My March in three words
Bad weather, rest and new friends
The weather here in March was just what we’d call a typical April in Germany. It was a real mix of sunshine and rain – that’s how it went all month. One day you’d be sitting in the sun, and the next you’d be walking around with an umbrella in your hand. And when the sun did shine, it wasn’t as warm as it was in February.
At the start of the month, I went for a walk with Inga at Turtle Lake, which turned out to be much smaller than we’d expected, so we walked on to the amusement park. It was a lovely little walk. It was sunny by the lake, but also very windy. On the way to the park, you could really see the seasons change. At the start, there was still snow with a bit of sunshine, and by the end you could see flowering trees – the sun was simply beautiful, just like in spring. And what better sign of the start of a new season than seeing flowering trees and hearing birds singing?
A friend from Germany, who I met here in Georgia, came to visit me. She was really excited to see Rustavi – and me, of course – so I showed her around the town on a walk in the afternoon. In the evening, we cooked together and had a film night in my room. The next day, we went out and about in Tbilisi.
In the middle of the month, I had my ‘mid-term training’. Do you know what that means?
I’ve reached the halfway point of my volunteering project, and it feels totally surreal to me, as it feels like I’ve only been here for just over a month. Time has gone by much faster than I expected. But I think it’s always like that: when you spend time with friends and do things you enjoy, time flies by.
But to get back to the topic at hand: the training is designed to help us get to know other volunteers and learn more about the ESC project in general. If you read my blogs every month, you’ll know that I also took part in a training session in November. This time it was in Lagodekhi and focused on the question: What will I do after my ESC?
Over those four days, we reflected a lot on ourselves and looked at what we’ve been doing here and what we want to do after the ESC. But that wasn’t all: I also met new people there. I already knew some of them from the first training session, and it was just lovely to see them again and chat about what we’ve been up to over the last few months.
I don’t know why, but the majority of the group were from Germany, and somehow it was also nice to speak my own language for longer than an hour.
One day we went on a trip to Sighnaghi – it’s also known as the ‘City of Love’ here in Georgia. Afterwards, we had a supra. It was only my second supra here, but it was a lot of fun: we ate and drank and had a great time together. What was also really cool was that lots of people come from Tbilisi, so there’s a good chance we’ll see each other again.
The next day, Annii and I went on a trip to Asureti with Keti and one of the German classes. It’s a small town that was built by Germans in the past. And I have to say, the architectural style there was completely different from the rest of Georgia. We went for a walk through the town, and Keti told us a bit about its history – and that, sadly, no real Germans live there anymore.
Our final stop was a restaurant built in an old train station. We had something to eat there and took part in a little workshop on how to shape a pretzel. Of course, everyone was watching to see if we Germans could do it – but it was actually our first time too.
A bit of culture is a must
We haven’t been on many outings this month, but we have been out and about doing a bit of culture. We went to see a ballet and an opera. I have to say how much I’ve missed going to events like that, because last year I went to them every month with a small group from my class.
I must also say that the opera house in Tbilisi is really beautiful and looks quite different from the one in Leipzig. But what counts is the sound and the performance on stage – and that was really very good.
I have to say, though, that March was a relatively relaxed month and not as stressful as the last one. That was partly down to the weather. With all the rainy days, sometimes you just didn’t feel like going out and spent the time at home instead, thinking about what you’d like to do after the ESC. That includes the question of when you want to bring the project to a end.
I find that a difficult question, as I don’t yet know what will happen when I’m back home – or in my home country, because this has now become a home for me too.
During my time here, I’ve heard time and again that other volunteers travel home via Interrail – by bus, train or other means. I found that interesting right from the start, because you get to see so much more than if you just fly. And as I want to see more of the world, it sounded like a good idea to me.
Up until now, I’d just been missing the right person, but thanks to the training and the people I met there, I’ve found someone who wants to do the same and was looking for a travel buddy. If all goes well, we’ll set off on our ‘Back Home’ adventure together and see lots of things along the way.
But we’re not quite there yet – so I hope you’ll continue to follow my journey to the end. See you soon!
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