Skip to main content

 

CHAPTER ONE - NEW LIFE

THE ARRIVAL



Hello, this is Mao. I’m a new volunteer, and through this blog I’ll share a bit of my life here.

I come from a small island on the west coast, and I’m passionate about sports, surfing, climbing, and all kinds of winter activities. I love taking on new challenges and spending time outdoors.

I just finished my master’s degree in transition design, eco-innovation, and biomimicry design.
I arrived at the end of October with another French girl, Lisa (a free soul).

It took me three days to reach Georgia. I was incredibly excited to finally arrive and rest a little.
But I barely had time to settle in, we were immediately involved in activities, starting with the Halloween party. 

The first days were intense and full of discoveries.
Lisa and I were warmly welcomed by the volunteers already on site. The day after our arrival, we were already exploring the Rustavi bazaar and working in the office.

SURPRISING THINGS THAT SURPRISED ME

(Yes, double surprise)

-Light switches are often outside the rooms

-Mailboxes don’t exist

-Very dry weather (almost didn’t rain once in November!)

-Shops close very late

-Huge bazaars where you can find absolutely everything

-Stray animals are incredibly friendly

-Almost everyone makes their own wine

-Many cars have right-hand drive


ABOUT MY TASKS (this month)

This month, I was involved in organizing English and French conversation clubs, art and craft workshops, and an observational drawing class.
I also participated in events such as the Halloween party, Family Day, and Scout Day Camp. I was involved as an instructor during the “Qatar Camp” week, abseiling and bouldering sessions. I manage the Rustavi’s Life podcast and design promotional posters for upcoming events. At the moment, we are preparing the program for Scout School and a 3-day camp in Manglisi.

THE ADVENTURES (SURROUNDED BY THE WILD SOULS)


During November, I visited Tbilisi several times, tried traditional food, and explored the city. 

With other volunteers, we made bonfires, went hiking, and even slept in a tent during very cold nights.

We crossed a desert and visited the rainbow mountains  a unique and magical place.

I also traveled across Georgia up to Garbani. The air was cold and dry, and the mountain peaks were covered with the first snow of the season.

Seeing snow again made me so happy.

I can’t wait to discover new places and make meaningful new connections!

I love spending time outside, at least when the air pollution isn’t too high. I did get sick because of the pollution and dry air, but I get used now.


Cosy night in Tbilissi well surrounded with a little sleeper curled on my legs.



I'm trying to live this experience to the fullest !

And I’m truly grateful to discover a place with such rich history, culture, and cuisine.

One thing’s for sure: I’m never bored.

Stay tuned for the next chapter !


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

MOVING TO GEORGIA: MY FIRST EXPERIENCES!

Moving to Georgia: my first experiences! At the start of September I moved to Georgia to volunteer at the International Scout Center in Rustavi for 6 months. In this blog I will tell you more about why I decided to volunteer in Georgia, about how I prepared myself to move abroad, about my expectations and about my experiences of the first weeks. Who am I and why did I decide to volunteer abroad? Why did I decide to move to Georgia? I am Renée and I am 25 years old. I am from the Netherlands and there I lived in a small city called Leiden. The few past years I was studying Education and Child studies there. In my bachelors I did an exchange semester and lived for 6 months in the city Tartu in Estonia. This was a really nice experience and after I came back to the Netherlands I decided that at some point I wanted to live abroad again. So when I graduated university last year I knew what I did not want: a stressful job in the Netherlands. I explored different possibilities, for exam...
Post a Comment
Read more

In the head of a volunteer - Arrival and first week

     I can’t believe that it’s been two months since I set foot in Georgia for the first time. And yet it seems like a lifetime of experiences. Here is an assortment of my very first moments, hope you enjoy :)  The arrival and discovery of Rustavi landscape           When I arrived at Tbilisi Airport I was surprised to see it was not as big as I expected a capital airport to be. I waited alone for a few moments for Aleks to pick me up. During my wait I went to exchange money (by the way, if you come to Georgia, don’t do it at the airport, the exchange rates are far better in the city) and I realised that I really was far from home, I couldn’t understand any of the words people were saying to each other.         When Aleks arrived I went in the car. I had a cold at the time, and I travelled at night, so I arrived in Georgia without any sleep. I felt really tired and I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t talk m...
Post a Comment
Read more

CHAPTER 1

Once upon a time there lived five gnomes. They each lived a different life in a different place for a different amount of time. However, the thing they had in common was an unexplainable urge to add a new plot to their autobiographies, to put their for-centuries-collected skills and knowledge to a good use and go to a land far far away. They packed their biggest tiny backpacks, said farewell to their gnome families and forest fairy friends, each jumped on the back of a seagull and flew into an unfamiliar direction. This is where their stories intertwine. Turns out all the seagulls were going the same way; they dropped all the gnomes at the same place – a magical castle surrounded by forests and hills. The castle was home for many, no matter big or small, young or old, beginner or advanced, from this planet or another. All the residents of the castle warmly welcomed the gnomes with open arms and open hearts. The castle was a place where a helpful hand was given first and questions ask...
Post a Comment
Read more

FROM TOULOUSE TO RUSTAVI: MY FIRST STEP IN SAKARTVELO

Saghamo Mshvidabisa everyone. I am Oubayda Bounif, one of the new French volunteers in the Scout Centre team.  Why did I decide to become a volunteer? I think this is the first question/element I need to clarify before going any further. During my last year of college, I decided that I couldn’t just continue my life by getting on the job market. I need a unique experience that could give me something to believe in or something to remember and cherish. I was already thinking for a long time about doing an Erasmus year abroad with my university, involving myself in a local solidarity organization , but I never had the time or the courage to do so. So when a friend brought up the idea of doing a Civique service during a discussion, I decided that now was the moment. The next day I sent 13 applications and 3 months later I had a Zoom meeting with Aleks Metreveli. Overall, the purpose of this volunteering for me is to grow as a human being, bring joy and happiness around me, help ot...
1 comment
Read more

A taste of Georgian culture: Grape harvesting and khinkali making

In October I got to know Georgian culture even better. Together with the other volunteers I did various cultural activities, about which I will write in this blog.  Grape picking At the start of the month, we were invited to help with grape harvest by the uncle of Aleks. At the house of Aleks Uncle, we were welcomed very warmly. In Georgian culture it is very important to take good care of your guests. We were offered coffee and tea and all kinds of cookies and other sweet treats. Even though it was still quite early, it was not really accepted if you did not want to drink or eat anything. Lia explained that it is very important for Georgians to take good care of their guests. In Georgia it is even a saying that every guest is a gift from God. So it is very important for Georgians that you as a guest are comfortable and have enough to eat and drink. For me, it was interesting to see this, because Dutch people are not as hospitable as Georgians.  After the coffee bre...
Post a Comment
Read more