Georgia.

So as I listen to Ray Charles sing about the state, the country is the actual location that’s on my mind. I’ve also got a few great renditions by Louis Armstrong and John Scofield, so I’ll keep the train rolling.

It’s been a lot of work in PST (Pre-Service Training): language classes, speaking Georgian with my host family (who, thankfully, find me hilarious), technical training, and practicum. So far so good.

This last weekend I went to Gurjaani for Job Shadowing, and we were able to go to Chateau Mere for a bit of a break. We drank some wine, talked with some G11’s about their experience, and enjoyed the relaxation. I was even able to break in close to eight hours of sleep a night. Beautiful.

The more time that I spend here, the more I enjoy the absence of all of the things I have come to know as an American: constant internet access, the sound of planes flying overhead, the need for a car, and the like.

And who needs a car when you can fit you and twenty of your closest (in terms of physical location) friends in a marshutka? Especially when you can sit next to a bebia (“grandmother”) with a box full of baby chicks in her lap. Chirp chirp.

I enjoy the simple things: picking cherries, mulberries, and other fruits from the trees, eating boat-loads of ice cream, playing football (or soccer, as we say) with the local school boys while showing them that girls play, too. Even helping my host mother hang up the laundry on the line.

Sooner then I know it, it’ll be the end of July and PST will be over.

For me, it’s nice to take things slow.