An overview of March

For March I would like to share this one picture. This is Rustavi’s emblematic cross, on the top of the mountain; we can see it from everywhere in the city and its surroundings. It has the peculiarity that it lights up green at night. Since last November, it has been part of my daily life and, for me, is the undisputed symbol of Rustavi.

After five months of talking every day about going to see it up close, I finally climbed that hill. After two hours of walking, I finally got to see things from a different angle; I was able to appreciate the view of my adoptive city from the vantage point of that cross, which I’ve been seeing for 153 days (or thereabouts) from down in the city..

From there we can see all of Rustavi, but also Tbilisi and the cities surrounding it; it’s an incredible viewpoint! I recommend it! If I squint, I can see the Scout Center red building. It is the only red building of the city, slightly off-centre.

I cannot see it, but I can imagine all the hustle and bustle that should be there. Indeed, a team volunteering project just started this month: 6 French and 6 Georgians settled there and planned day camps for the kids. New people working there again, new occasions to make friends, party, explore, laugh, have deep or stupid conversations. A breath of fresh air.

I don’t know it yet, but I will have another really good working experience in this center by helping one of the other volunteers, Anniika, with her “exploring theater” activity. She proposed a two-day overview of everything that makes up the essence of theatrical art: all the different genres, the components, the professions, the artistic creation… By supporting her in this project, I learnt a great deal about theatre, and not only that, but also about what fascinates me so much about art and its diversity. She motivated me to devote more time to my own artistic pursuits, which I tend to put on the back burner, even in my professional project. It helped and motivated me a lot. Especially as I finally finished my studies applications for next year on 31 March (a reflection that tortured me the whole month).

The sun starts going down behind the mountain, but from my vantage point I can still see Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. From here, the town looks tiny; it is surrounded on all sides by hills high enough for their peaks to still be snow-capped. But I know that from the inside point of view it's a huge city, full of life, in which you could get lost so easily (even after 5 months).

But what makes me happiest about this city is that I’ll soon be able to wander around it hand in hand with my partner. In fact, Karl, my boyfriend and best mate, landed at Tbilisi Airport on 5 March. He is one of six French people who have come to spend a month volunteering at the Scout centre. Bring on the restaurants, the khinkali, the cinema, and the hours spent wandering aimlessly around this capital city that we both love so much! Above all, I’m really happy that he can get a taste of where I work, what my day-to-day life and my world are like.

It's almost night here on top of the hill; a man proposes to bring me back home by car. I cannot refuse: even after all this contemplation time, I am still tired from the ascent… A last look at the wonderful landscape disappearing in the dark. Soon I will be back down in the city and, just like every night, the cross will bathe in green light. I hope this fifth month in Georgia will be good

Indeed it was. I stayed a lot up in the mountains. I went back again to Armenia with Karl to visit the north, the vicinity of Alaverdy. We slept in a guesthouse nestled in the mountains and enjoyed some pure air. We also went skiing with other volunteers, a last taste of winter sports before spring. But I also partied, made new projects, got exhausted by scout school, met people, and got two new piercings. See you next month!