So long to February

Hey all,
It's has been a long eventful month. Things have been hectic to say the least. School is busy and of late the staff has been racked with illness (myself included). I think everyone here in Portland is ready for spring to get here but my family back in Ohio is having a tough time of it with all the snow.


"My 'hood in Portland during a rare snow day"

I doubt you would find anyone in Ashtabula who believe in global warming right now.
I have been in touch with a couple of PCV's who are now in Georgia and they have been very helpful in answering any questions I have posed to them. It seems that there is a pretty sweet community over there and I am really looking forward to becoming a part of it. I've made some Georgian flash cards and am learning my letters and some words. My initial apprehension about the language is leaving, but I'm sure it will be a challenge.

I am really starting to consider how much i'll miss my job at school. Also, getting rid of all my stuff and moving at the end of April is a constant concern but I'm sure that things will fly off the shelves when I do my "Crazy Eddie's" we -lost-our-lease sale. I had acheived a sense of permanence since my divorce and although I know I need a change of scenery, I'm sure gonna miss my cozy little place in NE Portland!

Well, I gotta run but I thought I'd upload a couple of pics of our recent bi annual snowfall and some other stuff.
All the best,
john

What a nice community

Hey all,
I continue to learn more and more about my upcoming journey. Many thanks to some of the G6's who have taken time out of their day to communicate with a total stranger. One even informed me that the Georgian alphabet is an old version that they don't use any more (good to know).
I continue to gaze at my apartment and wonder,"What the hell am I gonna do with this stuff?!" I'll most likely sell as much of the big stuff as I can. I must say that because I am going to Georgia it makes telling people a 3 minute conversation. No, not the state...the Peace Corps does NOT send people to the deep south to teach them english! Reconstruction ended in 1877. So then, they say, "where's that Georgia?". I say, "In the Caucuses." They say, "where?", I say, "between the Black and Caspian Seas" and they say, "where?!), so I say, " south of Russia and North of Turkey." They say....ohhh, OK! But I really think they have no idea and have just tired of this geographic game. I'm thinking of laminating a pocket-sized map and carrying it around with me. Visual aids are so cool!
School is quite maddening right now, what with the new semester and all, but getting better(smoother) every day. I'm teaching two new classes (giving me five total) and one of them is chock full of middle schoolers. They are......quite spirited, to say the least. It's cool though because I'm getting to try out some new management techniques. The super-dark days of winter are behind us here in PDX and spring (with lots of heavy rain) is just around the corner. Well...I should grade these tests.....
All the Best,
John