So I haven’t written in a few days, it’s been sort of busy. Although not really. Actually, it’s kind of hard to say. There are these bursts of activity, followed by days of non-activity. Half the time I feel as if I am wasting my time, other times, I feel like I hit jackpot because someone from an NGO or government agency agreed to an interview. Although, sometimes during the interview, I begin to wonder what the hell I am doing at the interview.
Anyways, on a more positive note, I went to my first Georgian supra. Supra is basically a gigantic feast where everyone toasts like mad for hours and eats like there is no tomorrow until the rooster sings and everyone rolls out like barrels full of pickles. Wait, do pickles come in barrels? I think they do. Or at least in Germany.
So the supra was in honor of a girl who was celebrating her birthday. The toasting starts pretty much in the very beginning when the toast-master (!) starts off with a toast and pretty much all the other men have to follow by toasting while standing up. Toasting also requires gulping down all the wine in the glass in front of you or you’re being rude. Thanks to the Georgian patriarchic society, women only do the first toast and all they really have to do is take a small sip. Otherwise, I would have been under the table within the first 30 minutes.
The very first toast, which is in the honor of the guest, is usually drunk out of a larger glass/bowl/whatever large container that’s near by. While standing up, the toast-master says something in Georgian for say 3 minutes (during this time, I smiles and look around wide-eyed) then he gulps down the large container of wine. In the meantime, the man seated next to the toast-master fill his large container with wine, says his 3 or so minutes of toast in Georgian and gulps his wine. In this case, the 2 containers, which were shallow bowls, were passed down to other men down the table. Essentially, one toast takes like 30 minutes. Since it’s a toast for the guest of honor, women chime in when they have a chance but they don’t need to gulp the large container or stand up. During this time, everyone blabbers, answers mobile (yea, did you notice that – mobile!) calls, chats up the waiter. No one really listens, including the guest of honor. And since I have no clue what they say, it could be anything in the world. And it’s not like anyone is listening.
So the whole thing is repeated again some 20 minutes later when the toast-master toasts the parents of the guest of honor. All the men follow, women are relieved from any duty of toasting. Which I tell you, I didn’t mind. Because after toasting parents, the ritual calls for toasting for the siblings, then for those who are dead, and so on and so on. It’s ridiculous. I have no clue how many liters of wine these people consume. It’s like water here….
On a more serious note, today I was able to go on the outreach work with the social workers to distribute tests results for female sex workers. Last week, the center drove around in a large van with doctors who took HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea. I got to see some of the places where women work. Some are really nice and have really good protection, there were burly men standing around. I can’t say if they are any good places to work but they seemed fairly decent. Others were shitholes. In fact, I went to this one place where I can’t remember if the rooms had doors on them. I think there were but it didn’t seem like it. There was some woman passed out on the bed in one of them. I also got to talk to some of them, they seemed really nice. One girl was really cool, she talked to me for a little while about stuff in general. But I cannot imagine how she copes with life, she herself said that she hates when others know what she does. Although, as she said, it pays.
Oh, and then it turns out that I live in sex work central. There is a massage parlor just around the corner from me and the next largest street from me, which is half a block away, is lined with sex workers. Nice!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Pictures
Due to the demand from readers, I ventured out with a plan to take pictures of the town. I started in the Old Town and was hoping to work my way to my house. Although the day was perfect for wondering around, it got hotter and after the Parliament building, I got too pooped and uninspired to take pictures. Which also leaves me with an excuse to get out of the house and take more pictures of the newer parts of the city sometime soon. Enjoy.
So these are the baths. The stinky ones. Note that gigantic poster on a wall of a building. The poster says something along the lines of "Celebrating Georgia's diversity" (which is ironic, considering the ethnic conflicts that are constantly happening in Georgia), in Russian, it says "Georgia, our Motherland" and apparently, in Georgian, it says something entirely different. I am not sure what though but I am proud to say that I've learned a few words by now. Anyways, another, more interesting story of the building is that it is a well known brothel. Well, it's not a brothel, it's more a hotel where the cleaning ladies double as sex workers. So celebrate Georgia's diversity away!
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Better than Botox
I decided to eat a bunch of cherries since they are in season and look delicious. The problem is that I’ve developed these weird allergies to fruit, well, maybe I’ve had them for a while. If I eat an apple, my throat itches, if I eat cherries… well, my lips become gigantic. Ok, maybe not gigantic but they look ridiculous. So when I started eating cherries, my lips were feeling a little itchy but being a brave person (or more like an idiot), I kept eating cherries. I ate a whole bowl. The picture above will demonstrate what happened....
I have dinner plans in about an hour and I hope my gigantor puffy lips will go away…
I have dinner plans in about an hour and I hope my gigantor puffy lips will go away…
Friday, June 24, 2005
I am such a moron!
Earlier today, I got a phone call on my cell (or mobile in this country) and a woman introduced herself really quickly and spoke in Russian. Since her name is Georgian, I didn't catch it and had no idea who she was. But being a nice person, I carried on the conversation, pretending I knew who she was. She said something about traveling and how she had just returned back. So I was like "OK" and she asked me about my research. Still not having a clue who she was, I said some generalities and she answered by saying that I should meet with her and she could help me with some stuff. So we figured out a day and time, asked for the address to which she answered with a small hesitation in her voice and we hung up. I still had no clue who she was and where I was suppost to go on Monday at noon.
So I sat in the chair for a while, trying to figure out what the hell I should do. I had the person's number but there is no voicemail in Georgia (yep, there is no voicemail, you read it right - you either answer the phone or you don't - this is also the reason why everyone keeps his/her mobile on the table during a meal, you just never know who will call and you may just need to answer since the person cannot leave a message). So I couldn't call back to listen to the voicemail greeting which usually reveals a person's name.
Fortunately, my detective skills kicked in and I realized that the address that the mystery woman gave me is at OSI. This would also explain her hesitation as I've been at OSI before. Since there are 2 people at OSI which whom I would meet, I was left with trying to figure out whether the person said: "Hello, this is Nino calling" or "Hello, this Marina calling." Using my skills of deduction, logic, and somewhat functioning gut reaction (you should read "Blink"), I really hope I am meeting with the Nino woman. Otherwise, I will look like a total idiot, asking for her when, in reality, my appointment is with Marina. Arg, life in this country is rough.
On a more positive note, the old vegetable stand lady who, I think, ripped me off, has been replaced by a much nicer lady who, using her skills of deduction and logic, asked me whether I live alone. I bet it's because I keep buying half a kilo of tomatoes, potatoes, and cucumbers.
Peeps, how is life back in USA? Fill me in, I need to know!
So I sat in the chair for a while, trying to figure out what the hell I should do. I had the person's number but there is no voicemail in Georgia (yep, there is no voicemail, you read it right - you either answer the phone or you don't - this is also the reason why everyone keeps his/her mobile on the table during a meal, you just never know who will call and you may just need to answer since the person cannot leave a message). So I couldn't call back to listen to the voicemail greeting which usually reveals a person's name.
Fortunately, my detective skills kicked in and I realized that the address that the mystery woman gave me is at OSI. This would also explain her hesitation as I've been at OSI before. Since there are 2 people at OSI which whom I would meet, I was left with trying to figure out whether the person said: "Hello, this is Nino calling" or "Hello, this Marina calling." Using my skills of deduction, logic, and somewhat functioning gut reaction (you should read "Blink"), I really hope I am meeting with the Nino woman. Otherwise, I will look like a total idiot, asking for her when, in reality, my appointment is with Marina. Arg, life in this country is rough.
On a more positive note, the old vegetable stand lady who, I think, ripped me off, has been replaced by a much nicer lady who, using her skills of deduction and logic, asked me whether I live alone. I bet it's because I keep buying half a kilo of tomatoes, potatoes, and cucumbers.
Peeps, how is life back in USA? Fill me in, I need to know!
What is going on?
So I leave the country for a month and the whole world turns upside down? Let's hope that I won't be getting any letters from Bush, asking for his money back. Eeek!
News: White House changes tune on AIDS groups working overseas
Steve Sternberg
10 June 2005
****************
In a major policy shift, the Bush administration on Thursday notified U.S.-based AIDS organizations that get taxpayer funding for work overseas that they must pledge that they oppose prostitution and sex trafficking.
This is the first time U.S. AIDS groups have been required to accept such a condition in exchange for federal funds.
"What applied to foreign organizations will apply to U.S. organizations, too," says Kent Hill, head of Global Health at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Hill says administration officials are doing what Congress required when it passed the five-year, $15 billion President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean two years ago.
Critics say what they call the anti-prostitution "loyalty oath" may violate their free-speech rights and hinder their work with prostitutes, a crucial risk group.
"It's ideological blackmail. It's like a loyalty oath," says Paul Zeitz of the Global AIDS Alliance."No one endorses prostitution and sex-trafficking. We cannot stop AIDS if we lose the trust of people most at risk of HIV infection and undermine effective, lifesaving programs," he said.
In February, 13 charitable organizations, including Save the Children, CARE and International Rescue Committee, relayed the same criticism to Global AIDS Coordinator Randall Tobias. The groups said, "Contributing to the stigmatizing of populations that are at risk, infected or affected by HIV/AIDS greatly undermines the success of AIDS prevention, testing and care efforts."
The law authorizing PEPFAR formally required federally funded groups to promise that they won't use those funds to promote prostitution, the legalization of prostitution or sex trafficking. The law also required foreign groups that get U.S. funds to declare opposition to prostitution, pledging allegiance to U.S. policy.
The law was amended last year to exempt multinational groups that get funding from the USA, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as United Nations agencies that channel money from the USA and other donors to grass-roots AIDS organizations.
The federal government channels about $550 million in global AIDS funds through USAID and $488 million through PEPFAR. In 2006, the balance will shift: $361 million will go through USAID programs and about $1.8 billion through the president's plan.
One legal expert says the pledge violates the organizations' and their employees' constitutional right to free speech. "It's a first amendment problem," says Ira Lupu, a professor of constitutional law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. "You're asking (the organizations) in exchange for federal grants to limit their activities under the grant: to sell off their rights to engage in politically committed expression in support of other activities."
Source: USA TodayOnline at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-06-09-us-aids_x.htm
News: White House changes tune on AIDS groups working overseas
Steve Sternberg
10 June 2005
****************
In a major policy shift, the Bush administration on Thursday notified U.S.-based AIDS organizations that get taxpayer funding for work overseas that they must pledge that they oppose prostitution and sex trafficking.
This is the first time U.S. AIDS groups have been required to accept such a condition in exchange for federal funds.
"What applied to foreign organizations will apply to U.S. organizations, too," says Kent Hill, head of Global Health at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Hill says administration officials are doing what Congress required when it passed the five-year, $15 billion President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean two years ago.
Critics say what they call the anti-prostitution "loyalty oath" may violate their free-speech rights and hinder their work with prostitutes, a crucial risk group.
"It's ideological blackmail. It's like a loyalty oath," says Paul Zeitz of the Global AIDS Alliance."No one endorses prostitution and sex-trafficking. We cannot stop AIDS if we lose the trust of people most at risk of HIV infection and undermine effective, lifesaving programs," he said.
In February, 13 charitable organizations, including Save the Children, CARE and International Rescue Committee, relayed the same criticism to Global AIDS Coordinator Randall Tobias. The groups said, "Contributing to the stigmatizing of populations that are at risk, infected or affected by HIV/AIDS greatly undermines the success of AIDS prevention, testing and care efforts."
The law authorizing PEPFAR formally required federally funded groups to promise that they won't use those funds to promote prostitution, the legalization of prostitution or sex trafficking. The law also required foreign groups that get U.S. funds to declare opposition to prostitution, pledging allegiance to U.S. policy.
The law was amended last year to exempt multinational groups that get funding from the USA, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as United Nations agencies that channel money from the USA and other donors to grass-roots AIDS organizations.
The federal government channels about $550 million in global AIDS funds through USAID and $488 million through PEPFAR. In 2006, the balance will shift: $361 million will go through USAID programs and about $1.8 billion through the president's plan.
One legal expert says the pledge violates the organizations' and their employees' constitutional right to free speech. "It's a first amendment problem," says Ira Lupu, a professor of constitutional law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. "You're asking (the organizations) in exchange for federal grants to limit their activities under the grant: to sell off their rights to engage in politically committed expression in support of other activities."
Source: USA TodayOnline at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-06-09-us-aids_x.htm
It's about time!
From NYTimes... and Pataki better sign it rather just "look at it." And he may be running for the President? What?!
June 23, 2005
Albany Legislators Back Giving Morning-After Pill Without Prescriptions
ALBANY, June 22 - The Republican-led State Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow pharmacists and nurses to dispense the so-called morning-after pill, which can prevent pregnancy after sex, to women who do not have prescriptions.
Since the Democratic-led State Assembly has already passed the bill, it will now be sent to Gov. George E. Pataki, who will have to decide whether to sign it. Seven other states have similar laws.
Governor Pataki, a Republican who is planning to decide soon whether to seek a fourth term or explore a run for president, was noncommittal on whether he would sign the bill, saying only that he would take a look at it.
Georgian Bjork
Last night we went back to the Crafts Festival because a well-known Georgian jazz singer was performing. Before she started, a Georgian described her as the Georgian Bjork. Turns out that she was more like Georgian Joss Stone than Bjork. Nevertheless, the show was incredible, the woman, her name is Nino something in Georgian I cannot spell, the band’s name is Insight, was an amazing performer (I posted most the pics below despite the fact that they are blurry but I think by looking at them, you can get the feel for the show) and like Joss Stone, she’s young. For some reason, I want to say 17 but maybe I am wrong. The place went crazy when she came onstage and everyone was dancing. Even a hipster rushed the stage and subsequently he got rustled down by security guards which resulted in everyone in the audience laughing uncontrollably. I am not sure why, I guess Georgians are easily amused. And throughout the performance, little girls would run up to the singer and giver her flowers, balloon, and kisses. So sweet.
I think tonight there will be pre-planned debaucheries at a restaurant lead by a bunch of expats. I am looking forward to it, it’s been some time since I’ve gotten trashed and didn’t have to speak in Russian. I can’t wait.
I think tonight there will be pre-planned debaucheries at a restaurant lead by a bunch of expats. I am looking forward to it, it’s been some time since I’ve gotten trashed and didn’t have to speak in Russian. I can’t wait.
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