Rukhi Public School

Today the students gave presentations on different topics, such as Georgia's culture. They worked really hard on their presentations and they really did a great job!

Students read a story in English and discussed it. We helped out with grammar and expression.

Students were very curious about Americans and talked about their lives in Zugdidi.

Black Sea Excursion

We went exploring today and took a road trip to Black Sea. It was a rainy day, but we had a lot of fun!

There were many  different types of seashells, including what looked to be whelks and cockle shells.

A blustery day...all the palm trees were swaying in the breeze.

Along the road, we saw many old buildings. They don't use insulation here- just concrete and wood.

We stopped at a "radio station" on the Black Sea.

Georgians are very kind people and are always trying to make you feel at home. They have strong traditions of personal honor. Friendship is their greatest virtue. Georgians are proud, passionate and deeply connected to each other through a shared sense of belonging to a greater Georgian family.

This is a link to a video about the nature and scenery in Georgia set to traditional folk music:  

Nature and Scenery in Georgia

Exploring Georgia Countryside

We went exploring with our host teachers today. We went to a large dam that was built by the Soviet Union in the 1960's.

This is a picture of our Georgian friends here. They are very kind and generous people.  This picture was taken at a fortress in Rukhi.  It stands on the bank of the Enguri River as you cross over from Abkhazia.  It was built by Levan Dadiani II in 1636, and withstood every seige for nearly 100 years. The Turks captured the fortress in 1725.  In 1769 the Turks fled the forts at Rukhi. There are a lot of wandering cows here and trash is everywhere. Although the Georgians love the "Nature" here, many do not worry about pollution, or  protecting  their natural resources.

I am surprised to see so many palm trees growing in Zugdidi. Today is a rainy day and it is about 45F. We also went to the Dadiana Palace in Zugdidi and it was magnificent. Unfortunately I could only take pictures in one small part of the castle. In the 17th Century, the city became the residence of the Dadiani family, which had ruled Samegrelo since the 12th century, when it was known as Odishi. 

Because of the war in Abkhazia, the city has many thousands of refugees. Zugdidi is close to the border crossing with Abkhazia, so the people here feel the effects of the conflict closely. 

Note: Unfortunately my iPad is not uploading all the pictures. I will try to upload them later. The wifi is spotty here at times, just like at school! Miss you all!!!!!

Rukhi Public School

Georgian Schools

 I was in the English classroom today and it was amazing!  The school includes Grades 1-12 and has about 470 students. We had a tour of the computer lab (there is a problem with wifi access at school though), the library, classrooms, cafeteria, the teacher room, and the theatre room.

 The 8th Grade students were preparing presentations on the fastest vehicles in the world.  I passed out your questions you had written and this was their homework assignment - to answer the questions in English for you. The 8th Graders then got into three teams and we played a jeopardy game on American culture.  They absolutely loved it!  They also loved the American chocolate prizes.

It was really amazing to see 1st Grade,4th Grade, 8th and 12th Grade students at school in Zugdidi. I noticed how polite and kind they were. They were really working hard in class! They are very curious about American culture. They were so happy to meet us.

This is a poster and photography projects that students did about Georgian wildlife. The photographs were really excellent!

 This is a poster and photography project that students did on the wildlife of Georgia.

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 12th Graders gave Power Point presentations on teenagers and culture in Georgia.

Students were were working with English book..taking turns reading. They were working really hard!

There is a chalk board..some schools have smart boards, but not this school.

 They were playing a fun learning game  - trying to answer a question first and then quickly grab the cup on the chair. They loved the game,

This is a view of the school. There are beautiful murals. The truck was delivering desks and everyone was excited about this.

  

Beautiful student work!

Travel day to Zigdidi, Georgia

Today we traveled from Tilbilsi to Zugdidi,and we saw all kinds of amazing sites.  It snowed,  was rainy and sunny Throughout our drive today. Plum trees ware blooming and spring is  trying to come here....

 There are a lot of really old Soviet Union buildings, some have graffiti on Them. there are also some beautiful murals on some of the buildings. A lot of the buildings are in disrepair.

 We stopped for a break along the road.  These are just some of the foods Georgians eat. We stopped at a Dunkin Donuts today, but I haven't been eating fast food here. The food is too good here!

 We stopped a long the side of the road and there was a woman in a small wooden hut selling a special bread. We pulled over and bought somebread. It was baked in a clay stove outdoors. It tasted sweet and a bit smoky from the wood burning. This was the only place to buy this special bread in Georgia!

 We met up with Ms. Breedlove's (our Teachers for Global Classrooms representative) and her Georgian "mom".  They were so happy to see each other again!  Ms. Breedlove was in the Peace Corps for 2 years here.. She helped to teach English in schools here and really enjoyed it.

 Georgian cookies in large boxes. Delicious!

There was lots of snow and flurries today on our drive throughout Georgia. There were a lot of wandering cows and pigs along the streets and they seemed very happy nibbling on fresh greens and wandering free.

Georgian Education System

Georgian Educational SystemI have been so lucky to learn about the Georgia Education System while staying in Tilbilsi, the Capitol of Georgia. We had panel discussions with the representatives from the Department of Higher Education and Science Development at Ministry of Education and Science and we learned about how boys and girls are taught in schools here. We also got to visit a school in Tilbilsi today and it was great! I was so lucky to be in a Georgian Chemistry,English, P.E. and in a 1st Grade class. The Georgian education beliefs are civic awareness, respect or cultural values, encouraging mental and physical abilities, a healthy lifestyle, and a sense of civic responsibility. I learned a lot about Georgian schools and how much they have changed since the 2003, when schools were still controlled by the Soviet Union. STEM Education is also very important here too. When students graduate from high school (they call it secondary school here) there are not enough kids getting University degrees in areas such as Engineers, Computer Technicians and Science. There are more girls and boys majoring in these areas, as they know they will get good, high paying jobs successfully.

Tour of old Tilbilsi, Georgia

We had an exciting tour of historic Tilbilsi.  It is stunning- there are many different types of influences in the city. Georgia has only been independent from Soviet Union (Russia) since 1991.  The city has been conquered 29 times..by the Mongols, Arabs, Persians, Seljuk and Ottoman Turks, within a 1,500 time period.  Yet this amazing city has always been rebuildt. Georgians are very proud of this.

The city was discovered in about 500 AD by King Vakhtang. There is an old legend here that he went hunting one day for pheasant. He shot one and the wounded pheasant fell into a warm spring. The pheasant soon came out, completely healed! That's how the warm water springs were discovered. King Vakhtang decided to build the city here.  It is named after Tbili which means warm in Georgian. There are warm water baths that people still come to, and they believe its very healthy for you to soak in the warm springs.

There is also an American influence here and I have seen a Subway, Dunkin' Donuts and McDonalds.  Georgian food is delicious! Here is a picture of our breakfast at the hotel. 

They even have chicken nuggets here!