out again, which was very sweet. While we sat in the restaurant, her husband called a bunch of times, wondering when we would leave. She blamed the delay on me, but was getting more aggravated with Co-teach every minute.
I was completely zoned out, but a noise made me perk my head up. Outside the restaurant a man rode past on a horse (it was more like a pony, but still). I wasn’t sure what I had seen (maybe I’d fallen asleep and was dreaming) but he came past again, the other way and I saw him again. At this point, Co-teach’s cousin finally called, so we were leaving the restaurant.
The pony was still outside. We approached the man and he was selling rides on it. We didn’t want a ride, but of course the girls wanted pictures. So I stood next to the pony while the girls took turns standing next to me.
Then we walked back to where we had to meet Co-teach’s cousin. He finally showed up at 7:37pm and we were on our way back to Kobuleti. He drove like a maniac. I’ve gotten pretty used to the Georgian driving, so unless it’s extreme, nothing phases me. I was terrified. And it wasn’t just the driving. It’s the fact that while the driver was passing a semi-truck with a car coming toward him, his sister (in the front passenger seat) was screaming at him in Georgian and smacking his arm (which was holding the steering wheel). If anyone had endagered us, it was her.
When we got back to Kobuleti, I went with Photo (so that she could prove to her husband that I really exist). They got me home safely, with no new terror. At home, I wanted nothing more than to collapse on my bed for the night, but it wasn’t to be.
I stopped in the kitchen to tell HM that I was home and she told me to sit down. I did and she pulled out HB1’s English book. So we had an English lesson. I hate working with him when she’s there. Every time he stumbles, or stops to think, she gives him the answer. But at the same time she’s pressuring him to get it perfect on the first go. I honestly believe he only made so many mistakes because she was pushing him.
When the lesson devolved into how to use the dictionary, I excused myself and went to bed. I was so tired that I didn’t even stay up for Veronica Mars.
Just after first period, the director came in and handed me a bunch of roses (cut from a garden) and a box of chocolates, for my birthday. Also for my birthday, Co-teach and another teacher, Photo (because of her obsession with taking pictures), decided to take me into Batumi for dinner. It was a very sweet offer, so I agreed to go.
We left right after school and this is where things started going wrong. First, the other teachers had to sign up for an English class in Kobuleti. So Co-teach and I hung out at the marshrutka stop to wait for them. By the time they were done, only one other teacher was coming to Batumi. This didn’t deter us, though, so we caught a marshrutka and were on our way.
We went to Restaurant Sanapiro (that’s Georgian for beach) right on the coast. The view was lovely and the cameras were brought out. The girls love pictures. They wanted pictures of themselves and me and me with each of them and us in front of the water and in front of the scenery. They took more pictures than you’d believe.
Once the waiter came, the cameras were put away (for a while). I wanted pizza, so we ordered one without meat. I also wanted a ‘gliasse’ (which is the Georgian milkshake) but they didn’t have any. Just once, I’d like to go to a restaurant here where everything that’s on the menu is actually in the restaurant. But I’m not holding my breath. In addition to the pizza, the girls ordered an Adjaran Khajapuri (bread boat with egg and cheese) for each of us.
Of course, after the khajapuri, no one had room for pizza, though we all ate one slice. They were joking about asking to take it with us and I said that in Canada we do that. Apparently, doggy-bags are a no-no in Georgia. As we sat digesting, the waiter brought a beautiful fruit tray out to our table. One of Photo’s relatives works at the restaurant and sent it to us. We picked at the fruit for a while longer and then left.
From the restaurant, we had a lovely view of the port. The girls decided that they wanted a picture on the cruise ship that we could see. When we finished eating, they went to where the cruise ship was loading and using the "visiting foreigner" as an excuse, they tried to talk their way on. Of course the guards said no, because the ship was preparing to leave. So we wandered the dock, taking pictures in front of other boats and the water.
Co-teach and Photo each had an errand to run, so that’s where we headed when we were done with pictures. On the way, Co-teach called her cousin to get us a ride back to Kobuleti. He finished work at six and said he would pick us up, after. Co-teach’s errand was getting a teacher’s book to go with our grade 9 text. Every time she’s tried to buy it before, the store didn’t have it. They still didn’t have it.
Photo’s errand involved trying to return a cell phone that she was having problems with. I couldn’t understand most of what happened, but it took a really long time. I was exhausted and bored, so I called Joker while I waited. He was at the café and entertained me with stories about his day and comments from the others.
When Photo finished yelling at the phone guy (with no results that I could see) we went to check another store for Co-teach’s book. They didn’t have it either, but by this point it was 6:05 and I was hopeful of getting home soon. Silly me, not in Georgia.
We ended up walking back along the coast to "find a bench to sit on". When I asked Co-teach why, her response was, "who knows when he will come". There were no public benches, so we ended up back at the restaurant. Photo spoke to someone and told them that we didn’t want to order. That was fine and we sat down.
About half an hour later, the waitress brought out 3 bowls of ice cream and 3 turkish coffees. They asked if she had the wrong table, but it was for us. Photo’s relative had sent it out again, which was very sweet. While we sat in the restaurant, her husband called a bunch of times, wondering when we would leave. She blamed the delay on me, but was getting more aggravated with Co-teach every minute.
I was completely zoned out, but a noise made me perk my head up. Outside the restaurant a man rode past on a horse (it was more like a pony, but still). I wasn’t sure what I had seen (maybe I’d fallen asleep and was dreaming) but he came past again, the other way and I saw him again. At this point, Co-teach’s cousin finally called, so we were leaving the restaurant.
The pony was still outside. We approached the man and he was selling rides on it. We didn’t want a ride, but of course the girls wanted pictures. So I stood next to the pony while the girls took turns standing next to me.
Then we walked back to where we had to meet Co-teach’s cousin. He finally showed up at 7:37pm and we were on our way back to Kobuleti. He drove like a maniac. I’ve gotten pretty used to the Georgian driving, so unless it’s extreme, nothing phases me. I was terrified. And it wasn’t just the driving. It’s the fact that while the driver was passing a semi-truck with a car coming toward him, his sister (in the front passenger seat) was screaming at him in Georgian and smacking his arm (which was holding the steering wheel). If anyone had endagered us, it was her.
When we got back to Kobuleti, I went with Photo (so that she could prove to her husband that I really exist). They got me home safely, with no new terror. At home, I wanted nothing more than to collapse on my bed for the night, but it wasn’t to be.
I stopped in the kitchen to tell HM that I was home and she told me to sit down. I did and she pulled out HB1’s English book. So we had an English lesson. I hate working with him when she’s there. Every time he stumbles, or stops to think, she gives him the answer. But at the same time she’s pressuring him to get it perfect on the first go. I honestly believe he only made so many mistakes because she was pushing him.
When the lesson devolved into how to use the dictionary, I excused myself and went to bed. I was so tired that I didn’t even stay up for Veronica Mars.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Sept. 23 - gossiping in georgian
Nothing feels quite as good as reaching the satisfying conclusion of an entertaining and well-written novel/ series. At least for me. I just finished the third book in Maria Snyder’s "Glass" trilogy. The bad guys were defeated and the good guys got married and everything worked out alright in the end. Good thing, too, or I’d be really upset that I stayed up until 2am reading last night.
Thanks to my late night, school was...tiring. Today was a 4 class day and there was only one class in which more than half of the students had completed their homework. Since the beginning of lessons are often related to taking up the homework and ensuring understanding, this put a serious crimp in my plans.
By break time, I needed the caffeine jolt from a turkish coffee. After I finished my coffee, I practiced swirling it around, so that it coats the cup in the right way for fortune telling. I need practice, because every time I’ve had my fortune told, Co-teach has done it for me (though I always turn the cup myself, because that’s the critical part).
I didn’t actually want a reading, today, but one of the teachers was joking around and did one for me anyways. It didn’t bother her at all that she doesn’t actually know how to do it. Of course, she told me that I would marry a nice Georgian boy and stay here forever. I’m told this at least 3 times a week.
At least with Co-teach and this other teacher, I know that they are joking. Another woman came in and told me that she has a 29 year old son that I should marry. I don’t think she was joking. Next thing, a teacher came in and told both me and Co-teach that eating many peanuts will make young girls "want a man", so we should be careful. (Usually, we have peanuts with our coffee). But then, since the goal is to get me married, they decided that they would feed me peanuts all the time.
When I got home, I had lunch with HB1. I wasn’t very hungry (after all those peanuts) but I can never resist t’olma (stuffed peppers). I had one pepper and a piece of bread with fig jam. I was just washing up my dishes when Bebia drew my attention to apple sauce on the stove. I told her I would have some later, but she wouldn’t hear of it and gave me a bowl right then. It was delicious. The apples here may not be much for eating plain, but boiled in sauce with a Georgian amount of sugar, they are heavenly.
Pop was supposed to come play, today but the forces of Georgia conspired to keep him home. First, it’s been raining on and off all day. But he’s also not feeling well, so I told him to rest up for my birthday party on Saturday. I’m a little bummed that he didn’t come out, but at the same time, I had a chance to finish my book. And I’m not exactly feeling in top form, myself.
My allergies have come on like gangbusters in the last couple of weeks. I’ve been going through Benadryl like they’re candy. I figure it’s from living out in a village, in a house with an orchard in the backyard. Everywhere I look, there’s nature. And while I love the aesthetics of nature, my sinuses don’t appreciate the realities of nature.
I’ve been trying to be more social in the evenings, before the English tv comes on. So I was downstairs, reading my Stephen King book, when HB1 walked up to me and presented his notebook with a flourish. He was so proud of himself and when I looked, I saw that it was his English book from school. We sat together for about 15 minutes, with me trying to say the Georgian words (while he corrected my pronounciation) and him trying to say the English ones (while I corrected him). It was really cute.
The impromptu lesson ended when HM called me into the kitchen to have roasted chestnuts with her, Nanny (she literally is the nanny) and our neighbour Cute (she's adorable). They chatted and eventually, HM asked me about my birthday on Saturday. She doesn’t actually know the word birthday on its own, but only as part of "Happy birthday to you" the song. I was glad she brought it up, because it was the perfect opening to tell her about the party and that I’m staying in Batumi Saturday. Then she asked me if I’d be home on Sunday, which leads me to believe she’s planning something.
I took my leave of the ladies and had only been upstairs for a couple of minutes, when the two younger women came up to the other room for the internet. They’ve been on there a lot the last couple of weeks. I wonder what they’re doing, but I don’t have the Georgian to ask, and they don’t have the English to answer. I could probably figure out how to say it, but that would require a lot of effort, and I’m not that curious.
Thanks to my late night, school was...tiring. Today was a 4 class day and there was only one class in which more than half of the students had completed their homework. Since the beginning of lessons are often related to taking up the homework and ensuring understanding, this put a serious crimp in my plans.
By break time, I needed the caffeine jolt from a turkish coffee. After I finished my coffee, I practiced swirling it around, so that it coats the cup in the right way for fortune telling. I need practice, because every time I’ve had my fortune told, Co-teach has done it for me (though I always turn the cup myself, because that’s the critical part).
I didn’t actually want a reading, today, but one of the teachers was joking around and did one for me anyways. It didn’t bother her at all that she doesn’t actually know how to do it. Of course, she told me that I would marry a nice Georgian boy and stay here forever. I’m told this at least 3 times a week.
At least with Co-teach and this other teacher, I know that they are joking. Another woman came in and told me that she has a 29 year old son that I should marry. I don’t think she was joking. Next thing, a teacher came in and told both me and Co-teach that eating many peanuts will make young girls "want a man", so we should be careful. (Usually, we have peanuts with our coffee). But then, since the goal is to get me married, they decided that they would feed me peanuts all the time.
When I got home, I had lunch with HB1. I wasn’t very hungry (after all those peanuts) but I can never resist t’olma (stuffed peppers). I had one pepper and a piece of bread with fig jam. I was just washing up my dishes when Bebia drew my attention to apple sauce on the stove. I told her I would have some later, but she wouldn’t hear of it and gave me a bowl right then. It was delicious. The apples here may not be much for eating plain, but boiled in sauce with a Georgian amount of sugar, they are heavenly.
Pop was supposed to come play, today but the forces of Georgia conspired to keep him home. First, it’s been raining on and off all day. But he’s also not feeling well, so I told him to rest up for my birthday party on Saturday. I’m a little bummed that he didn’t come out, but at the same time, I had a chance to finish my book. And I’m not exactly feeling in top form, myself.
My allergies have come on like gangbusters in the last couple of weeks. I’ve been going through Benadryl like they’re candy. I figure it’s from living out in a village, in a house with an orchard in the backyard. Everywhere I look, there’s nature. And while I love the aesthetics of nature, my sinuses don’t appreciate the realities of nature.
I’ve been trying to be more social in the evenings, before the English tv comes on. So I was downstairs, reading my Stephen King book, when HB1 walked up to me and presented his notebook with a flourish. He was so proud of himself and when I looked, I saw that it was his English book from school. We sat together for about 15 minutes, with me trying to say the Georgian words (while he corrected my pronounciation) and him trying to say the English ones (while I corrected him). It was really cute.
The impromptu lesson ended when HM called me into the kitchen to have roasted chestnuts with her, Nanny (she literally is the nanny) and our neighbour Cute (she's adorable). They chatted and eventually, HM asked me about my birthday on Saturday. She doesn’t actually know the word birthday on its own, but only as part of "Happy birthday to you" the song. I was glad she brought it up, because it was the perfect opening to tell her about the party and that I’m staying in Batumi Saturday. Then she asked me if I’d be home on Sunday, which leads me to believe she’s planning something.
I took my leave of the ladies and had only been upstairs for a couple of minutes, when the two younger women came up to the other room for the internet. They’ve been on there a lot the last couple of weeks. I wonder what they’re doing, but I don’t have the Georgian to ask, and they don’t have the English to answer. I could probably figure out how to say it, but that would require a lot of effort, and I’m not that curious.
Sept. 22 - Hump Day, if only
I was late going down to breakfast this morning (not that there seems to be any sort of routine), so by the time I got there, everyone was done but Bebia. When I had gotten my cereal and sat down she told me that HD was going away for 10 days. She told me where, but I didn’t understand, and I don’t know enough Georgian to ask her why. I assume it’s for business of some sort.
School was pretty good. Grade 12 had more kids than I’ve seen since last week, but I figure it’s because when I have that class on Monday and Friday, it’s the last class of the day. On Wed it’s period 2. They were really chatty, though, so I made one kid stand at the front, so he couldn’t talk to his neighbours and another kid walked out when I told him to stand at the front as well. I don’t much care. If he doesn’t want to learn, then I don’t want him in my class distracting the others. The grade 9 class was much better than normal, and it’s all because two of the boys were away. It changed the whole complexion of the class. I got my coffee grounds read again. It was pretty much the same stuff as last time.
After school, I had a snack. When I went through the living room, my host brothers were watching either Evil Dead or Evil Dead II. It was hilarious. Every time there was a kissing scene, HB1 changed the channel. He’d flip back and leave it, if the kissing was done, or change it again, if it wasn’t. It made me think of Princess Bride, when Fred Savage doesn’t want to here about the kissing parts. I eventually got fed up trying to hear the English through the Georgian dubbing, so I came upstairs and chatted with Boston and Sailor on the phone. I also watched tv.
Around 7ish I went downstairs to socialize and found the English-speaking neighbour and her sister visiting. So I played nice for a while and then got roped into an English lesson with HB1. While we were having the lesson, HB3 was walking through the room repeating his version of my name. It was really cute.
School was pretty good. Grade 12 had more kids than I’ve seen since last week, but I figure it’s because when I have that class on Monday and Friday, it’s the last class of the day. On Wed it’s period 2. They were really chatty, though, so I made one kid stand at the front, so he couldn’t talk to his neighbours and another kid walked out when I told him to stand at the front as well. I don’t much care. If he doesn’t want to learn, then I don’t want him in my class distracting the others. The grade 9 class was much better than normal, and it’s all because two of the boys were away. It changed the whole complexion of the class. I got my coffee grounds read again. It was pretty much the same stuff as last time.
After school, I had a snack. When I went through the living room, my host brothers were watching either Evil Dead or Evil Dead II. It was hilarious. Every time there was a kissing scene, HB1 changed the channel. He’d flip back and leave it, if the kissing was done, or change it again, if it wasn’t. It made me think of Princess Bride, when Fred Savage doesn’t want to here about the kissing parts. I eventually got fed up trying to hear the English through the Georgian dubbing, so I came upstairs and chatted with Boston and Sailor on the phone. I also watched tv.
Around 7ish I went downstairs to socialize and found the English-speaking neighbour and her sister visiting. So I played nice for a while and then got roped into an English lesson with HB1. While we were having the lesson, HB3 was walking through the room repeating his version of my name. It was really cute.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Aug. 3-5 - nose to the grindstone time
Our schedule until next Monday consists of Georgian language classes for 4 hours in the morning, lunch, 4 hours of other classes in the afternoon (ex. safety, Georgian culture, teaching methodology...), 8pm supper and then "free time" until bed, which most of us use for studying. It's been quite grueling. Especially when the afternoon classes seem largely irrelevant and the power goes off causing the a.c. to stop working. Let me tell you, 25 people in a crowded classroom with no a.c. are 25 very irritable people. We've been so over-scheduled from morning til night that it's really hard to get even a moment to oneself. To make matters worse, almost everyone is suffering from some form of intestinal discomfort, though that should pass as we get more used to the food and water.
Things of note that I've learned over the past 3 days:
From the safety lecture,
- if a North American woman smiles at a strange man, she is offering herself to him.
- rural Georgia is like a weird cross between victorian England and 1950's U.S. as far as male/female relationships are concerned.
and,
- if a tiger attacks, I am within my rights to defend myself
From the "cross-cultural learning" session,
-
-
That was a long 4 hours, let me tell you. Some people just like to hear the sound of their own voice, regardless of whether they have anything relevant to say or not.
Yesterday afternoon we took a field trip to see some caves. They were pretty cool. I took some neat pictures of the stalactites and stuff. The hour-long drive to the caves, was not cool, however. The cave, surprise, surprise was in the mountains, which meant a lot of twisty narrow and UNPAVED roads. I already felt like crap and had I known we were going to stop in the city for an hour and a half, I wouldn't have gone.
Last night my roommate and I went to bed right after dinner, so I'm feeling a little better this morning, though my stomach wasn't thrilled with my attempt to eat breakfast. I miss toast and peanut butter.
Things of note that I've learned over the past 3 days:
From the safety lecture,
- if a North American woman smiles at a strange man, she is offering herself to him.
- rural Georgia is like a weird cross between victorian England and 1950's U.S. as far as male/female relationships are concerned.
and,
- if a tiger attacks, I am within my rights to defend myself
From the "cross-cultural learning" session,
-
-
That was a long 4 hours, let me tell you. Some people just like to hear the sound of their own voice, regardless of whether they have anything relevant to say or not.
Yesterday afternoon we took a field trip to see some caves. They were pretty cool. I took some neat pictures of the stalactites and stuff. The hour-long drive to the caves, was not cool, however. The cave, surprise, surprise was in the mountains, which meant a lot of twisty narrow and UNPAVED roads. I already felt like crap and had I known we were going to stop in the city for an hour and a half, I wouldn't have gone.
Last night my roommate and I went to bed right after dinner, so I'm feeling a little better this morning, though my stomach wasn't thrilled with my attempt to eat breakfast. I miss toast and peanut butter.
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