Mondo´s volunteers in Georgia

 What I Learned From a Summer School I Thought I Was Planning... When the summer school started, I had a pretty clear idea of what I was expecting. Or at least, I thought I did. After days of planning, reviewing, changing plans, changing them again, and occasionally wondering why I had decided to organise a summer school in the first place, we finally got there. And then something happened that I probably should have expected, but somehow didn’t: the community became the most important part of it. What started as a one-week programme turned into friendships, long conversations, unexpected questions and a lot of moments that made me think just as much as the young people themselves. One of the things that really stayed with me was the question of how people can be the same age and still see the world in completely different ways. During the week, I met young people who were close in age but had very different experiences, personalities and ways of understanding things. And then the...

 So... where should I start? I wanted to write my first blog after a week in Georgia. Then a week became a month, and somehow now it's been almost two months since I arrived in Zugdidi . Somehow, I am still surprised by this place every day, which is probably why it has taken me so long to sit down and write. My first impression? It felt just like home... and not like home at all. /// For a bit of background: I'm from Romania, and as soon as people hear that, they usually assume I speak Russian. I don't. The frustration is often visible, but a few Georgian words I've picked up along the way usually save the situation. Learning Georgian has definitely been a challenge, but the people around me have been incredibly patient and helpful. Honestly, that's one thing I've learned quickly here: people make all the difference.                            And let me tell you, Georgia is simply breathtaking. The landsca...