Four Resolutions Days 15-24
Days 1-5 are here, and Days 6-14 are here
Day 15
Books: I'm rereading Harry Potter. It's just as glorious as ever.
High: Our failure of a meeting in the morning turned into talking about Community Problem Solving and putting more handprints in paint on our volunteer tree on the office wall.
Low: Sometimes work just doesn't work out. I left super early because the power and internet were out, I was the only one at the office, and the meeting we were supposed to have ended up with just me and one other girl.
Glitter: I made bread for the second time this week, and it turned out perfectly golden and puffy. I love it when everything works as it should. I also made peanut butter for the first time, but I'm bringing it up to the mountains with me to let everyone taste test and tell me what they think.
Day 16 - April 28
Books: I downloaded Washington, but let's be honest - I'm going to spend all weekend reading Harry Potter. I also got 150 pages into The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson because we had no internet at work so I had nothing productive to do, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a YA novel about Joel, who wants more than anything to be a Rithmatist, someone who has the power to infuse life into chalk figures called Chalklings and defend humanity against murderous Wild Chalklings. So far Joel's at school and just worked his way into assisting a Rithmatist professor for the summer who is investigating mysterious disappearances of Rithmatist students.
High: I made brownies, and finally just posted the brownie recipe so I don't have to search for it every time I need it. It's here.
Low: I'm getting sick. I woke up feeling crappy with a sore throat. Of course I get sick for the first time in this country the day before I'm going on a trip. Good one, body.
Glitter: Tonight we're taking the night train to Zugdidi, then tomorrow morning we'll catch the marsh up to Mestia and Ushguli. I'm exciteddddd
Day 17
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| Starting our hike up to the cross in the fog |
Books: I finished The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson on the ride up to Mestia. It was a fast and interesting read. I really like Melody, and her drawing skill makes a really good setup for the next book in the series, which I hope will explore it more.
High: Trying kupdari meat bread for dinner (delicious) in which we got into discussion about autism, adoption and having children, then walking back with Kala after dinner talking about grad school and tattoos.
Low: We spent our entire hike up the mountain getting soaked in the misty rain, which also completely obscured the view.
Glitter: A polish couple picked us up on the way down the mountain, saving us from another two hours of hiking down in the rain.
Did you know: The towers in Mestia were built and manned by families not to protect the town, but as a defense and offense against other families.
Glitter: A polish couple picked us up on the way down the mountain, saving us from another two hours of hiking down in the rain.
Did you know: The towers in Mestia were built and manned by families not to protect the town, but as a defense and offense against other families.
Day 18
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| At the top of that giant hill there's a cross, which is where we hiked to yesterday in the fog |
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| Almost to Ushguli |
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| The PCV crew with our new dog friend |
Books: Bumpy roads and walking, not reading today.
High: Ushguli is this beautiful tiny town nestled in the mountains and we had a perfect blue sky for walking. We stayed in town, just going up to the tower where there was a WWII memorial to four men who died (and an awesome view of the lower town and out over the upper town to the mountain), over to the church and down through the muddy town back to the hostel.Low: We estimated poorly our time and didn't leave ourselves time before going to Ushguli to go up the ski lift, although the blue skies meant that Helen and I got about two hours of wandering and pictures in town.
Glitter: "Do you speak English?" "Do you speak Georgian?" "Do you want some salt?" - Little Giorgi on the side of the road selling some svaneti salt.
Did you know: If you hit a cow, you owe the owner 800 GEL. (A cow backed into our marsh on the way up to Ushguli. Don't worry, it was fine and just left a shallow groove along the side of the marsh)
Day 19
Books: I read a tiny bit of the first Harry Potter, but mostly spent time either thinking about or eating food. I did exchange book recommendations with two other PCVs, so now I have a giant list of new books to read, which is just about the best thing ever.
High: Just under six hours of relatively flat hiking out to the glacier and back, then making tikka masala with Ed and Caitlin and getting endless toasts with Tariel with his delicious sweet wine he made with kakheti grapes. Delicious dinner (the rice with meat and veggies was my favorite) with all of these new friends talking about their terrors of students, cheating and classroom control, then playing bananagrams, golf and Dutch blitz.
Low: Sloshing back with soaked boots in light snow for an hour after wading through the river instead of scrambling over the snow mound.
Glitter: Spending most of the hike back referencing LOTR, then swapping books after the hike.
Did you know: It's Orthodox Easter. One of the traditions is to tap red dyed eggs together and the one that doesn't break will have good luck.
Day 20
Catching some scenery on our way home from Ushguli
Books: I tried, but I just couldn't concentrate. I got through a chapter or two of Harry Potter, then switched to napping and listening to music.
High: Coming home, pulling everything out of my backpack stuffing my face, and dropping into bed.
Low: We left at 9:30 am from Ushguli, and I got home at 11:30 pm. Nothing like 14 hours, two marshrutkas and the metro to make a very long day. Also, I am very sunburned.
Glitter: I listened to all of In the Heights and Hamilton on the very very long bus ride from Zugdidi to Tbilisi as the driver skipped huge lines of cars by driving on the shoulder as if it was just another lane for traffic.
Did you know: In the Blue Scholars song Cinemetropolis, one of the lyrics is "a Hamilton for tickets" which just made me happy thinking of ham4ham.
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| Catching some scenery on our way home from Ushguli |
High: Coming home, pulling everything out of my backpack stuffing my face, and dropping into bed.
Low: We left at 9:30 am from Ushguli, and I got home at 11:30 pm. Nothing like 14 hours, two marshrutkas and the metro to make a very long day. Also, I am very sunburned.
Glitter: I listened to all of In the Heights and Hamilton on the very very long bus ride from Zugdidi to Tbilisi as the driver skipped huge lines of cars by driving on the shoulder as if it was just another lane for traffic.
Did you know: In the Blue Scholars song Cinemetropolis, one of the lyrics is "a Hamilton for tickets" which just made me happy thinking of ham4ham.
Day 21
Books: I finished Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for probably the 50th time, and started book two.
High: Hamilton just got nominated for 16 Tonys, the most ever. BEST. MUSICAL. EVER.
Low: Possibly the least productive day at work ever, but we did decide to buy ingredients to make peanut butter.
Glitter: Rachel and I stopped in at Luca Polare for gelato after work.
Books: I finished Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for probably the 50th time, and started book two.
High: Hamilton just got nominated for 16 Tonys, the most ever. BEST. MUSICAL. EVER.
Low: Possibly the least productive day at work ever, but we did decide to buy ingredients to make peanut butter.
Glitter: Rachel and I stopped in at Luca Polare for gelato after work.
Day 22
Books: I'm partway through the second Harry Potter, but I started Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz primarily because Lin Manuel Miranda narrates the audiobook, but also because my sister liked it. So far it's about a Mexican-American teenager, Ari, who spends the summer becoming friends with Dante and dealing with feeling out of place in his own skin.
High: Skyping with my sister. She got a job, she's graduating, we read good books, and we love Hamilton.
Low: We got rejected for two of the grants we applied for, and so did CSDC. We just can't catch a break. And my face hurts from the sunburn and from breaking out (also because of the sunburn?).
Glitter: May the fourth be with you.
Books: I'm partway through the second Harry Potter, but I started Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz primarily because Lin Manuel Miranda narrates the audiobook, but also because my sister liked it. So far it's about a Mexican-American teenager, Ari, who spends the summer becoming friends with Dante and dealing with feeling out of place in his own skin.
High: Skyping with my sister. She got a job, she's graduating, we read good books, and we love Hamilton.
Low: We got rejected for two of the grants we applied for, and so did CSDC. We just can't catch a break. And my face hurts from the sunburn and from breaking out (also because of the sunburn?).
Glitter: May the fourth be with you.
Day 23
Books: I finished Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe instead of going out. It was a lovely YA novel. I think I would prefer to read it myself rather than listening to the audiobook because I would have read at a different pace and the voice in my head for the characters is very different from the way LMM did it. It was nice to have characters with good parents I actually liked, and Dante is a swimmer! My favorite parts were always the ones inside of Ari's head out in the desert as he's trying to figure out why he's so upset, sad, confused.
High: Finishing the book when I got home from work instead of going out.
Low: My brain feels like exploding after an entire afternoon working on strategic planning with Nino's organization. Unrelated, but what witch doctor did we get on the wrong side of to end up with our Republican "presumptive nominee" now the only one in the race?
Glitter: It's strawberry season!
Books: I finished Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe instead of going out. It was a lovely YA novel. I think I would prefer to read it myself rather than listening to the audiobook because I would have read at a different pace and the voice in my head for the characters is very different from the way LMM did it. It was nice to have characters with good parents I actually liked, and Dante is a swimmer! My favorite parts were always the ones inside of Ari's head out in the desert as he's trying to figure out why he's so upset, sad, confused.
High: Finishing the book when I got home from work instead of going out.
Low: My brain feels like exploding after an entire afternoon working on strategic planning with Nino's organization. Unrelated, but what witch doctor did we get on the wrong side of to end up with our Republican "presumptive nominee" now the only one in the race?
Glitter: It's strawberry season!
Day 24
Books: The audiobook of Titan by Ron Chernow came in at the library, so I'll start that tomorrow. For now, it's finishing the second Harry Potter.
High: We spent all day teaching Nino and Tiko to make peanut butter, cookies and brownies. Best work day ever.
Low: The peanut butter was wayyy too salty. We need different peanuts.
Glitter: Playing wars with sock puppets with Demetri and Nino.
Did you know: Today is St. George's Day (Giorgoba) in Georgia. It's celebrated twice a year, on May 6 and November 23, to honor Georgia's patron saint.
New Books Read: 130
Total Books Read: 175
Recommendations: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz if you like YA, non-traditional teen romance, coming of age, or dealing with dual cultural identities.
Books: The audiobook of Titan by Ron Chernow came in at the library, so I'll start that tomorrow. For now, it's finishing the second Harry Potter.
High: We spent all day teaching Nino and Tiko to make peanut butter, cookies and brownies. Best work day ever.
Low: The peanut butter was wayyy too salty. We need different peanuts.
Glitter: Playing wars with sock puppets with Demetri and Nino.
Did you know: Today is St. George's Day (Giorgoba) in Georgia. It's celebrated twice a year, on May 6 and November 23, to honor Georgia's patron saint.
New Books Read: 130
Total Books Read: 175
Recommendations: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz if you like YA, non-traditional teen romance, coming of age, or dealing with dual cultural identities.
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