Hi everyone! I am writing from my new site where I will be for the next 2 years. Peace Corps sores not want us to reveal our exact locations for security, but I will say that I am posted in a small town of about 8,000 in the region of Guria. Guria is a tiny region in the West of Georgia, sandwiched in between the regions of Adjara and Samegrelo. It is a beautiful region with both mountains and beaches - my town is about 15km away from the Black Sea!
My host family is small by Georgian standards - just a mom, dad, and son. My host mom and dad, Nino and Vakhtangi, are in their 50's and my host brother, Giorgi (Gio for short) is 10. We live in a house about 10 minutes walking from the center of town, and only about 1 or 2 minutes away from my school where I will be teaching in September. In fact, I can see my school from my balcony I am so close!
My house is unique in the fact that is is actually made up of several different buildings, so you go outside to get to the different parts! We also have a huge garden, bee houses, a cow enclosure, and tons of chickens running around. My room is upstairs and overlooks the garden and bees. I also have a great view of the small hills outside of town! I also have the interesting experience of having an outhouse - I have said goodbye to flush toilets.
My town itself is pretty small - it is bisected by the main highway that goes from Batumi to Tbilisi. Along the highway there are stores and restaurants, as well as a small park. The neighborhoods branch off on either side of the highway. We also have an outdoor fruit bazaar and an indoor bazaar that had everything from clothing to household goods to sports equipment.
Today, I took a trip about an hour and a half away to the town of Ozurgeti, which is the Guria regional capital. It is up in the hills and is a lot bigger than my town - it has about 20,000 people. It has a big bazaar and lots of restaurants and stores. It also has a really cute American-style coffee shop that I am excited to go to on some weekends to get work done.
Overall, I am loving my site so far and am excited for the next 2 years here! Sorry this post does not have pictures -- I don't have Internet in my house (working on it) and so am writing this on my phone. I will post picture when I am able!
My host family is small by Georgian standards - just a mom, dad, and son. My host mom and dad, Nino and Vakhtangi, are in their 50's and my host brother, Giorgi (Gio for short) is 10. We live in a house about 10 minutes walking from the center of town, and only about 1 or 2 minutes away from my school where I will be teaching in September. In fact, I can see my school from my balcony I am so close!
My house is unique in the fact that is is actually made up of several different buildings, so you go outside to get to the different parts! We also have a huge garden, bee houses, a cow enclosure, and tons of chickens running around. My room is upstairs and overlooks the garden and bees. I also have a great view of the small hills outside of town! I also have the interesting experience of having an outhouse - I have said goodbye to flush toilets.
My town itself is pretty small - it is bisected by the main highway that goes from Batumi to Tbilisi. Along the highway there are stores and restaurants, as well as a small park. The neighborhoods branch off on either side of the highway. We also have an outdoor fruit bazaar and an indoor bazaar that had everything from clothing to household goods to sports equipment.
Today, I took a trip about an hour and a half away to the town of Ozurgeti, which is the Guria regional capital. It is up in the hills and is a lot bigger than my town - it has about 20,000 people. It has a big bazaar and lots of restaurants and stores. It also has a really cute American-style coffee shop that I am excited to go to on some weekends to get work done.
Overall, I am loving my site so far and am excited for the next 2 years here! Sorry this post does not have pictures -- I don't have Internet in my house (working on it) and so am writing this on my phone. I will post picture when I am able!
Cool to hear about your new home. Glad the livestock count is not too much smaller than before. What is your summer schedule--I heard from Aziz you'll be doing one or more camps--do they start right away or later this summer? and when does school start?
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