Marshutkas are crowed, smelly mini buses. They are the standard form of transportation in every city and between cities here in Georgia. The great thing about them is that they are cheap and easily spotted. The bad thing about them is they are excruciatingly uncomfortable. You get smashed against the windows, or worse two strangers. Most of these strangers do not bathe as frequently as my timid American nose is used to. If you are carrying anything with you from a purse to a luggage bag, you had better hope that it can survive being crushed even more than your body and being thrown around some. Finding a bag that satisfies these requirements and can carry a 17" laptop is a tedious and frustrating journey.
I first attempted to find a large black purse in the Poti market that would fit my English books and laptop. Most Georgian women walk around all stylish and posh with a large metal studded, fake leather purse. My purse just didn't fit the requirements of Georgian streets even if it did fit all my books; which it didn't. (For the record, I never buy any bag unless it can fit at least one standard paperback book ;) Not always the easiest thing to achieve.)I bought two different bags that fit the requirements and had both break and be torn apart in one week. The continual rain and tribulations of riding in marshutkas did them in. I gave up on style at that point and just wanted to find a sturdy bag that would fit all my stuff. Weeks of searching yielding nothing. I even recruited volunteers in other cities to help me search.
Finally, I ordered ThinkGeek.com's "Bag of Holding". My dearest parents then shipped that and my kindle (New purse requirement: must fit kindle. Who knew life could be so easy!) over here to Georgia. I was told that the service I used, usa2georgia.com, would provide courier service to Poti. They did not. I can't complain, though, since it only cost me 45 GEL to ship a medium sized package to Georgia. That's a steal compared to the $300 with USPS or FedEx. The problem remained on how to get the package from Tbilisi, the capital, six hours away.
Yesterday, I braved the mountain roads by boarding a marshutka in the morning headed to Tbilisi. This one was crowded but not terribly so. I could keep to myself with my MP3 player. It was a long ride, six hours. None of the marshutkas have new or comfortable seats. Eventually, your but will hurt from sitting so long. Mine did.
When I got to Tbilisi, I met Ana in a taxi. She helped me translate to the driver where I needed to go. I picked up the package at the station from a super nice and English speaking woman. TLG or ex-patriots in Georgia, www.usa2georgia.com is definitely the way to get supplies from the states. They were awesome. After that we stopped at McDonalds for a hamburger. I'm not a fan at home in the states, but seeing those golden arches did make me smile a bit. The food is mostly the same. The menus just don't have prices, are written in Georgian, and don't feature any value meals or the dollar menu. In another taxi, I headed to the bus station again. All of this took a little over an hour. Perfect timing! I managed to get on the last bus headed back to Poti by five o'clock.
The marshutka going back was even more crowded than the first. I was squished in the back seat. I sat next to a very nice and friendly Georgian man from Telavi. The only problem was that I could tell that he distinctly was not wearing deodorant. It was kinda gross!
I can though, say that my new bag is marshutka proof. It was all worth the effort. I have triumphed over evil, righted wrongs, and proven my worth. . . as a marshutka passenger.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
East Traditions
I first want to mention that I spent last weekend in Zugdidi with some other TLG volunteers. The volunteers in this city were hosting a Karaoke Night for the schools in Japan to help rebuild from the earthquakes. There were many volunteers that showed up. Together we raised over 300 GEL! We had some drinks around town and spent the night at a great new hostel. The owner, Regina, opened early for the event. She is a past TLG volunteer and amazing. The place was really nice even though they were still working on remodeling it. If you ever find yourself in Zugdidi, Georgia, stop there for a night. It's well worth the reasonable amount of 20 GEL. It was a blast.
I also spent some time walking aro und the Palace on Palm Sunday. The small church is next to the palace. Women were all over the gardens selling small baskets of palms. These aren't the palms that we use in the states. Instead they use a small bush that grows faster for the day. The church was so crowed that people were waiting outside in large groups waiting to catch part of the services.
This is a picture of the church next to the Palace.
I stayed home for our long break. Nino and Gocha's kids came to Poti. Their two sons and the oldest's wife are here until Monday. The house is filled with a gigantic amount of food. It doesn't even fit in the fridge. We have two regular cakes and five Pacas or Easter Cake (it's essentially hot cross buns done in a cake form) It's a good thing, too, since there seems to be some new friend or family member at every meal. Lots of people going in and out. Everyone is just talking and eating and enjoying each other's company. It's nice but awkward at the same time. I only understand half of the conversations. I also feel like I'm invading into something I shouldn't be. Nino and Gocha don't get to see their kids much anymore. I try to give them space to talk without worrying about entertaining me. It's an interesting balance for managing my time spent with the family and alone.
The really great tradition here that is similar to the states is dying eggs! They only use red dye to symbolize the blood of Christ being shed. My family then put plastic pictures around the eggs for added decoration. During lent many families have been growing wheatgrass for this weekend. They put the eggs in the grass or around it. It's a nice reminder of the greenhouses at home.
This is a picture of the church next to the Palace.
The really great tradition here that is similar to the states is dying eggs! They only use red dye to symbolize the blood of Christ being shed. My family then put plastic pictures around the eggs for added decoration. During lent many families have been growing wheatgrass for this weekend. They put the eggs in the grass or around it. It's a nice reminder of the greenhouses at home.
It's an exciting weekend filled with people and food, a perfect way to celebrate spring and Christ rising. Happy Easter!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
An End and A Beginning
My troubles with the Difficult Teacher are over.
On Monday, this teacher once again randomly decided to have me to an entire lesson on my own. She has increasingly surprising me with lessons for a couple of weeks now. I have no problem ad-libbing a lesson everyone once and a while. Doing it on a regular basis is another thing. I asked her after class if she could give me a two day warning. This way I have time to write a good lesson plan. She thought I should always write a lesson plan. I tried first explaining that just following the book exercises in order is not a lesson plan, especially not for such a terrible old book. I also tried to explain that my writing a lesson plan without her doesn't work if I don't know what she's going to cover before or after my lesson. I offered to meet with her once a week so we could discuss plans. This is where she told me, "I don't want your help planning. I don't want your help in my class. I never wanted you in my classes." She also went on to describe how I was inexperienced. She believes that I need lesson plans only because I've never taught this class before. She doesn't need lesson plans because she's been doing the same lesson plan for the last forty years. (I didn't even try to explain how a lesson forty years ago was not going to work for students today in the 21st century) I will admit that at this point I was a bit frustrated. I've been trying for three months to establish re-pore with this woman with no success. I gave her my volunteer experience and education university work. She seemed socked that I actually had some experience. She quickly recovered and said, "All of that doesn't matter. You have not finished University. You have no experience."
The discussion did not work well. I decided that since she really felt so strongly about not wanting me, I would honor that desire. I asked the director to give me another co-teacher to work with. I have left all my classes with the Difficult Teacher. Now I work with a nice woman for 7th, 9th and 10th grade. She's already asked me to bring in media for the class. I'm allowed to read and correct student's work. We already work better together after four lessons than Difficult Teacher and I ever did. I'm excited for what we can do together. I think the change will improve my mood immensely. I will miss my other students. However, I'll still see them around school. They know that I care about them and their education.
On Monday, this teacher once again randomly decided to have me to an entire lesson on my own. She has increasingly surprising me with lessons for a couple of weeks now. I have no problem ad-libbing a lesson everyone once and a while. Doing it on a regular basis is another thing. I asked her after class if she could give me a two day warning. This way I have time to write a good lesson plan. She thought I should always write a lesson plan. I tried first explaining that just following the book exercises in order is not a lesson plan, especially not for such a terrible old book. I also tried to explain that my writing a lesson plan without her doesn't work if I don't know what she's going to cover before or after my lesson. I offered to meet with her once a week so we could discuss plans. This is where she told me, "I don't want your help planning. I don't want your help in my class. I never wanted you in my classes." She also went on to describe how I was inexperienced. She believes that I need lesson plans only because I've never taught this class before. She doesn't need lesson plans because she's been doing the same lesson plan for the last forty years. (I didn't even try to explain how a lesson forty years ago was not going to work for students today in the 21st century) I will admit that at this point I was a bit frustrated. I've been trying for three months to establish re-pore with this woman with no success. I gave her my volunteer experience and education university work. She seemed socked that I actually had some experience. She quickly recovered and said, "All of that doesn't matter. You have not finished University. You have no experience."
The discussion did not work well. I decided that since she really felt so strongly about not wanting me, I would honor that desire. I asked the director to give me another co-teacher to work with. I have left all my classes with the Difficult Teacher. Now I work with a nice woman for 7th, 9th and 10th grade. She's already asked me to bring in media for the class. I'm allowed to read and correct student's work. We already work better together after four lessons than Difficult Teacher and I ever did. I'm excited for what we can do together. I think the change will improve my mood immensely. I will miss my other students. However, I'll still see them around school. They know that I care about them and their education.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
A Growing Bookshelf
If you know me personally, you know that I have a severe love obsession with books. The first thing I fretted over when packing for my first year of college was how many books I could fit into our tiny car. Half of my belongings packed up before I left for Georgia was just books. I have to keep a tight grip on the part of my budget for books or else I can easily get carried away.
Now, I'm in a new country with its own language and its own books. I, of course, had to buy a big dictionary for my class work and lesson plans. Then I bought a small children's book to help me learn Georgian. Just last week, I found a cook book of traditional dishes in Georgian I can translate. My Georgian bookshelf is growing.
There are wonderful little book sellers at the Poti market. Some have books in English as well as Georgians. The problem for me is that I see these sellers everyday walking home from school. When I go back to the US I won't be able to get books that are written in Georgian, especially at these prices. The cook book I got would be $30 in the states. Here it was only 19 GEL which is closer to $12. I could buy Harry Potter or even The Hobbit in Georgian and spend less than in the states. The temptation is almost endless here.
At the same time, some of my students can't get their English books for class. Students are required to find and buy all their books outside of the school. It isn't like attending college where you can just use a number of websites like Abebooks.com or amazon.com to find a cheap copy. Textbooks here are limited to mostly used books sold back and forth between the different markets in many of the cities. You can't always find the version you want or a book with all the pages. I don't know how families are able to find the books that they do. I certainly can't find all the books I need for class at the market. I had the Resource Center help me order them.
The Minister of Education is well aware of this problem. He has worked hard this past year to work out a deal for better English books at a cheaper price for all schools. At the meeting we had in Zugdidi where we, TLG volunteers, met him, he explained the new changes. Teachers will get a free pack of books and resources. This is great because teachers spend even more money on books than students and often can't get all of the resources like test booklets. The books for students will also be a low price of 10 GEL. Hopefully, the books will be lacking in the errors found in the current books.
Books aren't the only changes happening in the educational system here. Teachers are growing through a new certification process. Schools are being renovated. Students are receiving computers if they do well. National exams are also being instituted for University admittance. Vocational schools are also being updated and expanded. I could go on with more details. However, the important part to stress is that this is a lot of change. From my outside perspective, great and needed changes. Natives seem mixed. Many teachers and parents I talk to think it's great, too. Some teachers feel like it's too much change and not enough training and support. Either way, it's an exciting time to be here. I wish I could stay longer and see it all come to fruition.
Now, I'm in a new country with its own language and its own books. I, of course, had to buy a big dictionary for my class work and lesson plans. Then I bought a small children's book to help me learn Georgian. Just last week, I found a cook book of traditional dishes in Georgian I can translate. My Georgian bookshelf is growing.
There are wonderful little book sellers at the Poti market. Some have books in English as well as Georgians. The problem for me is that I see these sellers everyday walking home from school. When I go back to the US I won't be able to get books that are written in Georgian, especially at these prices. The cook book I got would be $30 in the states. Here it was only 19 GEL which is closer to $12. I could buy Harry Potter or even The Hobbit in Georgian and spend less than in the states. The temptation is almost endless here.
At the same time, some of my students can't get their English books for class. Students are required to find and buy all their books outside of the school. It isn't like attending college where you can just use a number of websites like Abebooks.com or amazon.com to find a cheap copy. Textbooks here are limited to mostly used books sold back and forth between the different markets in many of the cities. You can't always find the version you want or a book with all the pages. I don't know how families are able to find the books that they do. I certainly can't find all the books I need for class at the market. I had the Resource Center help me order them.
The Minister of Education is well aware of this problem. He has worked hard this past year to work out a deal for better English books at a cheaper price for all schools. At the meeting we had in Zugdidi where we, TLG volunteers, met him, he explained the new changes. Teachers will get a free pack of books and resources. This is great because teachers spend even more money on books than students and often can't get all of the resources like test booklets. The books for students will also be a low price of 10 GEL. Hopefully, the books will be lacking in the errors found in the current books.
Books aren't the only changes happening in the educational system here. Teachers are growing through a new certification process. Schools are being renovated. Students are receiving computers if they do well. National exams are also being instituted for University admittance. Vocational schools are also being updated and expanded. I could go on with more details. However, the important part to stress is that this is a lot of change. From my outside perspective, great and needed changes. Natives seem mixed. Many teachers and parents I talk to think it's great, too. Some teachers feel like it's too much change and not enough training and support. Either way, it's an exciting time to be here. I wish I could stay longer and see it all come to fruition.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Where Danni Rants on the Philisophical Differences between Soviet Education and American Progressivism and the Misfortunes of Monday Mornings
I have a difficult teacher. We don't see eye to eye on a lot of issues. Mainly, we don't agree on a basic philosophy about education. Today that difference became the focal point for yet another communication conflict.
A student was having problems spelling a word on the board. I was helping him sound out his mistakes when the difficult teacher started screaming at him in Georgian. When she finished, I asked her why she was screaming at him. She told me that the homework was for these simple past forms of the verbs to be memorized. She then had another student come up to the board and finish the work.
I would like to blame my next actions on it being Monday morning and not being entirely awake yet. But, in reality, it was more I couldn't stand not saying something directly about this issue to her. I've gently hinted and pushed at it before. My patience only lasts for so long. I should have waited till after class to bring it up. I was just afraid that she would once again ignore me in the hall or teacher's lounge because she was "busy" or it was too "noisy" to talk.
I told her flat out that I didn't think we should yell at students for making simple mistakes. It was our job as teachers to guide students into discovering knowledge and help them gain confidence in their language skills. She was shocked. She didn't understand why I wouldn't yell at a student. "It's the rule" that students are punished when they don't do the work. I explained my philosophy that all children can learn and our talented class just needed some positive reinforcement to fulfill their potential. Screaming at children is not, in anyway, positive. Of course, my co-teacher just turned around saying she didn't understand my problem so it wasn't important.
I'm frustrated when I work with this co-teacher. I don't know how to help her see that her actions make students fear or mock her. I don't know how to help her be open to learning new material. I don't know how to help her students when she refuses to allow me any room to show by example what the class is really capable of.
The students understood far more of our conversation than I think my co-teacher realizes. They were smiling and laughing at us. (Frankly, even I knew how ridiculous having the conversation in the middle of class was. Not one of my best moves.) They work hard when I get to do a lesson. The shy students actually participate when I get to do an activity. We could do so much for these students if she'd just be willing to compromise a little.
There is a very evil part of me that hopes she doesn't pass her teacher exams (part of the new educational reforms) by 2014. Then no other student or co-teacher will have to deal with her attitude.
A student was having problems spelling a word on the board. I was helping him sound out his mistakes when the difficult teacher started screaming at him in Georgian. When she finished, I asked her why she was screaming at him. She told me that the homework was for these simple past forms of the verbs to be memorized. She then had another student come up to the board and finish the work.
I would like to blame my next actions on it being Monday morning and not being entirely awake yet. But, in reality, it was more I couldn't stand not saying something directly about this issue to her. I've gently hinted and pushed at it before. My patience only lasts for so long. I should have waited till after class to bring it up. I was just afraid that she would once again ignore me in the hall or teacher's lounge because she was "busy" or it was too "noisy" to talk.
I told her flat out that I didn't think we should yell at students for making simple mistakes. It was our job as teachers to guide students into discovering knowledge and help them gain confidence in their language skills. She was shocked. She didn't understand why I wouldn't yell at a student. "It's the rule" that students are punished when they don't do the work. I explained my philosophy that all children can learn and our talented class just needed some positive reinforcement to fulfill their potential. Screaming at children is not, in anyway, positive. Of course, my co-teacher just turned around saying she didn't understand my problem so it wasn't important.
I'm frustrated when I work with this co-teacher. I don't know how to help her see that her actions make students fear or mock her. I don't know how to help her be open to learning new material. I don't know how to help her students when she refuses to allow me any room to show by example what the class is really capable of.
The students understood far more of our conversation than I think my co-teacher realizes. They were smiling and laughing at us. (Frankly, even I knew how ridiculous having the conversation in the middle of class was. Not one of my best moves.) They work hard when I get to do a lesson. The shy students actually participate when I get to do an activity. We could do so much for these students if she'd just be willing to compromise a little.
There is a very evil part of me that hopes she doesn't pass her teacher exams (part of the new educational reforms) by 2014. Then no other student or co-teacher will have to deal with her attitude.