My Peace Corps
My name is Ian, I'm 23 years old and I'm a volunteer in Georgia (country, not state). I arrived in June of 2006 which means I'll be here until August of 2008. I work as an English teacher in a small town of about 50,000 people. I have the full spectrum of ages teaching 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th and 10th grades. Considering its size and the fact that I'm American, everyone knows me and everyday I'm greeted with everything from "Hello, Ian" to "Hello America." I'm a Coloradoan who loves to be outdoors and Georgia is perfect for that. I can hike, swim, fish, jog and more (when the weather's nice). When I'm not doing that I'm usually meeting up with other volunteers, running some of my clubs and/or spending time with the host family that I live with.
More about this RegionWhere am I?
- Country
- Georgia
- What you do
- English teacher (TEFL) : Teach English to a variety of forms (3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, and 10th)
- What inspired you to join Peace Corps
- The opportunity to travel and see the world (I know, sounds stereotypical), meet new people, go somewhere I would never otherwise go.
- People you've met there
- Every type imaginable: old, young, man, woman, Georgian, Russian, Armenian, etc. For some, I'm the first American they've ever met so they have a lot of questions. (How do you like Georgia? Do you want to marry a Georgian girl? Would you like to meet my daughter who just happens to be a Georgian girl? Etc.)
- One thing learned so far
- Be laidback. Things move slowly so you have to be patient if you want to see changes happen
What am I doing?
- Favorite New Meal
- Khinkali (fried dumpling with meat, potato, cheese or mushroom inside). Doesn't sound too exciting but I promise you it's great.
- Food you miss the most
- Mexican. Massive beef and bean burrito smothered in green chile. I've had dreams about food here, how sad is that?
- Strangest thing you have eaten
- Head Cheese (brains). You're not going to like everything you encounter and I certainly hated that food.
- Favorite new thing
- The change in scenery. Explore Georgia and you'll see a beautiful country with history and culture going back thousands of years.
- What you miss the most
- Besides friends and family, indoor heating. During the winter I'm in a sleeping bag every night. Also my skateboard. I rode it to class everyday and when I get stateside again, riding it is going to be one of the first things I do.
- Biggest surprise
- Culture around drinking and eating. Far too complicated to explain now but I'll write a blog about it all.
- Pets
- Host family has a dog named Cheapo. He's about a foot tall and he hates me, so no.
- Transportation
- Marshutka (minibus) is the main way to travel. Trains and buses also get you around but Marshutkas are the primary thing.
- Travel plans
- I already took a 12 day trip to Turkey last Christmas and this summer I'm hoping to see Western Europe. As for in-country I want to hike up Kazbegi, the tallest mountain in Georgia.
- Clothes
- When working, khakis and a collared shirt everyday. During leisure time, a t-shirt and jeans does it for me.
- Most essential thing you brought from home
- My ipod (I'm a music freak) or cards. I taught my host family rummy and poker. Don't worry, we never bet money.
- Best thing you've received in a care package
- Hand sanitizer. Keeps me sane at school when the little ones touch me after sneezing on their hands.
- Worst...
- I've only gotten one package and there were four things in it, all of which I've loved. Speakers, hand sanitizer, candy and headphones.
My Interests
- General
- Hiking and running are two big things for me. Surrounded by the Caucasus Mountains I get plenty of chances for both when it's warm.
- Music
- Kanye West, the Roots, Pete Yorn, Linkin Park, Kasabian, Muse, Ludacris, Johnny Cash, the Killers, the Bravery, Gnarles Barkley, Travis, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, etc. (I'm a music fanatic)
- Movies
- Pulp Fiction, Swingers, Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars, Batman Begins, South Park, Dogma, Die Hard, Borat, 40-year-old Virgin, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Books
- Vagabonding (inspired me to travel), The Beach, Slaughter House 5, Balkan Ghosts, Band of Brothers
Before Peace Corps
- About me in high school
- I was a nerd. Not like the pretty person who says that they were unpopular because no one asked them out, but a newspaper dork. I went to every sporting event and took pictures (definition of un-cool). At one point I did host the morning announcements which made me known to everyone. When I wasn't at school you'd either find me playing video games with friends or working at a movie theater. I sold you popcorn, tore your ticket and more (glamorous, right?).
- About me in college
- I'm a Colorado State Ram who graduated in 2005 with a Speech Communication degree. I started off working at the campus radio station before I was hired to work weekends at a local station. Every weekend you could hear me play alternative rock to all of northern Colorado. Being a music nerd I went to a lot of concerts, got to meet the occasional band and got at least one new CD every week. I also hosted a trivia show at bars around town once a week for a local company. What does this and the radio job have in common: I got to play music while talking people, how easy and fun is that?
