Well quite a summer it has been! I got to enjoy the past 3 months at home and nearby places as well! I haven't spent this much time at/around home for years!
It was really nice being back in the States enjoying time with friends, family, eating good food, and having lots of fun times; while also doing plenty of working at camp for my 3rd summer!
I got to spend a few weekends up in the mountains! Did a little working up there, swimming in the river, chillin, eating and baking delicious stuff, and really just enjoying my time outside and going on beautiful hikes! I just love being in the mountains so much!
Sangria!
I also had the pleasure of taking some trips to the ocean! Soaking up the sun, fun times with friends, good food, and several relaxing days on the beach!!
In Acadia National Park, Maine
hiked the highest peak in Mass
Bar Harbor, Maine
I also was lucky enough to get to spend some time up North! I rarely ever get to see my family so this was perfect timing to get a chance to see them before I'm gone again! I enjoyed time in the beautiful area of western Massachusetts where my family is along with getting to see Boston and the coast of Mass, and Maine which I haven't been to since I was younger while visiting some friends near there. Hiked in Acadia National Park which was incredibly beautiful, saw lots of cute harbors and adorable sea side towns, eat delicious blueberry foods, some sea food, and the best ice cream outside of Europe.
Overall, a pretty great summer! Seeing all my friends at home and everywhere else around NC, chillin with my dogs, working, and soaking up the possible quite limited time left at home.
Well I know it has been quite a while and I am super duper delayed, but as I promised earlier some pics of my students and some final things from my time in Georgia
Here are the photos from my classes the last week of school : )...(for those of you not on facebook)
Here's a few videos as well from a show by one of my 3rd grade classes:
As the last month of my time in Georgia was coming to a close I began keeping a list of things in my journal "Things to love/hate/miss/not miss about Georgia." I knew I would forget things once I returned home, and would feel differently the last week there, as I had a month before then. So I kept my journal on hand and would jot things down when I thought of them. As the weeks turned into final days I had acquired quite a list. Here's a sample of it:
In the things to miss/love category:
-the smiles from my students that would just light up my whole day and world
-lots of kisses and the massive running down the hallway into me hugs
-after months of teaching still kids being really happy when I walk in the class, still jumping up with huge smiles and clapping/excited
-some good food (khachapuri, khinkali, kebabs, ahh I miss shwarma)
-them going absolutely crazy and being shocked when I said things in Georgian
-feeling like a kid again
-being grateful for simple things
-learning so much about others, myself, the world
-etc, etc, etc...
In the not really gonna miss/interesting things category:
-very loud- at home, and at school
-kids at home/school no discipline at all
-feeling gross 24/7
-hearing my name 1000 times a day
-feeling scared for my life whenever in a moving vehicle
-I've never heard the word "hello" in those 4 months than my whole life combined
So many things you just gotta love, things that were just so ridiculous and crazy, it's just all about your attitude. I also learned the power of having something to look forward to pretty much at all times or everyday having something that you're excited about.
So my last few nights in Georgia consisted of hanging out with people and saying goodbye to friends, and my last night was spent with the family. We had kebabs and went swimming in a river! It was just a fun and wonderful last night with them! They were really sad to see me go.
Overall, I'm so grateful for the opportunity and time I had to experience this place, culture, and completely different life, and get to know so many new people. It was an experience that I could have never imagined and am forever changed by it.
mmm fries and kielbasa
Old Town Square
On my way back to the States I had the incredible opportunity to have a layover in Poland!! I could not have been happier! I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I was there. I have wanted to go to Poland my whole life because my great grandparents came over from there and I have always wanted to experience the Polish part of my heritage actually in Poland. It was such a special feeling to be in the country where my family came from. Even though it was for a short time, I fell in love, and now want to go back even more to explore where exactly my family lived and just enjoy the culture and most definitely the food more! As we wondered the streets at 8 in the morning nothing was open! Thank goodness for the nicest waiter ever who was outside and started talking to us. We ended up being the only people in this really nice restaurant but we got our pierogies!! So life was good :)
A couple weeks ago, I went for a day hike at Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, one of the largest national parks in Europe. It was somewhat a fail because of some trail issues but it was quite lovely to be near the mountains and in the woods again doing one of my favorite things.
The following day a couple friends and I enjoyed the Tbilisi Botanical Gardens! What a beautiful day!
The following weekend I went on an excursion provided by the program to a place called Kazbegi, the last place before entering Russia in the Caucasus Mountains. To travel there one must take a ride on the Georgian Military Highway, this is an ancient pass that runs from Tbilisi to Vladikavkaz, Russia with dramatic scenery, spectacular views and tight curves, some parts completely unpaved and mud covered with huge holes. The drive up there was quite an experience in itself!
On the way, we first stopped at a place called Ananuri an ancient castle complex with 2 churches in it.
The drive took quite a few hours. It was really wonderful when we stopped and had our picnic lunch in such a picturesque spot, it was incredible!
Welcome to Kazbegi!
We then trekked up to Tsminda Sameba Church built in the 14th century, one of the symbols of Georgia. It's in the top of the second photo and there is is up close in the first photo.
A few days ago I went with my family here to their village. Everyone who lives in the city has a village somewhere else in Georgia where they mostly likely grew up/where all there family is. Mine happened to be in Eastern Georgia in the region of Kakheti. I'd been to this region before but this area. There were some gorgeous views along the way on the beautiful scenic drive!
Riding in cars is still a terrifying experience after all these months, I have to say! In addition to that, I was afraid at one point we were A: going to run out of gas (because we started on basically empty and its a couple hours drive through remote mountainous areas) and B: the car was not going to make it (the engine was smoking and liquid was pouring out from under the car when we stopped to climb up the hill and of course have a photo shoot because they love their photo shoots!)
The village: Everyone has houses with yards and massive gardens! They had potatoes, lettuce, onion, strawberries, cherries, and several other fruits and veggies I'm not sure of. My family also had tons of land with cows, horses, dogs, chickens, geese, turkey, etc. In the yard were over 20 baby chicks! They were super cute!! It was great to see everything, since they had been talking about this place for months! Also, it was really nice to see the 2 aunts and the baby who I hadn't seen since March when they were living with us.
part of the gardenthe lovely toilet on the right
The following morning the mom, the 2 sons and I went to the mother's family's house. We picked cherries for hours! Her garden was also huge with loads of fruits, veggies, and flowers! The cherries were so scrumptious!! I don't think I've ever consumed so much fruit in one day! I just couldn't stop myself from eating dozens of fresh cherries hanging from the trees! I climbed a couple trees to get some yellow cherries and mulberries too! There were also a few strawberries left in the garden! yum yum!
Later that day, we went to see the Alaverdi Monastery, parts of the monastery date back to the 6th century, while the cathedral dates back to the 11th. It's also the second tallest religious building in Georgia.
Then it was kebab time!! We found a lovely spot by the river surrounded by the panoramic views of the mountains! I sat by the river with my legs in for a long time just enjoying the peace, sun, and scenery!
We ate kebabs, tomatoes, cucumbers, bread, and orange soda! Our little outdoor party! The thunder began shortly after and the clouds came a rollin in! We drove back to the village and went for a little stroll while it thundered and lightninged for hours. The stormy atmosphere created a whole new view of the village and the mountains looked stunning!!
I'm glad I got to experience the village life for a little bit! I could definitely see and feel the difference in the way of life, the people, and the overall pace of life. It was great to just be able to sit around outside in the yard, I miss not being in a house. Also, it was sweet to see how close the families are all living together or within 2 mins of each other. The villages have such a feeling of oldness almost as if you've traveled back in time. It was an interesting experience and a nice trip!
I can't believe another week has passed, things are crazy and everything's wrapping up! This post is already ridiculously long (I realize I'm not so good at keeping them short) so more to come soon!
About a month ago I went to really neat place called Davit Gareja. It's about 15 ancient monasteries spread across a desert landscape on the border with Azerbaijan. It's still inhabited by monks today. Davit Gareja was on of the 13 Syrian fathers who returned from the Middle East to Georgia to spread Christianity. It was a really interesting place!
looking into Azerbaijan!
so many caves!
We did some border hopping! Hiking in Georgia right on into Azerbaijan! Actually, we made it just in time because as of a week ago after a long going border dispute it all now belongs to Azerbaijan...the Georgians are quite upset about this as it's such an historical piece of their culture.
Good morning Batumi!
A couple weekends ago I finally made it to the beach!! Yay!
There were about 7 of us who took the overnight train...me and one other were stuck in 4th class which meant chairs. To past the time, we all made the most of the night, having our own little party in a space of about 3x6 feet at the very back of the train! It was so fun and ridiculous! A little train party in the tiny caboose. Then we attempted to sleep (not really possible in an upright position) and arrived around 7 the following morning. We found our hotel, showered and then headed out to the beach!
I was loving the beautiful colorful stones there! It's always a little strange to be on a rocky beach!
It was a gorgeous day which definitely called for a little nap on the beach! Later, we strolled around the city enjoying the sun, palm trees, parks and overall lovely day!
Following that splendid afternoon, one of our friends from our orientation group had invited us over to her house for a giant Egyptian dinner. Being from there she had brought back ingredients and spices after returning to visit for Easter break! It was fun to hang out with lots of people and experience new and really delicious food! yum!
The following week we went to Mestia! My number one place I had wanted to visit in Georgia, a small town in the giant Caucasus mountains! We had a day off of school and decided to make a long weekend of it, as it required quite a journey to get there! I was totally excited!! A couple friends and I took the overnight train once again in 4th class!(I just love the true world traveler moments like that: sleeping on trains, planes, airports, random places, it's just so great). We arrived in another city still a few hours from our destination, where we met up with another group and took a slightly frighenting mini bus ride through the winding cliff sided mountains roads! The views were breathtakingly stunning!
We arrived, found a cute little guest house, fueled up at a little cafe, and began the steep, and I mean steep ascent to the top of the mountain. It was fun to meet some new people on this trip! It was enjoyable to hear other peoples' experiences here and get to know some people outside of my orientation group. As we climbed higher and higher the views were spectacular! It didn't even look real! I couldn't stop singing songs from the Sound of Music in my head for about 3 hours straight!
I was completely filled with happiness. This was one of the greatest moments of my whole time here. My heart belongs to the mountains. When we arrived at our destination we decided to walk just a little further because we knew we would lose daylight if we stayed longer (we were trying to get to some lakes) and in a matter of a few minutes it completely down poured! It was a wonderful moment. It was awesome, the clouds looked incredible and it made everything 10x greener! I couldn't help but feel like I was almost back in New Zealand again with views like these!
The next day we took a hike to a glacier! It was a few hours walk and we arrived at the magnificent sight! We crossed the sketchy and slightly frightening bridge, hiked a little around the area and headed back. That pretty much concluded the trip as we decided to head out earlier than expected.
Well, here it is! 3 weeks from my departure date, I can't believe it! What a life-changing experience this has been! I'll probably have 1 or 2 more posts up about my last few weeks and also some final thoughts from my time here (if that's possible, I've already been compiling quite a list!) along with lots of pics of my absolutely adorable students!
I got to spend a few weekends up in the mountains! Did a little working up there, swimming in the river, chillin, eating and baking delicious stuff, and really just enjoying my time outside and going on beautiful hikes! I just love being in the mountains so much!
I also had the pleasure of taking some trips to the ocean! Soaking up the sun, fun times with friends, good food, and several relaxing days on the beach!!
I also was lucky enough to get to spend some time up North! I rarely ever get to see my family so this was perfect timing to get a chance to see them before I'm gone again! I enjoyed time in the beautiful area of western Massachusetts where my family is along with getting to see Boston and the coast of Mass, and Maine which I haven't been to since I was younger while visiting some friends near there. Hiked in Acadia National Park which was incredibly beautiful, saw lots of cute harbors and adorable sea side towns, eat delicious blueberry foods, some sea food, and the best ice cream outside of Europe. 
I got to spend a few weekends up in the mountains! Did a little working up there, swimming in the river, chillin, eating and baking delicious stuff, and really just enjoying my time outside and going on beautiful hikes! I just love being in the mountains so much!
I also had the pleasure of taking some trips to the ocean! Soaking up the sun, fun times with friends, good food, and several relaxing days on the beach!!
I also was lucky enough to get to spend some time up North! I rarely ever get to see my family so this was perfect timing to get a chance to see them before I'm gone again! I enjoyed time in the beautiful area of western Massachusetts where my family is along with getting to see Boston and the coast of Mass, and Maine which I haven't been to since I was younger while visiting some friends near there. Hiked in Acadia National Park which was incredibly beautiful, saw lots of cute harbors and adorable sea side towns, eat delicious blueberry foods, some sea food, and the best ice cream outside of Europe. 
