Quick Update:

Well, as you can see from my photos in the last post, I made it to Tbilisi at 5am, completely exhausted after a great day spent in Warsaw with a friend-of-a-friend. I didn't realize just how many volunteers there were --- I met three others in the Chicago airport, and after arriving in Warsaw we realized that there were at least 10 of us. When we finally got to the Hotel where we're having orientation, we found out that there were 37 volunteers in our group from all over the world. Most are from the US, but also Canada, South Africa, Lithuania... It's gonna be a crazy cool week.

We have a pretty tight orientation schedule, starting at 8am with meetings, Georgian lessons, and coffee breaks scattered throughout the day until about 7:30pm. We have all our meetings and meals at the Hotel (which is HUGE and beautiful). Today we had medical screenings (blood and urine tests) and I had the most efficient blood-draw of my life. I was impressed. In case you're concerned, the facilities were clean, my nurse was great, and the needle was brand-new and sterile --- No worries, family and friends. We'll have meetings on health and safety in Georgia tomorrow as well.

Also, they have Grechka here! Hurray for Buckwheat!

Bedtime,
Sarah

Warsaw + Tbilisi

So Tired. So Happy.

Sarah

Departing!

News: I leave for Georgia in T-minus 40 hours. I am SUPER psyched, thinking about cheese-filled bread, Georgian wine, and the possibility of living without central heating (don't worry, I'm packing a sleeping bag!) I also have a 10-hour layover in Poland, so I'll most likely be exploring Warsaw for a bit when I arrive. I'm not looking extremely forward to flying with LOT (Polish air) again, but maybe on my way back I'll get to fly Turkish air and go through Istanbul --- More adventures!

In the meantime, I've been studying the Georgian Alphabet (insane), spending quality time with mom and dad-o (awesome), and trying to think about what to pack (impossible). The scoop is that I'll arrive in Tbilisi at about 5am, get picked up at the airport, taken to a hotel where I'll live during orientation, and stay for at least a week of training before I'm placed somewhere else in the country (most likely a smaller village). I'm not too picky, I'm just excited to have the opportunity! I haven't heard of any places in Georgia that AREN'T fantastic in their own way, so I'm excited to find out where I'll be no matter what. No other news for now, but I'll try and write a post as soon as I get some internet access from Tbilisi.

Wish me luck!
სარა / Sarah

Update:

I find out my departure information in about 10 days! I'll post as soon as I find out. In the meantime, here's a sample of the Georgian alphabet:

გამარჯობა	gamarjoba	Hello
ნახვამდის	nakhvamdis	Goodbye
თუ შეიძლება	tu sheidzleba	Please
გმადლობთ	gmadlobt	Thank you

Love,
Sarah