The day just started with the feelings of the evening before. A successful end of the project.
I just woke up one minute before the alarm clock did go on and took a look at Lina saying – Today. Today turned out to be really long, like long long. So decided to start it slowly, with packing of the bag, with a little nervous feeling in the back of the head - I am going back! What will i do there? Where am I? Am I?
Took my last metro ride to Sarah’s place. Had a nice coffee, and then did go to the Globus theatre to give them back the lights that we did lend for Our theatre play. Successfully. Next stop was the visit to the Honorary consulate of Latvia in Gorgia, a warm cup of tea and talks about Georgia, Georgian man and the way of life.
Than a fast run to the market, getting last things for home, for my friends and family. Managed to get my bag full and was thinking where I will put everything. Went fast home packed again bags and drove back to the centre of Tbilisi to go for the last time “this year” to Rustavi to our children. The marshrutka ride seemed to take longer as ever, lots of thoughts running through the mind, Sarah sitting behind me in the fish conserve can like marshrutka, her legs pressing against my back give a feeling of security and a done job. As we arrived we were a bit happily schocked for the present they gave us. The children had made real life portraits of us. Of course a fast and long photo session followed and some disco music was put on, Dato (the living mickey mouse and running computer, could be an Pentium 6) running around, hugging and telling us how much he will miss us and that we obligatory have to send him pictures that we made of him. A tea and cake with the staff of Rustavis children’s day care centre, our portraits rolled together, like all the past three months and a red ribbon around them.
Back in the city – last visit by Levan, the “less succesfull” project leader, lots to eat, lots to drink, but this time me and Lina pass. The stomach doesn’t want anymore Georgian food – it says it’s time to go home. After just 2 hours of long lasting toasts to family, love and friendship we got back to the fresh air. The forelast meeting of today, of The Day. Meeting in the long known Tarkan bar, discovering interesting and schocking knews about the bartender, that instead of one person there are two ;) so with wich to flirt now? Small talk, the last batridzhani with nuts, some smiles, some laughs and already the dark Leselidze street and goodbyes to my lovely Tandem. A taxi home and the question – is my bag over 20 kg or not?
It was, but before the last meeting with our landlord, last payment and talk about political situation and that in Latvia it should be better than in Georgia. Don’t know if I agree, but let it b(l)ee(d).
A fast taxi ride to the airport, the eyes are catching still the last dusty balconys on tbilisis streets, police patrol cars and time that will stay.
Somehow the feeling appears that this here was my home, just my friends are missing, and now I am sitting in the plane Home, in the plane HOME and I don’t know what to expect from the place I will be in some 2 hours. Well maybe it’s better not to think.
Thank you Sarah for the lovely time during the project – a theatre play, lots of gips and yeah – wir machen keinen Spass, aber es macht Spass – this quote will stay in my mind for a long time ;)
Thank you Lina for 3 months of the Baltic Highway in the Sairme connection. I now know that for 1 tetri everyone can buy lots, just to know the right tactics.
What to do?
Mhhhm, I am already waiting for my marmalade-curd cheese sweet breads and a good espresso with milk…..
So on…So farewell Georgia….

To be…..

Nē, nē nav tas vilciens starp kalniem un aizām un tuksnešainajiem aitu ganāmpulkiem. David Goredje – agrāk patvērums pat 20 000 mūkiem, šobrīd diezgan tūristiskais kalnu klosteris. Atrodas tieši uz robežas ar azerbaidžānu, tamdēļ arī sliede.
Rīts sākās agri 8 ceļamies (ha ha esmu te izlutinājies) un 9 kāpjam mikriņā uz Rustavi, kur jau būtu jāgaida taksistam. Izrādās gan, ka taksistam nojūdzies starteris un sākumā 7 cilvēki mašīnā aizbraucam uz remontdarbnīcu un gaidam, kad būs gatava mašīna. 30 min. Braucam. Atkal starteris nepielec, tiek lamāti remontdarbinieki, starteris pielec un braucam. Kā tad. Pēc 10 minūtēm iegriežamies gāzes uzpildes stacijā un stāvam 5 mašīnu rindā. Izskatās ka priekšējie vēl pilda mājas gāzes balonus. 30 min. Gāze izrādās maksā 20 sant kubā un salīdzinoši ar benzīnu ir par 1 Lari lētāka. Braucam.
Paverās smoke city, pilsēta, kur cilvēki ir tikuši pie malkas vai sausas zāles un kura visa ir ietīta dūmos, kalni laikam aiztur vēju un kūpitnājums gatavs. Kā jau stāstīts tas esot tuksnesis, kur braucam. Un tā arī ir. Sajūta ka tuvotos pasaules malai. Diena apmākusies, negribīgi saule klaiņo aiz mākoņiem un ceļš līkločiem vijās gar ganāmpulkiem, vanagiem un ērgļiem. Pat vienu sudrabainu lapsu redzēju.
Pēc 1 ½ h brauciena esam klāt. Kur es esmu? Kalnu klosterī, kur gaidīju ka atmosfēra būs tik iespaidojoša, ka mute paliks vaļā? Nekā tamlīdzīga. Klosterī dzīvojot 20 cilvēki, var redzēt dažus skursteņu kūpam un aiz stūra divus robežsargus. Vienu zaļu vienu pelēkzilu – gruzija un azerbaidžāna.
Aiz stūriem lūrot tie kāpj kalnā uz kurieni mēs arī ejam, jo aiz kores esot vēl alu tempļi, dzīvokļi un atskurbtuves. Zeme diezgan draņķīga, pie kurpēm pielīp māli 5 cm biezumā un slīd nepajokam, bet smejoties un ķeroties pie zāles stiebriem nonākam uz sliedes kalna korē. Lēkādams no vienas valsts otrā apskatīju baznīcu, kura jau bija ciet, alu zīmējumus, kuri izskatās kā zīmēti pirms 20 gadiem, ja ne pat pagājšvasar, jauka vieta tūristiem (laikam jau tādiem kā mums). Ierakstīju bišķu filmiņas, uztaisīju bildes un pa vēl jautrāku kalnu lejup nošļūcām līdz mašīnai. Ja nebūtu taksists kas gaida labprāt pavadītu visu dienu tur, pasēdētu korē pīpotu un dzertu tēju. Klusums maisījumā ar ganu balsīm tālumā ir fantastisks.
Gruzijā šodien vējš un Azerbaidžānā klusums.
Melnas ogas, balti ziedi un mīksta paskata zāle.
Pēc pirmajiem 300m atpakaļceļa tika secināts, ka ir tukšs pakaļrats, kas ļoti operatīvi 10 min laikā tika nomainīts, liels brūns ērglis ceļmalā skatās virsū un pēc 1 ½ h esam jau Tbilisi, Sam-Gori stacijā un dodamies mājup. Arubita šonakt ar dodas prom. Labasnaktis.

Theatre troup

from Bolivood to Hollywood

Everything in it' s right place.

LT-LV connection

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Glennies conquering Bakuriani! We met the Santa Claus hotel, lots of mud and the warmest kukushka I have ever been on!
Gaumarjos!

But I think I didn’t tell the best thing of the orphanage. We were brought to their museum and I couldn’t believe my eyes of the beauty that my eyes saw........

A nice november the 1st to you too.

Yesterday was the biggest action our project-partner here had planned, the visiting of the orphanage in South Osetia, Akhalgori.
9:30 meeting with Christina at the Marjanishvili metro station (the other 2 Kazbegi girls left some hours before)
10:00 planed departure to Akhalgori.
10:30 departure to Akhalgori. Bus contingent: Levan (association president), his wife, his niece, 3 people from the partner organisation „Ndobe”, 2 stomatologists and we two.
Akhalgori is some 90 km away from Tbilisi, so with a good driver and many smokers in the bus we got to know the south-osetian landscape. Differences in house styles, street and field pollution and very nice mountains. The first surprise were sheeps, first seen on a field and than, of course, on the street. Drunk sheppards and I’ve never seen befor such a bunch of different horns of sheep.

As the goergian man from the partner organisation explained this is not a city and nota village it is a town. Great. Blue painted houses mark the centre of the town and beatifully yellow-red coloured mountains keep it safe from harm (ha ha ha).
Everybody is welcomed in the orphanage, lots of talking in georgian and waiting for the governement persons to come and talk. Before we got out of the bus, Levan instructed me and Christina (some 3-4 times) not to forget to take some pictures and smile all the time. Of course we did. The governement people came a little bit later and so we both took a guided tour through the orphanage. Nice rooms with 2, 3 or 4 beds inside and one small cupboard with a book and no other stuff. (loco) As we later understood the children do have some other things, that are in lockers and they don’t need them in the room. (o.k.)
Now to the talking, of course local newspapers were invited (I hope at least :) and the tv Alanija and the talking begun.
After these short debates, the government people run away, and the „work” started. Of course we were reminded of taking pictures and instructed that one sits in the psychologists room and the other one by the dentist. We did. 5 minutes.
The dentist room. Lookily look what we have here:

As you can see it has 3 levels to switch to (pain, more pain, the passion of christ), sorry for my sarcasm, but I hope this thing isn’t being used. The dentist room was small cold and the children were sent in for a check-up of the teeth, and then released. Do I have to tell you that no teeth were repaired, the kids just gota pack of chewing gum and lived happily ever after.
The psychologists were more serious and were talking to children, making them draw pictures and making psychological analysis, and there we took off. The orphanage has a big hall in the middle of it, where children can watch TV, drive retro-soviet gym-bikes, hit each other, play, talk, etc. (did you know that if you write etc. You don’t have nothing much more to write). The Lithuanian volunteer from the Ndobe organisation joined us. First we made a photosession with the children and with a lovely translator started to play games. And in the eyes you could see joy, that someone is paying attention to them.

Excuse me for the bad picture though ;). I enjoyed it a lot, but than the children had to go to eat and we had to go to sit with all the „adults” and you what starts than.
Half an hour was enough listening endless toasts and talks, we decided to take off and take a look at the city or better to say the city took a look at us (didn’t seem that tourists have been here). The street of Moscow, the street of Stalin, the mine field, the rubbish river, the moskvich street and the cow street and we were back and the last toasts were spoken.

A crazy bus ride home. And in 2 hours we were back in Tbilisi, the goergians were driving to a surprise, we said no and got out to pick up Dagmar and get home and get some rest. Now Dagmar and Christina took off for Armenia...and I take off for Rustavi...

Whats going on or whos knocking on the georgian door?

Today I have the feeling that the project started rolling. Project?! Yes projects. After finding out that our organisation is not really an organisation but a man and his wife and that they weren’t really prepared for us the project has changed and splitted. Sarah found already in the first two weeks possibilities for us (Thanks Tornike from Goethe Institut) – we are now making theater workshops at a german school here in Tbilisi and hopefully we will manage to make a play till the time of departure. A happy thing today – we found a place where to make the spectacle – a school in the centre of Tbilisi. The other thing that wasn’t planned but is being realised is real work with street children in Rustavi – an industrial city close to Tbilisi – in a day care centre for street children and children from bad family conditions. But that is the place where i will be less of a time, because I still stayed at the original project and will be helping the man to make a web page and do other activities. Tomorrow I am going to South-Ossetia to an orphanage in Ahalgori. Saw that there are some shootings right now (or the last years) in that region but i think everything will be fine ;)

So drinking now my big cup of turkish coffee, frezing a bit, listening some music and thinking how to make the stage look good. Today is the last evening with „the Kazbegi girls”, hmz, the laste evening was wet, nice and a little bit dizzy.

Sorry for not writing that much in here – bzzzz and out!

Cien. A. Bogustov!

iztiri luudzu ausis, iemaacies nedaudz pieklaajiibu, meegjini saprast/izprast apkaart notiekosho un tad saac domaat par zhurnaalistiku.

Paldies par uzmanibu!

We did it!

What could that be?

Whats going on in Georgia? Well I don’t know, but it looks like demonstrations.

Starting September 27th I have been already on 3. The first 2 were on the 27th, it is the day when Abhazia was ‘occupied’ by Russia, this was already the 14 year, Levan from our organisation said, that the 15th will take place there, if they won’t be united till that time.

The first demonstration was organised by the student self-governement of Georgias university, what loked like a walk in the beginning turned out to be a nice demo by the embassy of Russia.

The second demo was organised by a partner organisation of ‘Relation’ and took place n the very centre (atleast I call it so) and me and Lina signed the declaration of a united Georgia.

In the evening came the long awaited tandems and now we are set and ready to go!

On the 28th we still were watching how the oppositional party was trying to make a revolution, but I hope everything stays the same.
Have a nice october!

The first workingday is over and it’s already the second one, which has not started yet. Me and Lina had a beautifull Georgian breakfast – I bought something green (what appeared to be spinach) and nice georgian coffee.
So, we (me and Levan) are waiting for Sarah to come, but we already had our first meeting in the headquaters. After a long discussion we had some coffee with Vanna Tallin and Linas friends came to us and a nice guided tour by Levan through Tbilisi started.
Finally exhausted still from not sleeping last night, we got to our flat, to speak with the landlord and wait for guests. And they came with a big and ripe watermelon – Heidi, Elīna and Kaspars. So we had about 10 guests already on the first day.
Today we bring Lina to her host organisation, than we try to find a map of Tbilisi and many more things. Hopefully I find some place with internet and upload some stuff.
Have a nice day!

24.09. evening.
A long day. Nevertheless that my working day will start at 14:00 o’clock very day, now it is 23 and I am really really exhausted, but not sleepy. So me and Lina are both sitting in one room with laptops that are clicking. We tried to find Linas organisation today, but unfortunately it was closed and the number was left at home, but if you can’t do one thing this day, do it the next one. So me and levan went on a small city tour and Lina went to the University of georgia to get some internet and meet friends. As you might know, or if you don’t you know now Levan from my organisation is an actor and will be performing a new play, so today we went to his theater unofficially and it was amazing to meet other actors and ACTRESSES. Afterwards we went to the „Georgian Association for Psychological AID „NDOBA” (www.ndoba.or.net ) which i san partner organisation of Relation L.S.L. centre and it was really impressing, we had some talk about projects that have been and will be – and we were invited to participate in some movie evenings and other activities. This organisation has some voluteers aswell – mostly georgians, but there was a girl from Lithuania and one boy from France is on his way aswell. And friendly as georgians are they invited us to a meeting in the evening and me and Lina decided to go.
The most funny thing is that I was at the meeting place some minutes before and was sitting by the fountain and waiting for Lina, as suddenly Elina passed me by and we were just laughing about how small the world is. She had to go to an ATM and said that she will return, and she returned with Heidi who was siiting on the other side of the fountain monument. Funny – I thought Latvia is small, now it also looks like Tbilisi is small as well.
So. The meeting – somehow we decided to climb mountains (Elina would say hills) to get a nice view of Tbilisi (if I manage to make the panorama picture you can see it here) and it was amazing to climb the mountain wandering through narrow streets and beautifull but unfortunately poor yards up to a church.
Afterwards i got to taste my first khinkali and a little bit of Georgian wine, but still not the best one, better ones are still to be found ;)
Tommorrow a free day till the evening so it’s internet and city exploring!

Bzzz... see ya!

25.09. we are now in the university of Georgia pretending to be exchange students from Estonia. It works ;)

So, everything is now packed into the bag. Heaven' t slept normally for the last few days and looks like that I am going to continue it that way. This will be my first time to go away for 3 months and I am looking forward to it. Excited and a bit afraid of how it will be, but we' ll see, we' ll read, we' ll be.
At 21 o' clock meeting Lina at the airport and 22:25 takeoff to Georgia, Tbilisi and summer.
Thanks go out to Glen (for picking me) and the Ministry of Foreign affairs (for support).

to be continued...