Peace Corps volunteer exits Georgia war, enters paradise

Michael Bonett had been in the Republic of Georgia for two months as a Peace Corps volunteer when conflict broke out in South Ossetia, and he had to leave abruptly.

"I was not able to say goodbye to many of the friends I had made," he said in an e-mail about his experience. "I did not get to say goodbye to my host family until I was in Armenia."

Bonett, 23, is a 2007 graduate of George Washington University with a degree in English. He grew up in Mount Airy and graduated from Linganore High School.

He wanted to travel and serve others, and joined the Peace Corps for the opportunity to do both. He was assigned to Georgia and studied Georgian culture and history before he left Washington in June to teach English in the former Soviet nation. Now he is in Micronesia, teaching English to fourth-graders.

While in Georgia, he worked at a summer camp in the village of Osiauri with several other Peace Corps volunteers. Bonett, Katherine Dunne, Meghan Dean and B.J. Stallings learned the Georgian language from a woman named Teona, whom Bonett called brilliant and "one of the kindest and most patient women I've ever met."

The people of Georgia were outgoing and friendly, he said, and had a keen interest in American culture, especially politics and hip-hop music. Their love of hip-hop made them especially eager to meet African-Americans, said Bonett, who is African-American.

"To my chagrin, people requested to have their pictures taken with me several times a day," he wrote.

The people were very hospitable and served their best food to visitors. He ate eggplant and chicken in walnut sauce, khatchapuri (cheese pie), lobiani (bean pie), and fresh fruit and vegetables from local gardens.

He also became friends with Zura, the chess champion of the capital Tbilisi, and Zura's family, playing many games of chess with them.

The summer camp was successful, with the children very enthusiastic about learning English. Bonett was far from the region of conflict and was never in any danger.

The American Peace Corps volunteers were evacuated Aug. 11. They took a grueling 131Ú2-hour bus ride over back roads, to Hotel Tsakhadzor, a mountain resort in Armenia, where they were welcomed with clothing and books.

The Georgians love their families, their nation and their culture, Bonett wrote, and are well-equipped to handle the crisis. The country has survived conflicts with Turkish, Persian and Mongol invaders, along with two previous conflicts with Russia.

He arrived in Micronesia in September. He teaches on the island of Kosrae, called the "Island of the Sleeping Lady" because of the shape of its mountains. Japanese World War II tunnels still exist in the mountains.

The area is famous for its singing. Bonett participated in a televised Thanksgiving Day singing celebration in the village of Lelu, home of the ruins of an ancient fortress built by Kosraen kings that dates back to 1400.

The 42-square-mile island is known for its white sandy beaches as well as its archaeological ruins. It is a few hours by airplane southwest of Hawaii.

Bonett is a devout Christian and plans to return to England, where he studied abroad in 2006, as a missionary after his stint in the Peace Corps ends. He also plans to go to graduate school and earn a teaching degree.

Copyright 2008 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved.