Mondo´s volunteers in Georgia

Sometimes, easy can also be complicated. Honestly, since being here, just three months or so, I feel like it has made me stop and think, and actually get to a point where I understand a little more about how things are going around here. Kids go to school, then after-school activities, then some other activities that parents think they need in their lives, and there we are. Packed for the whole week, with barely any time to breathe. And then there I am, with my activities, thinking I am adding one more thing to their already packed schedule, when actually all they seem to need is a space to breathe. So here is the space. They sit. They talk. They create. The Georgian language is still an issue on my end, but they do understand English, and the best part is that  they talk. Youngsters having completely random conversations while making some crafts. Because, honestly, that is about my level of communication with them sometimes. I teach them by doing, and then they do something compl...

 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...