25 Jul 2011

Anaklia gallery


My favorite T-shirts ;)
small help: HEALTHY ;)


LIFE ;)

Apple ;)

running competition ;)

choose one: flower, windmill,snowflake ;)

kind of meditation

22 Jul 2011

Anaklia 2011 - first international camp

Ireka Spirka and Mary Shperi came back yesterday from the international camp "Patrioti" organised by the georgian governement, located on the shore of Black Sea near the city of Anaklia.

Other than being very tired, we are coming back with mixed feelings, but we for sure going to miss our (new) friends from Latvia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tchetchenia, Ukraine, Georgia, ...

The way to Anaklia was quite long and hot, in those old yellow city buses, and when we arrived it was raining. We discovered that the camp is the middle of a big sand area, but we didn't have the right to go out anyway. We were all put in different rooms to encourage intercultural learning! After a few understanding problems, we finally enjoyed sleeping together! ;-) 
Then we saw that there are 4 toilets per house, with only one door (that you can't lock). Same for shower. After some 'shame' we ended up not caring. There's no point is judging when everybody's equal!
We ended up having big stomach-aches, but also because of too salty food with too much bread and not enough vegetables. Which for a camp named "healthy lifestyle" was quite surprising but after all everything was free!

We soon enjoyed swimming in the black sea (quite dirty color though you go out being yellow!) and taking sunbathes. Now we have a perfect tan! Some games activities were organised everyday. Mary's group (mesame) won the Brain Game, and Irka ended up in table tennis semi-finals (group meotre).

We also took a bicycle trip to the Abhazian border (but only Irka, not enough bikes for the rest of people!), to Zugdidi (Dadiani Palace Museum) and to Batumi (very tiring city game!).

When came back with an even longer ride - 10 hours because of many stops and also because of THE camp song, which is quite awful in itself, but even more after hearing it everyday for 10 days!!! Remember sharing is caring, so please join the Pinguin's dance!!



For now, Irka is attending a polish wedding in polish embassy (Tbilisi), Yoann Albin and Emelie are attending their on-arrival training in Tbilisi as well. And on 25th of July we will welcome ex-EVS Daga, Joe and Kalina for the youth exchange they prepared. They should meet Mary at the airport who is going to France and Germany for different volunteering activities.
Quite a busy summer for EVSs so stay tuned!!! (also for some pictures of the camp)

5 Jul 2011

Come to visit

Beautiful day, but for European people too hot. Still volunteers cannot use to Georgian climate;) but how our Georgian friends said „will be worse in August;)” . So stop complaining and go somewhere!!!!

One of my favorite places in Tbilisi, Dry Bridge and bazar!

Because Cristinas birthday was approaching so fast, I hit on an idea: buying our favorite homemade wine, some small gift and go to Cristy!!!! Now she lives in hostel in Tbilisi, and there is great place for meetings and parties...big balcony with hammock;)! And amazing view for old part of Tbilisi, president palace and Sameba church!!!!
Firstly, we visited one of our favorite places in Tbilisi, Dry Bridge with cool bazar, where you can buy everything, really everything!!!! yess, it's perfect place to spend all your pocket money;)
We bought small bracelet, quite a lot of wine and we were walking to Cristinas place. And then we were enjoying the evening!


 
                               Avtushka Pietrushka                                                                   Ilo Shpilo
              

It was nice to see also our Georgian friends: Ilo Shpilo and Avtushka Pietrushka, a bit tired after summer camps;) But like alweys in good mood;)!!!! I hope that new members of our EVS family (Emelie and Albin) also enjoyed this time!!!


                                   Cristy and Me                                                                  Albin and Emelie




And one more time the best wishes for Cristy!!!!

"Cristy is your birthday, Happy birthday Cristy";D  



Irka Shmirka

4 Jul 2011

Welcome to Georgia Emelie and Albin !


Albin and Emelie

   Once upon a time, in 1991, in Trollattan were born Emelie and Albin. They grew up! They are living in Vanersborg, a few city with 36000 people.


Trollhatan

Trollhatan and Vanesborg

   Their dreams are a little different for their future work. Indeed Albin wants to become a teacher, may be history teacher while Emelie wants to works with people but nothing is decided. 

   In life, Emelie likes family, friend, Albin, new experiences, internet (Facebook you know?), cooking food and eating food, to take walks. Abin likes friend, family, movies, music, computer’s games, fitness. 

   They decided to come in Georgia to discovered a very different culture in a “hot country”. Georgia is perfect for this. 

   This is their first time in Georgia. They don’t speak Georgian yet, maybe in one year?
“Think positive !” is the motto of Albin while for Emelie it is just “Friday”.

Yoann, your apprentice journalist.

3 Jul 2011

Movie : 5 Days of War



Also known as 5 days of August, this american movie is about the last (2008) Russian-Georgian conflict.
It just came out here in Georgia in cinemas, but the american/english version has been out since 2010, so we watched it at home. Although we were warned it was a 'true' american movie, we were still interested in it. Turned out I (and I think I'm not the only one) didn't like it at all.

In the end, the movie is not the story of the conflict or even the story of the people of Georgia : we are following one american journalist (alcoholic, but not enough to be sick all the time) through his search for 'truth' (one of the founding value of the puritans) among the raging war. Of course the love of his life is dead, but of course he will find another.
You can see here all the 'stereotypes' of the big production movie : explosions, fake accents, american heroes far from home, more explosions, 0 georgian actors, ...
I also felt disappointed by one vision that appears very clearly : things haven't changed since the Berlin Wall's fall. We are somehow under the impression that it is Russian (bad) versus americans (good - and because of course everybody speaks english in Georgia - which if you've been living here know it is not true - just like in France ^^) whereas the Russian-Georgian conflict is much much more complex. It is as Europe never existed.
In short, I guess this movie is made for american 'easy' audiences firstly : Bush is not recognised as the hero (he doesn't help) but it is the simple american citizen that is part of the conflict as much as local people that helps carrying the idea of the american supremacy.


Maybe the movie maker (who I forgot the name of, sorry) wanted to do something really truthful about the consequences of this conflict, but my guess is in the end the producers decided something else. I've never been able to understand why they need to transform everything serious into a (poor) movie (ok. I know it's to make money). 
When you've been living in Georgia for several month, you get to understand that it actually got a lot of consequences, moreover that the situation is still unstable.

Nevertheless, they managed to show the hospitality of the georgian people, which is the main thing. There is another remarkable point also : that they got authorisation to film the president's house. 'Cause we can't. :D

Marie (getting myself in trouble! ;-) )