From: David and Lindsey Roscoe david@rubberspider.com
Subject:
Live from
Date:
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Hey all you beautiful people!
It's been awhile since we've updated everyone on own whereabouts, plans, and life. A lot has happened since I've written last.
The last 6 months of our Peace Corps service in Georgia consisted of lots of final trainings, projects, and grants before finally departing on May 23 after our Close of Service conference. The last part of our service was difficult as we had to say goodbye to our home of the past 2 years and the wonderful friends we had made. The goodbye of course included farewell concerts and supras (feasts).
We left with closure of knowing that we had made a difference in the organizations we worked with, the community we lived in, and the people we met. We will truly miss the experience with had with the Georgians and our fellow PCVs. We hope to stay in touch and return someday.
In our final months we recorded with fellow volunteers a CD of songs we had composed about Georgia, and modified cover songs about Georgia. The 16 song CD sold well among Peace Corps Volunteers and expats to raise money for community projects in Georgia. We enjoyed our recording experience with Sano Studios and hope to make our own studio once we settle in.
After months of job searching and deliberations about where our new home would be, we had settled on Phoenix to be a our temporary home to adjust back to the state only to discover upon arrival to the country that a job that fit in perfectly with my experience in training, business, and organizational culture change was open in none other than my hometown of Viburnum. Our carefully created man-made plans dissolved quickly and God orchestrated what He deemed to be best for us at the moment. So within 2 weeks of returning we had each secured jobs, me as a Lean Management facilitator with the Doe Run Company and Lindsey teaching High School English in the nearby town of Lesterville. Our silly worries and anxieties about our future return to America were all in vain. If we were only more like the birds, knowing we would get more than we ever need and that God would provide.
But we weren't settled just yet and within 2 weeks of return we were back on the plane headed to Europe. My immediate family spent a great week in the Netherlands riding bikes through pine forests and sand dunes, visiting Amsterdam and art museums and the Anne Frank museum. We toured an open air museum of old Holland including windmills that did everything from cut wood pallets to wash clothes. The first week included a trip to the Belgian city of Brugge for fine chocolate, beer, and historic buildings along old canals.
Every town large or small in Netherlands was pristine and it seemed like everyone had a botanical garden in their yard. All ages from 5 to 90 road the same Model T bike everywhere and hauled their daily groceries in saddle bags that hung over the back tire rim. Van Gogh's art was extraordinary to see in person with paint as thick as 1/2 an inch.
Then Lindsey, Patrick (Tricia's boy), and Rosemarie (our German friend who graciously was our tour guide) joined us Cologne. We enjoyed the Rhine Valley and Burg Eltz castle before heading down to Bavaria to enjoy the fantastic mountains, castles, and beer. We happened upon a small German town , Mittenvald, where violins played by Mozart originated. Lindsey was seduced by one and a new instrument joined our musical collection. We visited the fabulous cities of Munich, Saltzburg, and Rothenburg before sadly heading home knowing that Europe is the future and the past all in one.
I just finished my first week of week as Lindsey headed off to Florida to help her sister Becky before her wedding. I'll join them in a little over a week. Until then I'll check out our living options in the huge metropolis of Viburnum (pop. 825). We figure moving to rural Missouri is best transition for us international folks seeing that it strangely resembles a 3rd world country.
We welcome any visitors and would love to hear what everyone is up to and your deepest dreams and aspirations.
For now our address will be:
David & Lindsey Roscoe
26 St. Joseph St.
Viburnum, MO 65566
skype: davidroscoe
Our Cingular cell numbers are 573-259-6667 and Lindsey's is 573-218-3150.
LOVE! David & Lindsey
Fri, 29 Jul 2005 12:35:16 - 0400
Dear Friends and Family,
Time for the latest update. We finally received our permanent placement for 2 years. We'll be located in Lanchkhuti (Guria region) about 20 minutes from the Black Sea east of the port Poti. My NGO placement was my top choice (out of 4 for married couples) and apparently the place they wanted to put Lindsey. It will be tough to leave our current Georgian family. I called Piko (the wife) sensitive one day and even though she's speaks English did not know what I meant. So she looked it up in the dictionary and then expressed that was the nicest thing I could say better than nice, beautiful, pretty or anything. Now when a friend comes over she brags that I called her sensitive. The family is really great. Piko has a great sense of humor. One day she was telling a story about cutting Koba's hair. Apparently she messed up and in English she replied, "He was ....... how do you say (very brief pause) wanted to kill me!" We will miss them dearly and Piko said even we don't call or visit she will.
After we found out our assignment I was whisked away for a Supervisors Conference in Bakuriana (ski resort land) where I met my new boss (a chain smoking, wirey, paparazzi, 42 yr old man named Amiran who is apparently well know in the NGO world in Georgia and after learning about the org is a mover and a shaker.) The Lanchkhuti Council Association's mission is create transparent self-government at the local level through democratic reforms and trainings. He knows everyone and proved it considering I was on the front fold of the front page (w/ picture) of the local newspaper while the Georgian President made it on the bottom fold. I will definitely learn a lot about the development world considering their track record of success with donors such as Save the Children, World Bank, and the Eurasia Foundation. Currently they are basically serving as the local public relations consultant for a new National Park and creating positive public awareness about it. He wants me to research the best methods of national parks around the world. I'm open for advice. His the only one in the 7 person NGO who speaks English. They also run on Information Center (collects info about local government / businesses, shares with other info centers throughout the country), publish an advocacy newspapers, and run trainings for the local governmental councils which in Soviet times did not exist. The idea of self government and elected officials is a new concept.
Our new family is much more traditional with Grandma and Grandpa and a empty house. They are very sweet (Suliko and Luiza) and a have large house in which we'll have own room, living room, and dining room, and also in winter they move into a different part of the house basically leaving us with our own house. They have a 34yr old pregnant daughter Maia who has a 14yr old son Giorgi who taught me the names of all 10 different fruit trees or so in their yard. On the down side or good side maybe is they don't speak any English and even though I scored the high on the mid-evaluation language test I was out of my comfort zone and Gori bubble. I can speak it up but didn't have a clue about their questions. I'll get good quick, hopefully. Even learn some Russian.
The town Lanchkhuti is about 10,000, much calmer than our current city Gori, is all green and lush year round with an abundance of rain. Tea and citrus fruits are common in our region with a humidity of currently 92%. If it ever snows it will melt rather quickly.
Hope everyone is doing well.
LOVE!
David & Lindsey
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From:
"David Roscoe" <david@rubberspider.com
Subject:
Live from
Date:
Thu, 23 Jun 2005 08:43:15 -0400
Dearest Friends and
Family,
Gamarjoba from
We arrived in
Georgia on last Friday at 2:00 in the morning after a couple orientation days in
DC and a 12 hour layover in Amsterdam which we enjoyed immensely (don't worry,
Van Gogh museum was as crazy as we got).
Hard to believe it's
been less than a week here, feels seriously like a month. Once we arrived in
The whole country so
far is unbelievably gorgeous, feels like Narnia. Now we are in central
Our host family is
awesome! A young couple named
Koba 30 & Piko 26 with 2 boys 6 & 8. Surprisingly the boys appear to
have any interest in us. He works for a disabled NGO and owns a computer club
and she works for the electric company. We live on the first floor of an ancient
rundown Soviet apartment complex (8 stories or so) around many other apartments.
But inside is remarkably comfortable considering we have own room and
living room attached with chandeliers and a piano.
They are so generous (kicked themselves out of their own room) and speak
decent English. We really feel like family after only 3 days.
The first night we
had a supra (feast with lots of toasting and drinking) but they are very
protective of us and me especially considering males are judged on their
drinking ability. Soon I will be able to use humor and maybe make a toast. The
males drink out of a cow horn and drain the whole drink after the toast. You
only drink after a toast!! So that encourages wishing blessings upon each other
if you wish to have a drink. The males will drink up to 4-5 liters:)
Incredible!!
We live near a huge
medieval castle fort and have a many excursions with our family planned for the
next 2 months. We are really in an amazing country with wonderful people. We are
truly blessed. Thanks for all your prayers.
Just a reflection on
the Peace Corps. Only Georgians can reform Georgians. Only
Georgians really know what they need. Our job is to facilitate and to help them
realize that their future isn't dependent on other countries but that they are
capable of change. Our job is to change the mindset that they're not good
enough. It's tough to do and even harder to measure.
But it is a worthy
cause for worthy people.