Declared the best day ever by both S and W. It started, for me, with a text from W at 9:30. I slept in because I was wiped out from the suphra. I’d invited him over a few times, because he has no running water and his family are Jehovah’s Witnesses, but every time he tried to come, something happened to interfere; torrential rain, no buses, crooked taxi drivers. So today, the sun was shining and W was coming over to enjoy the compound.
When he arrives, I introduce him to HM and Bebia. They ask all the regular questions, which I translate to W and help him answer in Georgian. One of the fist questions they ask is where is he living. Then he becomes known by his location, rather than his name. When I talk about my friends, the only one who gets a name is S, cuz she’s here often. While W is doing the visiting/ getting to know you thing, I get a text from S, asking if she can come over, because the power and water have been out at her place for days. I asked HM and she said yes, so S was on her way.
While we waited on S I gave W a tour of the compound, inside and out. He also feels that I live in the OC of Georgia. It’s funny, because he lives in a village called Sachino and Ryan on the OC came from Chino, so W thinks it’s a sign that he should move in here.
We went for a walk up to my school and decided to swim when we came back, cuz it was so hot outside. Being from Florida, W found the temperature of the pool very chilly, and he slowly entered down the ladder while I called him a baby and dove in. We had a lovely swim, until S texted that she was here.
S arrived just in time for lunch. I’ve never seen two people enjoy a meal more. HM and Bebia are fantastic cooks. I’m having issues because there’s not a lot of fiber here, but the food all tastes really good. My HD and his brother were just finishing up while we started, so he poured wine for us all. I did the toast-and-fake-sip trick that I learned from HM while S and W drank theirs down. When HD left, I poured my wine into their glasses and everyone was happy.
Stuffed and happy, we decided to watch some TV for a bit. So we ended up watching rebel tv which is a Polish music video station. They show the strangest videos. There’s a lot of political Eastern European bands mixed with stuff like Tom Petty and Ozzy Ozbourn and The Killers. It’s weird, but entertaining, even when we don’t know the songs.
By the time we went out to the pool, more people had arrived. A few cousins and some older people were all here. The old people stared at us while Bebia gave them the spiel. The kids were playing in the pool and we went down to join them. We were hanging out in and around the pool when W realized he should start making his way home before he got stranded. My HD wouldn’t let him leave and said that his brother would drive W home later.
About that time I got a text from A. She was visiting her host cousin in Kvirike and was coming by for a visit. She got there just as dinner was being served. So all the other people went down to eat by the pool, while the four of us foreigners hung out on the front porch catching up. We went down when most people had left the table (there were too many for one seating) and had a lovely dinner in the dark. If the lights are on, the bugs will come.
After dinner, we hit the TV room with the kids and visited for a bit. It was a weird vibe, though. It was almost like I am part of the family, but when there were four of us, they didn’t know what to make of it, so they mostly left us alone. Except for I who hung out with us instead of her much younger cousins. I also got the impression that HM wasn’t feeling very well, but nothing was said to me, and I didn’t know how to ask.
When everyone went home and W got his ride, HM said that S and A could stay. So we girls helped tidy the kitchen and retired to the upstairs living room. We recapped the day and took turns showering and eventually turned in. We all shared my bed, which is so big that even with 3 of us in it, we didn’t touch each other even once through the night. We stayed up super late discussing all sorts of things until we just couldn’t stay awake any longer.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Aug. 28 - Concert and Supra
Had another really weird, long day. This morning, we had to be in Kobuleti at 11 to catch a marshrutka. Where were we going? Your guess is as good as mine. None of us had any information, other than it was a holiday called Mariam Noba. So 8 teachers pile into this marshrutka, with no official TLG representatives and get driven into a village up in the mountains somewhere.
We ended up at a huge building (with a stage set up out front), near a church and a school, but otherwise in the middle of nowhere. People kept talking to K, the only one of us who speaks Russian, but even she couldn’t figure out what the hell we were doing there.
The show started with some traditional Georgian singers and dancers, all dressed up in the traditional costumes. Then there were some speeches (all in Georgian) then more singing and dancing and talking. There were small children performing and older children speaking. And none of us could understand a word.
Of course, all of this is outside, and I’d forgotten my sunscreen. So E, A, W and I kept shuffling around, trying to stay in the shade, which was diminishing with each passing minute. We ended up huddled into a tiny speck of shade with about a million Georgian people.
Since K had been asked to give a short speech, as well, we were trying to pay attention, but it’s really hard when you can’t understand anything that’s being said. Eventually, A and I went in search of a bathroom. Wes tagged along for something to do. In broken Georgian we asked three different people where to go. We ended up at the church, and in the cemetery where we saw a priest do some ritual at a grave.
We finally found the "tualet’i" and almost died. It was a gross, smelly, hole in the ground. It wasn’t even nice enough to be considered a squat toilet. It was literally a hole in the ground. Luckily, I always carry tissues and I had my soap compact with me, so it wasn’t too gross, once we got out of the smell.
Sadly, our hunt for the toilet meant that we missed K’s speech. When we found her afterwards, we were all ready to leave. Our original marshrutka driver had left, so we found a different one headed to Kobuleti and arranged for him to take us back. Except for K, because her school director was there and took her home personally.
Back in town, we all decided that we needed to relax a bit, before going home, so we went to a café on the beach. Everyone order a drink and some people ordered food. We learned that what our phrase book called spinach is really mushrooms. I’m glad that I didn’t order it. The others said that they were really good.
I came home from there and withstood the inquisition. But it’s really hard to tell people what happened, when you have no idea and they speak another language. But I muddled through and then snuck upstairs for a nap. Thank God for the nap.
When I woke up, around 6:30, my family was preparing to go celebrate the baptism of one of HD’s friend’s kids. Apparently it’s really common to baptize your kids on holidays. So, I changed and we headed out to a restaurant in the park in Kobuleti.
On our arrival, introductions were made all around. I remembered no names, and everyone else played ‘lets stare at the foreigner’. It was super fun. The only Georgian I really recognize are the phrases that my HM uses when she’s telling other people about me. "She’s from Toronto. Is vegetarian, but eats chicken and fish. She’s 27, no husband. She’s an English
teacher.’ It’s the same things every time.
At about 7:15 (the event was supposed to start at 6pm) we were all ushered over to a u-shaped table. The men sat down one arm and the women sat down the other and the host was seated at the top (or bottom?) of the U. There is so much food at one of these celebrations, that I would like to list the dishes that I remember; whole grilled fish, fish soup, chicken salad, tomato and cucumber salad (it’s a staple here), bread, Georgian cheese, khajapuri (Georgian national dish of bread stuffed with cheese), cakes, garlic chicken and eggplant rolls. I’m sure there was more, but I can’t remember it all. The other thing in abundance at a supra is wine. White or red, it flows very freely.
One of the ladies decided that it was her job to keep everyone’s glass full. Whether or not they wanted it filled. Mine was topped up constantly, in spite of the fact that I was only taking minuscule sips. I’ve learned at my house that if my glass stays full, they eventually leave me alone. That did not work this time. It was only when I’d emptied my glass that she left me alone. Luckily I’d realized that before I was too far gone, but I did end up a little tipsy.
For entertainment, there was a dj and a group of singers. The guys sang Georgian music, which is polyphonic. This particular group had four, so they were like a barbershop quartet, Georgian-style. There was also a group of professional dancers. They performed bits and pieces of the traditional dances, but without costumes or props. The dj played music for the crowd to dance to as well, between sets. Since everyone has to learn traditional dance for at least 7 years in school, they all know the steps and I was so out of place. It got better for me later, when the dancing had degenerated to step-to-the-beat. The dj also played some western music. We heard MJ’s Billy Jean and Shakira’s Time for Africa (twice). There was also a weird remix of Wavin' Flag that I'd never heard before.
Other random things that happened. Because the restaurant is in the middle of Kobuleti park, which is full of rides and carnival-type booths, the kids were going crazy. Constantly back and forth from the park to their parents for money. It was both cute and annoying. Especially when several children came back with whistles, which they were permitted to blow at full volume, sometimes in time with the music, and sometimes not.
Also at the restaurant that night, was a famous Georgian actor. He stars in the sitcom that is the Georgian version of friends. HB2 got a picture taken with him. It was really cute, but then, so is HB2.
We ended up at a huge building (with a stage set up out front), near a church and a school, but otherwise in the middle of nowhere. People kept talking to K, the only one of us who speaks Russian, but even she couldn’t figure out what the hell we were doing there.
The show started with some traditional Georgian singers and dancers, all dressed up in the traditional costumes. Then there were some speeches (all in Georgian) then more singing and dancing and talking. There were small children performing and older children speaking. And none of us could understand a word.
Of course, all of this is outside, and I’d forgotten my sunscreen. So E, A, W and I kept shuffling around, trying to stay in the shade, which was diminishing with each passing minute. We ended up huddled into a tiny speck of shade with about a million Georgian people.
Since K had been asked to give a short speech, as well, we were trying to pay attention, but it’s really hard when you can’t understand anything that’s being said. Eventually, A and I went in search of a bathroom. Wes tagged along for something to do. In broken Georgian we asked three different people where to go. We ended up at the church, and in the cemetery where we saw a priest do some ritual at a grave.
We finally found the "tualet’i" and almost died. It was a gross, smelly, hole in the ground. It wasn’t even nice enough to be considered a squat toilet. It was literally a hole in the ground. Luckily, I always carry tissues and I had my soap compact with me, so it wasn’t too gross, once we got out of the smell.
Sadly, our hunt for the toilet meant that we missed K’s speech. When we found her afterwards, we were all ready to leave. Our original marshrutka driver had left, so we found a different one headed to Kobuleti and arranged for him to take us back. Except for K, because her school director was there and took her home personally.
Back in town, we all decided that we needed to relax a bit, before going home, so we went to a café on the beach. Everyone order a drink and some people ordered food. We learned that what our phrase book called spinach is really mushrooms. I’m glad that I didn’t order it. The others said that they were really good.
I came home from there and withstood the inquisition. But it’s really hard to tell people what happened, when you have no idea and they speak another language. But I muddled through and then snuck upstairs for a nap. Thank God for the nap.
When I woke up, around 6:30, my family was preparing to go celebrate the baptism of one of HD’s friend’s kids. Apparently it’s really common to baptize your kids on holidays. So, I changed and we headed out to a restaurant in the park in Kobuleti.
On our arrival, introductions were made all around. I remembered no names, and everyone else played ‘lets stare at the foreigner’. It was super fun. The only Georgian I really recognize are the phrases that my HM uses when she’s telling other people about me. "She’s from Toronto. Is vegetarian, but eats chicken and fish. She’s 27, no husband. She’s an English
teacher.’ It’s the same things every time.
At about 7:15 (the event was supposed to start at 6pm) we were all ushered over to a u-shaped table. The men sat down one arm and the women sat down the other and the host was seated at the top (or bottom?) of the U. There is so much food at one of these celebrations, that I would like to list the dishes that I remember; whole grilled fish, fish soup, chicken salad, tomato and cucumber salad (it’s a staple here), bread, Georgian cheese, khajapuri (Georgian national dish of bread stuffed with cheese), cakes, garlic chicken and eggplant rolls. I’m sure there was more, but I can’t remember it all. The other thing in abundance at a supra is wine. White or red, it flows very freely.
One of the ladies decided that it was her job to keep everyone’s glass full. Whether or not they wanted it filled. Mine was topped up constantly, in spite of the fact that I was only taking minuscule sips. I’ve learned at my house that if my glass stays full, they eventually leave me alone. That did not work this time. It was only when I’d emptied my glass that she left me alone. Luckily I’d realized that before I was too far gone, but I did end up a little tipsy.
For entertainment, there was a dj and a group of singers. The guys sang Georgian music, which is polyphonic. This particular group had four, so they were like a barbershop quartet, Georgian-style. There was also a group of professional dancers. They performed bits and pieces of the traditional dances, but without costumes or props. The dj played music for the crowd to dance to as well, between sets. Since everyone has to learn traditional dance for at least 7 years in school, they all know the steps and I was so out of place. It got better for me later, when the dancing had degenerated to step-to-the-beat. The dj also played some western music. We heard MJ’s Billy Jean and Shakira’s Time for Africa (twice). There was also a weird remix of Wavin' Flag that I'd never heard before.
Other random things that happened. Because the restaurant is in the middle of Kobuleti park, which is full of rides and carnival-type booths, the kids were going crazy. Constantly back and forth from the park to their parents for money. It was both cute and annoying. Especially when several children came back with whistles, which they were permitted to blow at full volume, sometimes in time with the music, and sometimes not.
Also at the restaurant that night, was a famous Georgian actor. He stars in the sitcom that is the Georgian version of friends. HB2 got a picture taken with him. It was really cute, but then, so is HB2.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Quick update
It's been a busy couple of days. I'll have some new posts as soon as possible. Hope you're all enjoying this last bit of summer.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Aug. 27 - housebound
It is raining buckets today. The basketball court looks like the pool, there's so much water there. S keeps telling me that I'm going to need an umbrella and now I'm starting to believe her.
Yesterday, I also spent all day on the compound, but that was my own choice. Me and my computer were hanging out. In the evening the power went out, so I missed my Telanovella, but instead I played tennis with HM. We didn't keep score and neither of us are very good, but it was fun. Afterwards, I went for a swim in the pool.
For dinner I had cereal, with COLD milk!! It was so good. Of course, I had to wait until HM scraped the clotting cream (or whatever) off of the top, but eventually I got my milk. Then we hung out in the TV room and messed around with the new jukebox. It's rocking old-school Madonna. I like it.
Yesterday, I also spent all day on the compound, but that was my own choice. Me and my computer were hanging out. In the evening the power went out, so I missed my Telanovella, but instead I played tennis with HM. We didn't keep score and neither of us are very good, but it was fun. Afterwards, I went for a swim in the pool.
For dinner I had cereal, with COLD milk!! It was so good. Of course, I had to wait until HM scraped the clotting cream (or whatever) off of the top, but eventually I got my milk. Then we hung out in the TV room and messed around with the new jukebox. It's rocking old-school Madonna. I like it.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Aug. 25 - Batumi and Kobuletti
I didn't like hanging out with teenagers when I was one. I like it even less, now. My host cousins took me to hang out in 'The Park' with them on Monday night. It was me and 5 teenagers. Super-fun. They did take me on the giant ferris wheel, which was kinda fun. But it goes reeeeaaalllllly slowly, so as you get close to the top there's loads of time to think about just how high you are and picture all of the terrible things that could happen if the basket fell. After emerging unscathed from the deathtrap we went for a walk on the boulevard and then back to the apartment.
Yesterday we went to the museum for an exhibit by a Georgian painter. I didn't much like his work. It was really simplistic lines and dark colours. All of the living things had these creepy big, empty eyes. The one painting I liked was about a rustler stealing a horse, and I liked it because of how he painted the moon and clouds.
After the museum we met HM at a cafe. We dropped S at her place and the girls at their place, cuz I had to get my things and then headed back to Kvirike. I had a swim and some dinner and then we went visiting with the neighbours. The visit was fun, but was kind of annoyed, because I had to miss my favourite serial.
Random things I've learned.
1. The cows that migrate up and down the street have no distinguishing marks. They just know which home is theirs. If a cow tries to come into your yard, it's your cow.
2. There is no drinking age here. Kids drink whenever their parents say it's ok.
3. Many people are "fasting" right now. But this just means that they don't eat meat. Except fish apparently doesn't count as meat, because everyone's still eating it. When the fasting is over I'm sure I will be subjected to pressure to eat chicken and other meats again, but for now, I'm enjoying the break.
Today in Kobuletti, I finally got my Georgian bank card and I bought a new beach bag. It's pink and says "the Black Sea". I chacked out the Resource Centre, too. It's not quite what I expected, but it's busy and obviously well-used. I'll probably have more of an appreciation for it after Sept.1st when I know more about what I'm teaching.
Yesterday we went to the museum for an exhibit by a Georgian painter. I didn't much like his work. It was really simplistic lines and dark colours. All of the living things had these creepy big, empty eyes. The one painting I liked was about a rustler stealing a horse, and I liked it because of how he painted the moon and clouds.
After the museum we met HM at a cafe. We dropped S at her place and the girls at their place, cuz I had to get my things and then headed back to Kvirike. I had a swim and some dinner and then we went visiting with the neighbours. The visit was fun, but was kind of annoyed, because I had to miss my favourite serial.
Random things I've learned.
1. The cows that migrate up and down the street have no distinguishing marks. They just know which home is theirs. If a cow tries to come into your yard, it's your cow.
2. There is no drinking age here. Kids drink whenever their parents say it's ok.
3. Many people are "fasting" right now. But this just means that they don't eat meat. Except fish apparently doesn't count as meat, because everyone's still eating it. When the fasting is over I'm sure I will be subjected to pressure to eat chicken and other meats again, but for now, I'm enjoying the break.
Today in Kobuletti, I finally got my Georgian bank card and I bought a new beach bag. It's pink and says "the Black Sea". I chacked out the Resource Centre, too. It's not quite what I expected, but it's busy and obviously well-used. I'll probably have more of an appreciation for it after Sept.1st when I know more about what I'm teaching.
Monday, August 23, 2010
International Financial fun
I'm in Batumi overnight, staying with my HD's brother. We went shopping today and I found a shirt that I quite like. When I tried to put it on my MC, the card was declined. So the girl tried again - declined. I tried to use my debit, it was also declined. Given that I'm nowhere near my limit and my account has cash in it, I have no idea why they were rejected. I'm very frustrated.
So now I'm trying to work out the issue without making an incredibly expensive long distance call. On the plus side, if there is a problem with my card, maybe once I get it worked out I'll be able to buy things online again. A girl can hope.
So now I'm trying to work out the issue without making an incredibly expensive long distance call. On the plus side, if there is a problem with my card, maybe once I get it worked out I'll be able to buy things online again. A girl can hope.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Aug. 21 - same ol', same ol'
Haven’t written in a while, cuz nothing really exciting has happened. I spent an entire day lounging around here, reading and swimming. Another day was spent on the beach in Batumi with S and we met up with C (from Vancouver) for lunch. The food at the restaurant wasn’t great and the "pizza with vegetables" consisted almost entirely of mushrooms, with a couple of tomatoes and peppers thrown in. Also, they didn’t have any of the desserts that were on the menu, so we ended up with "chocolate" which was just a chocolate bar broken up into pieces and served on a plate.
That night S came back here and we had BBQ fish for dinner. Entire fish, with heads and eyes and everything. It actually tasted ok once I got over the fact that my dinner was looking at me. I was so glad that S was here to share it.
Yesterday, S and I spent the whole afternoon lounging around the pool. She was roasting in the sun, while I tried to stick to the shade. Wes tried to come, but the cabby was sketchy, so he got out, and then the bus to Kobuletti never came by. He waited at the bus stop for 45 minutes before giving up and going home. S stayed over again and accompanied my family on another round of visits.
We made plans to meet up today in Batumi, but it rained and rained and then there were scattered showers, so everyone is just hunkering down in their respective residences. But we had to get S home, so HD drove us to Kobuletti, so that she could catch a Marshutka. When the one we wanted didn’t stop, he chased it down, in the car, and got it to pull over and pick her up. She just called me, back safely in Batumi.
Throughout the afternoon we had a few visitors. And, of course, when anyone came, there had to be food laid out. When the first visitor left (after watermelon and cakes) it was time for lunch, which I was expected to eat some of. Then another visitor stopped by and we had more fruit and a different cake. Luckily, HM didn't try to feed me dinner until 9pm. I couldn't have eaten anything sooner than that.
That night S came back here and we had BBQ fish for dinner. Entire fish, with heads and eyes and everything. It actually tasted ok once I got over the fact that my dinner was looking at me. I was so glad that S was here to share it.
Yesterday, S and I spent the whole afternoon lounging around the pool. She was roasting in the sun, while I tried to stick to the shade. Wes tried to come, but the cabby was sketchy, so he got out, and then the bus to Kobuletti never came by. He waited at the bus stop for 45 minutes before giving up and going home. S stayed over again and accompanied my family on another round of visits.
We made plans to meet up today in Batumi, but it rained and rained and then there were scattered showers, so everyone is just hunkering down in their respective residences. But we had to get S home, so HD drove us to Kobuletti, so that she could catch a Marshutka. When the one we wanted didn’t stop, he chased it down, in the car, and got it to pull over and pick her up. She just called me, back safely in Batumi.
Throughout the afternoon we had a few visitors. And, of course, when anyone came, there had to be food laid out. When the first visitor left (after watermelon and cakes) it was time for lunch, which I was expected to eat some of. Then another visitor stopped by and we had more fruit and a different cake. Luckily, HM didn't try to feed me dinner until 9pm. I couldn't have eaten anything sooner than that.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Aug. 17 - Hanging out
After the late night last night, S and I decided to sleep in. HM popped in around 9 to see if S was riding back to Batumi with her. In sleepy, mangled Georgian, I somehow got across that she’d go back in the evening.
When we finally did get out of bed, the cows were migrating down the mountain. It’s old news for me, but S lives in the heart of the city, so she doesn’t usually get to see the cows migrate. Two young cows decided that they liked the road right in front of our house, so they hung out there while all the other cows went down the hill. S and I watched them for literally 45 minutes. They were real cute.
For breakfast we had peanut butter and honey on bread and tea with honey. For some reason, pb is very scarce here. Most supermarkets don’t carry it. But, yet again, I lucked out and my family has some. It made my life complete, knowing that I can have my regular breakfast (sans toast, but still).
We decided to spend the day in Kobuleti, shopping and meeting up with anyone else who happened to be there. Since HM was at work and HD was MIA, we decided to catch a bus into town. Well, about 3 houses up, one of the neighbours saw us and was like, "We’ll give you a ride, you’re not taking the bus." So we got a ride in.
My Georgian is progressing rapidly. And it’s not anything as easy as osmosis (though exposure is part of it). I spend hours each day studying, just so that I can make small talk with Grandma and the neighbours. I’m actually pretty proud of myself when I think that I’ve only been learning the language for 15 days.
Anyway, in Kobuleti, we spent the whole day walking. We walked up the town to get to the main strip where we did some shopping. (I may have purchased a new bathing suit and dress.) Then we met up with K. It had been my and S’s intention to go to the beach, but K was washing both of his swim suits, so we ended up not going. We did stop at this café and eat a fantastic "lunch" (at 4pm) of chicken kabobs and vegetable salad. Then S exchanged some money and we both put minutes on our phones, because text messaging saves sanity.
At the end of the day, I called home (as ordered) for a ride, but HD was sleeping, so I got to take a taxi home. S also took a taxi, because after waiting for 45 minutes for the bus, we decided that it probably wasn’t going to come. So we found S a cab to Batumi for about $12, while my 10 minute cab ride cost me $2.50. It was a bit of a rip-off, but I’m getting better at haggling.
At home, I went for a swim and had dinner with HM. After dinner, I came up to my room and set up my Skype. It is really cool. I’m a little sorry that I missed the boat on it for so long. I called Mom and Grandma T. And I got lucky, because T and L were at grandma’s, so I got to talk to them too. I love Skype.
When we finally did get out of bed, the cows were migrating down the mountain. It’s old news for me, but S lives in the heart of the city, so she doesn’t usually get to see the cows migrate. Two young cows decided that they liked the road right in front of our house, so they hung out there while all the other cows went down the hill. S and I watched them for literally 45 minutes. They were real cute.
For breakfast we had peanut butter and honey on bread and tea with honey. For some reason, pb is very scarce here. Most supermarkets don’t carry it. But, yet again, I lucked out and my family has some. It made my life complete, knowing that I can have my regular breakfast (sans toast, but still).
We decided to spend the day in Kobuleti, shopping and meeting up with anyone else who happened to be there. Since HM was at work and HD was MIA, we decided to catch a bus into town. Well, about 3 houses up, one of the neighbours saw us and was like, "We’ll give you a ride, you’re not taking the bus." So we got a ride in.
My Georgian is progressing rapidly. And it’s not anything as easy as osmosis (though exposure is part of it). I spend hours each day studying, just so that I can make small talk with Grandma and the neighbours. I’m actually pretty proud of myself when I think that I’ve only been learning the language for 15 days.
Anyway, in Kobuleti, we spent the whole day walking. We walked up the town to get to the main strip where we did some shopping. (I may have purchased a new bathing suit and dress.) Then we met up with K. It had been my and S’s intention to go to the beach, but K was washing both of his swim suits, so we ended up not going. We did stop at this café and eat a fantastic "lunch" (at 4pm) of chicken kabobs and vegetable salad. Then S exchanged some money and we both put minutes on our phones, because text messaging saves sanity.
At the end of the day, I called home (as ordered) for a ride, but HD was sleeping, so I got to take a taxi home. S also took a taxi, because after waiting for 45 minutes for the bus, we decided that it probably wasn’t going to come. So we found S a cab to Batumi for about $12, while my 10 minute cab ride cost me $2.50. It was a bit of a rip-off, but I’m getting better at haggling.
At home, I went for a swim and had dinner with HM. After dinner, I came up to my room and set up my Skype. It is really cool. I’m a little sorry that I missed the boat on it for so long. I called Mom and Grandma T. And I got lucky, because T and L were at grandma’s, so I got to talk to them too. I love Skype.
Aug 16 - Freedom, partial freedom.
I finally got to spend some time in Batumi. Since HM works there, Igot a ride into town with her. My plan was to meet up with S (and maybe some others) and go shopping and swimming in the Sea. HM’s plan was for me to get dropped off at her brother-in-law’s apartment, so that I could hang out and speak English with his 2 teen-aged daughters.
After a mid-morning snack (in the UK it would’ve been elevenses) we decided to go to the waterpark. It was me, I and K (HD’s neices) and N (a niece by a different sibling). Between my Georgian and I’s English, we arranged to pick up S on the way. So the 5 of us had only been at the park for about a half hour, when I (the one with the best English) decides to go home. Leaving S and me with the 13- and 10-year-olds.
There were some crazy waterslides at the park, including several where people went down on a mat, head first. There was even one that looked like a ski-jump that involved inner tubes. It was so terrifying to watch, there was no way my inner chicken would let me try it. So S and I decided to try the one that went around and around, rather than straight down. It was sketchy. The 12-year-old who was working there was more interested in texting than in doing his job. The second time I went down, the guy behind me actually crashed into me. And S almost hit the guy in front of her. That was also the last time we went down. We spent most of the time in the pool.
When we’d had enough of the water, we headed back to the apartment, where we met up with I, again. We went to the same café as HM and HD took me to when we were in Batumi last week. I ordered a piece of cake that was delicious. S was in heaven because she could get a cheesburger there. It was Georgian spiced meat and cheese, but she was still excited for something so close to home.
HM met us back at the apartment, and S came home with us. We spent an hour in the pool and then had a lovely dinner with HM, We hung out upstairs for a bit, and then joined HM and HD for a game of cards. They play a game called Joker and since neither S or I knew how to play, HM called over the guy from across the street to teach us (he speaks English pretty well). it turns out that the game ’s a little bit like "Oh Darn." But it was just different enough that none of my strategies worked. We had a great time playing, though and by the time we’d showered and got to bed, it was 2 am.
After a mid-morning snack (in the UK it would’ve been elevenses) we decided to go to the waterpark. It was me, I and K (HD’s neices) and N (a niece by a different sibling). Between my Georgian and I’s English, we arranged to pick up S on the way. So the 5 of us had only been at the park for about a half hour, when I (the one with the best English) decides to go home. Leaving S and me with the 13- and 10-year-olds.
There were some crazy waterslides at the park, including several where people went down on a mat, head first. There was even one that looked like a ski-jump that involved inner tubes. It was so terrifying to watch, there was no way my inner chicken would let me try it. So S and I decided to try the one that went around and around, rather than straight down. It was sketchy. The 12-year-old who was working there was more interested in texting than in doing his job. The second time I went down, the guy behind me actually crashed into me. And S almost hit the guy in front of her. That was also the last time we went down. We spent most of the time in the pool.
When we’d had enough of the water, we headed back to the apartment, where we met up with I, again. We went to the same café as HM and HD took me to when we were in Batumi last week. I ordered a piece of cake that was delicious. S was in heaven because she could get a cheesburger there. It was Georgian spiced meat and cheese, but she was still excited for something so close to home.
HM met us back at the apartment, and S came home with us. We spent an hour in the pool and then had a lovely dinner with HM, We hung out upstairs for a bit, and then joined HM and HD for a game of cards. They play a game called Joker and since neither S or I knew how to play, HM called over the guy from across the street to teach us (he speaks English pretty well). it turns out that the game ’s a little bit like "Oh Darn." But it was just different enough that none of my strategies worked. We had a great time playing, though and by the time we’d showered and got to bed, it was 2 am.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Video coverage of the prez
This is the link for the press coverage of TLG meets the president:
http://www.facebook.com/l/e5d40XYoqdP0YbWWrq1kINtwiNA;www.adjaratv.ge/ge/index.php?page=shownews&id=28376
It's in Georgian, but check us out.
http://www.facebook.com/l/e5d40XYoqdP0YbWWrq1kINtwiNA;www.adjaratv.ge/ge/index.php?page=shownews&id=28376
It's in Georgian, but check us out.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Aug. 15 - Holy Crap, The President!!!
Considering that I’m not working and live in a village of 10 houses, my life here is really busy. Today I met the president. Of Georgia. He shook my hand and asked me where I’m from. There was a reception-type thingy in Batumi for the English teachers, including the new group who had just flown in the night before. Anyway, the president came in, shook a bunch of hands, made a little speech and then opened the floor for a Q & A before leaving. Of course there were media everywhere and we were all on TV, again. But only 3 people got intereviewed this time and I wasn’t one of them.
For most of the morning, I kinda hid up on my balcony with my Kobo and watched the construction workers out on the road in front of the house. I still haven’t figured out what they were doing, but they were there for hours. My host dad and brothers went out from time to time, but I think they were just visiting. Or maybe giving instructions. I’m really not sure.
Just before the trip to Batumi, the director from my school stopped by and took me over to see it. It is old. They’ve redone it recently, so it’s insulated now, but the rooms are small, and the hallways are big and echoey. It was really hard to make out any of the Georgian when I couldn’t identify single words. There’s no internet there, either, so I’m glad that my family has it. I also got to meet the English teacher there. Her English is pretty good, but the first thing she said to me was that she’d never spoken to a native English speaker before. She seems nice, and it looks like she knows her stuff, so it should be good.
Until yesterday, no one had any idea that this thing with the president was going to happen. And since I was stranded at A's house, I didn’t really get a chance to talk it over with my family beyond, "You go to Batumi, meet the president." Before I went to the school HM made sure to tell me to be home at 1 to eat, so that I could change and we could leave by 2. So, I’m ready to go at 2 and we get in the car. But the oldest son is in the car too, and she turned toward Kobuleti (which is the opposite direction to Batumi).
Then on the way to Kobuleti, we stopped to pick up HM’s sister. I was very confused, because I’d been told that we could only bring one person with us. It turns out that no one from our host families were allowed to come. So all of the teachers working in and around Kobuleti met in town to take a marshrut’ka (a mini-bus) to Kobuletti for the event. It was kinda fun. And it gave us a chance to share stories with the other teachers that we haven’t had a chance to see yet.
We took the same marshrut’ka home afterwards and from Kobuletti I called HM to come pick me up. We had a late dinner and watched the news coverage of the event. Then the Chris DeBurgh concert was on tv, but I didn’t watch that. Instead, I came up to my room to make plans to meet up with S (Boston) when I’m in Batumi tomorrow. I’m going to ride in with HM when she goes to work. Then we’re bringing S back with us, so she can hang out in the compound with me on Tues.
For most of the morning, I kinda hid up on my balcony with my Kobo and watched the construction workers out on the road in front of the house. I still haven’t figured out what they were doing, but they were there for hours. My host dad and brothers went out from time to time, but I think they were just visiting. Or maybe giving instructions. I’m really not sure.
Just before the trip to Batumi, the director from my school stopped by and took me over to see it. It is old. They’ve redone it recently, so it’s insulated now, but the rooms are small, and the hallways are big and echoey. It was really hard to make out any of the Georgian when I couldn’t identify single words. There’s no internet there, either, so I’m glad that my family has it. I also got to meet the English teacher there. Her English is pretty good, but the first thing she said to me was that she’d never spoken to a native English speaker before. She seems nice, and it looks like she knows her stuff, so it should be good.
Until yesterday, no one had any idea that this thing with the president was going to happen. And since I was stranded at A's house, I didn’t really get a chance to talk it over with my family beyond, "You go to Batumi, meet the president." Before I went to the school HM made sure to tell me to be home at 1 to eat, so that I could change and we could leave by 2. So, I’m ready to go at 2 and we get in the car. But the oldest son is in the car too, and she turned toward Kobuleti (which is the opposite direction to Batumi).
Then on the way to Kobuleti, we stopped to pick up HM’s sister. I was very confused, because I’d been told that we could only bring one person with us. It turns out that no one from our host families were allowed to come. So all of the teachers working in and around Kobuleti met in town to take a marshrut’ka (a mini-bus) to Kobuletti for the event. It was kinda fun. And it gave us a chance to share stories with the other teachers that we haven’t had a chance to see yet.
We took the same marshrut’ka home afterwards and from Kobuletti I called HM to come pick me up. We had a late dinner and watched the news coverage of the event. Then the Chris DeBurgh concert was on tv, but I didn’t watch that. Instead, I came up to my room to make plans to meet up with S (Boston) when I’m in Batumi tomorrow. I’m going to ride in with HM when she goes to work. Then we’re bringing S back with us, so she can hang out in the compound with me on Tues.
Aug. 14 - Can't take me anywhere
What a crazy day. After the morning swim with the family, I got Host Mom to drop me off at the bus/train station in Kobuletti to meet up with E (she's from New Zealand). It was an effort in communication, but we finally figured it out, and I got the day to myself.
E and I met A (from New York) on our way to K's(Mississippi). A and I could not stop talking. It was the first time either of us had seen English-speaking people since arriving with our host families. E and K laughed at us, because they had seen each other and W (Florida) 2 days ago.
Once we had all gathered, the 4 of us stopped into a café for a drink (I had Fanta). It was really interesting to hear about everyone’s different living situation. K’s family runs a hostel in the touristy section of Kobuletti. So though his Host-dad doesn’t speak any English, there’s almost always someone there who does. E lives on a farm with a cow named Barbara and some chickens. They spend their time swimming in the nearby river. A’s host family lives up a mountain. The quickest way to walk there is on these little not-quite-paths, as I had a first hand chance to experience. And the climb is almost straight up.
Before we could go to the beach, A and I both needed to buy towels. Mine is blue with polka dots. We practiced our Georgian and A haggled, but she couldn’t get the price any lower. We found out that it was because all of the other vendors were selling their towels for 10 lari more than that woman was charging. So, towels in hand, we made our way to the beach. We hung out in the water and just chatted. It was fantastic not to have to struggle to communicate the most basic thought, or idea.
When we were done in the water, we stopped for drinks at the shoreline café. Again we chatted and I had a piece of the most delicious chocolate cake. Over the course of our chatting, A and I discovered that we lived near each other just off of the same mountain road. So when we left the beach and walked K home, we decided to catch the same bus back.
It turns out that the bus doesn’t stop where we thought it did. Also, that we don’t actually live that close to each other. So when the bus went past the stop, we got off at the next stop, without paying, cuz we couldn’t figure out how. At this point, I was farther away from home than I had been when we started. But we walked back to A's host family’s house, thinking that from there I could call a taxi.
No such luck. And her host sister called my Host Mom and said that I was going to stay the night. Normally that would’ve been fine, but we are meeting the President of Georgia tomorrow, and I wanted to get home to shower, and have fresh clothes to wear.
For a really long time, neither A nor I could figure out exactly what the plan was. So when her family told me I was staying to eat, I didn’t argue. While we were waiting for dinner, a bunch of her host-mom’s relatives showed up. It was funny, because all day she’d been telling us that she hadn’t had any visitors, her family hadn’t shown her off and no one had asked her personal questions about her marital status or religion. So when the extended family got there, she didn’t know what to do and I was like, "Welcome to my life. This happens every day, usually several times." But she couldn’t get over it.
In the shuffle and bustle of family and food, the specific details about my situation got lost. A’s host sister kept talking about going to get my clothes, but I couldn’t figure out why if someone was going to my house, I couldn’t just go with them and stay there. It was 10pm before someone finally told us that I was going home. Unfortunately, even after we figured out that I wasn’t staying the night, no one called HM to tell her, so they weren’t expecting me home. Luckily they were still awake, and let me in, but I felt SO bad, especially when I found a fan waiting for me in my room, complete with a remote.
I’ve definitely learned my lesson. If I’m ever allowed out of the house again, I’ll be taking a taxi directly to my door.
E and I met A (from New York) on our way to K's(Mississippi). A and I could not stop talking. It was the first time either of us had seen English-speaking people since arriving with our host families. E and K laughed at us, because they had seen each other and W (Florida) 2 days ago.
Once we had all gathered, the 4 of us stopped into a café for a drink (I had Fanta). It was really interesting to hear about everyone’s different living situation. K’s family runs a hostel in the touristy section of Kobuletti. So though his Host-dad doesn’t speak any English, there’s almost always someone there who does. E lives on a farm with a cow named Barbara and some chickens. They spend their time swimming in the nearby river. A’s host family lives up a mountain. The quickest way to walk there is on these little not-quite-paths, as I had a first hand chance to experience. And the climb is almost straight up.
Before we could go to the beach, A and I both needed to buy towels. Mine is blue with polka dots. We practiced our Georgian and A haggled, but she couldn’t get the price any lower. We found out that it was because all of the other vendors were selling their towels for 10 lari more than that woman was charging. So, towels in hand, we made our way to the beach. We hung out in the water and just chatted. It was fantastic not to have to struggle to communicate the most basic thought, or idea.
When we were done in the water, we stopped for drinks at the shoreline café. Again we chatted and I had a piece of the most delicious chocolate cake. Over the course of our chatting, A and I discovered that we lived near each other just off of the same mountain road. So when we left the beach and walked K home, we decided to catch the same bus back.
It turns out that the bus doesn’t stop where we thought it did. Also, that we don’t actually live that close to each other. So when the bus went past the stop, we got off at the next stop, without paying, cuz we couldn’t figure out how. At this point, I was farther away from home than I had been when we started. But we walked back to A's host family’s house, thinking that from there I could call a taxi.
No such luck. And her host sister called my Host Mom and said that I was going to stay the night. Normally that would’ve been fine, but we are meeting the President of Georgia tomorrow, and I wanted to get home to shower, and have fresh clothes to wear.
For a really long time, neither A nor I could figure out exactly what the plan was. So when her family told me I was staying to eat, I didn’t argue. While we were waiting for dinner, a bunch of her host-mom’s relatives showed up. It was funny, because all day she’d been telling us that she hadn’t had any visitors, her family hadn’t shown her off and no one had asked her personal questions about her marital status or religion. So when the extended family got there, she didn’t know what to do and I was like, "Welcome to my life. This happens every day, usually several times." But she couldn’t get over it.
In the shuffle and bustle of family and food, the specific details about my situation got lost. A’s host sister kept talking about going to get my clothes, but I couldn’t figure out why if someone was going to my house, I couldn’t just go with them and stay there. It was 10pm before someone finally told us that I was going home. Unfortunately, even after we figured out that I wasn’t staying the night, no one called HM to tell her, so they weren’t expecting me home. Luckily they were still awake, and let me in, but I felt SO bad, especially when I found a fan waiting for me in my room, complete with a remote.
I’ve definitely learned my lesson. If I’m ever allowed out of the house again, I’ll be taking a taxi directly to my door.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Aug. 13 - Culture Shock continues
Black Sea again this morning. After a breakfast of cereal and milk. I know you're thinking "ah, just like home." But if you are, you'd be wrong. The cereal was Nesquick chocolate puffs and corn flakes. The milk was boiled on the stove with water and then poured (still hot) over the cereal. It actually tasted ok, but the texture was iffy. Luckily host-mom knows I like fruit and had watermelon handy.
I met the director of the school this afternoon. She was very nice, but didn't speak a word of English. Her French is very good, though mine is not. She brought me the English curriculum to go through, which was kind, even if it was written in Georgian. The Russian teacher picked her up, so I got to meet her, too. Again, no English. I'm a little worried about meeting the English teacher, but I think that's happening tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.
Host-Grandma is back from her vacation. She doesn't speak English, but seems to be very good at charades. We bonded this afternoon over Brazilian soap operas dubbed into Georgian. It was sweet.
It's the same soap that all of the English teachers have seen in the last few days. I talked to 3 of them this afternoon. We're all getting a little squirrelly, sequestered away with our host families. The pace of life is much slower here, and we're all bored out of our minds. It's not so bad for the city-folk, but out in the villages, there's nothing to do and the host-families seem reluctant to let us out by ourselves.
To keep me occupied this afternoon, Host-mom took me for a walk through the orchard. We sat at a picnic table and had some cold water direct from a mountain spring. It was lovely to spend some time outside, but in the shade. My sunscreen is working full blast. Even with all the time in the sun, I haven't burned (knock on wood). My HM thinks it funny that I'm so white. It is quite a frequent topic of conversation.
After a supper of macaroni and cheese, Host-Dad's twin brother came over with his wife and daughter. They were very interested in me, but didn't speak English, so our pigeon-english-georgian conversation was a trial. We worked through it, but trying to explain that I don't really have an ethnicity besides Canadian was difficult. Tonight was much more relaxed than any of the other times there were visitors. We hung out in the a.c. room and tried to chat. The daughter took English in school, so she was excited to practice.
HD's brother told me that it was ok to call home to Toronto from his cell phone. "No problem" he said, but I declined. Then he invited me to stay with their family in Batumi for 5 days. I tried to decline, but I don't know if I did. All I know is that I'm going to Batumi on Monday, but I don't know if I'm coming back. I'm not worried, though. I'll find out sooner or later.
I met the director of the school this afternoon. She was very nice, but didn't speak a word of English. Her French is very good, though mine is not. She brought me the English curriculum to go through, which was kind, even if it was written in Georgian. The Russian teacher picked her up, so I got to meet her, too. Again, no English. I'm a little worried about meeting the English teacher, but I think that's happening tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.
Host-Grandma is back from her vacation. She doesn't speak English, but seems to be very good at charades. We bonded this afternoon over Brazilian soap operas dubbed into Georgian. It was sweet.
It's the same soap that all of the English teachers have seen in the last few days. I talked to 3 of them this afternoon. We're all getting a little squirrelly, sequestered away with our host families. The pace of life is much slower here, and we're all bored out of our minds. It's not so bad for the city-folk, but out in the villages, there's nothing to do and the host-families seem reluctant to let us out by ourselves.
To keep me occupied this afternoon, Host-mom took me for a walk through the orchard. We sat at a picnic table and had some cold water direct from a mountain spring. It was lovely to spend some time outside, but in the shade. My sunscreen is working full blast. Even with all the time in the sun, I haven't burned (knock on wood). My HM thinks it funny that I'm so white. It is quite a frequent topic of conversation.
After a supper of macaroni and cheese, Host-Dad's twin brother came over with his wife and daughter. They were very interested in me, but didn't speak English, so our pigeon-english-georgian conversation was a trial. We worked through it, but trying to explain that I don't really have an ethnicity besides Canadian was difficult. Tonight was much more relaxed than any of the other times there were visitors. We hung out in the a.c. room and tried to chat. The daughter took English in school, so she was excited to practice.
HD's brother told me that it was ok to call home to Toronto from his cell phone. "No problem" he said, but I declined. Then he invited me to stay with their family in Batumi for 5 days. I tried to decline, but I don't know if I did. All I know is that I'm going to Batumi on Monday, but I don't know if I'm coming back. I'm not worried, though. I'll find out sooner or later.
Aug 12 - Can you say culture shock?
Today we went to a different beach on the Black Sea. It was less crowded, but there was trash everywhere. One thing I noticed is that kids will be kids. Half a world away and kids are still collecting shells, sitting in the waves and throwing rocks at each other.
After the beach we took a family trip into Batumi. It was an experience. I like to call it an exercise in motion sickness. Again 7 of us in the car on twisty mountain roads and a 1 and a half lane highway, not to mention the tunnel and then the traffic in the city. Plus we stopped for lunch in a restaurant, just so I could try the Adjaran kajapuri (not that anyone listened when I tried to explain that I've already had it). I ordered a small, but it wasn't. Plus with all the egg and cheese (a soury, smoked, Georgian specialty cheese) it was a little much. Then we had to stop and run a bunch of errands, so I was not a happy camper.
Back at the homestead (a gravol and multiple near-death-experiences later) I came right upstairs to bed. It was about 5pm, but the temp was still in the 40s. The thunder rolled, but the promised rain never came. Mom called and we chatted for a bit, but my head was imploding, so I hung up and napped for a couple of hours. I went downstairs in time for supper of pizza (with cut up hot dogs on it). The rest of the evening was spent outside in the breeze peeling the outer coating from hazelnuts, which grow in my host family's orchard.
The orchard has mandarines as well as hazlenuts and it's at the back of the house. To one side of the house is the basketball court (with post holes for a tennis or volleyball net, too) and on the other is the swimming pool area. I jokingly call it "the compound", but it kinda is. Everything is surrounded by a privacy fence and you have to drive in through a gate.
The one thing that doesn't fit is the livestock. One neighbour raises cows and a little further down the mountain are goats. But the fields here don't have fences, so I frequently look out my window, to see a herd of cows migrating, either up or down the mountain. Although sometimes they're just hanging out in front of my house, standin' in the middle of the road. It makes the scary, scary driving that much more fun.
After the beach we took a family trip into Batumi. It was an experience. I like to call it an exercise in motion sickness. Again 7 of us in the car on twisty mountain roads and a 1 and a half lane highway, not to mention the tunnel and then the traffic in the city. Plus we stopped for lunch in a restaurant, just so I could try the Adjaran kajapuri (not that anyone listened when I tried to explain that I've already had it). I ordered a small, but it wasn't. Plus with all the egg and cheese (a soury, smoked, Georgian specialty cheese) it was a little much. Then we had to stop and run a bunch of errands, so I was not a happy camper.
Back at the homestead (a gravol and multiple near-death-experiences later) I came right upstairs to bed. It was about 5pm, but the temp was still in the 40s. The thunder rolled, but the promised rain never came. Mom called and we chatted for a bit, but my head was imploding, so I hung up and napped for a couple of hours. I went downstairs in time for supper of pizza (with cut up hot dogs on it). The rest of the evening was spent outside in the breeze peeling the outer coating from hazelnuts, which grow in my host family's orchard.
The orchard has mandarines as well as hazlenuts and it's at the back of the house. To one side of the house is the basketball court (with post holes for a tennis or volleyball net, too) and on the other is the swimming pool area. I jokingly call it "the compound", but it kinda is. Everything is surrounded by a privacy fence and you have to drive in through a gate.
The one thing that doesn't fit is the livestock. One neighbour raises cows and a little further down the mountain are goats. But the fields here don't have fences, so I frequently look out my window, to see a herd of cows migrating, either up or down the mountain. Although sometimes they're just hanging out in front of my house, standin' in the middle of the road. It makes the scary, scary driving that much more fun.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Aug. 11 - Movin' on up
Yesterday was the big day. We said goodbye to the TLG staff and hello to our host families. After breakfast and check-out in Kutaisi, we drove down to Batumi where there was another ceremony. We ate Adjaran khajapuri for lunch, which is the regonal variation on Georgian cheese-bread.
The ceremony itself took place in a castle, which was really just the fortress walls surrounding a giant courtyard. It was really pretty, though. We entered down a tree-lined path, to traditional Georgian folksongs. They had some speeches from the Adjaran minister of education and some other people followed by traditional Georgian dancing. It was really cool. Then they served refreshments (which none of us had room for) and our host families found us. Even though most of us had met our families, they still read out the names, so we could meet in front of the media.
My family brought me back to their house. It’s in a little village about 10 minutes out of Kobuleti and it’s huge. There is plenty of room for Mom, Dad, Grandma, 3 kids and me. No one in the family speaks English, but there’s a neighbour who came by to translate. Then we all had family dinner and in broken Georgian I tried to explain that I was just full, because they kept wanting me to eat.
I unpacked after dinner. It was pretty easy to find room for all of my things. When I came downstairs, there were over 15 people here. My host mom introduced me to everyone, but I forgot all names within seconds. None of them spoke much English, either, so we muddled through with mangled English, Georgian and French (one of the women spoke a little). It was really overwhelming.
This morning we went swimming in the Black Sea. It wasn’t as salty as the ocean, but more than a lake. The beach was a rock beach, which meant that there wasn’t sand getting into everything, but it was hard on the feet. I slipped many times trying to get to the water. The coolest thing is that when the waves are going out, it sounds like a wind chyme, because of the rocks sliding over each other.
The scariest part about going to the beach was getting there. Apparently in Georgia, no one wears a seat belt and laws are not enforced. There were 7 people in the car on the way to the beach; Mom, Dad, me, 3 kids and the nanny (I think). We passed cows and goats and other cars. It was frightning, but we arrived there and back in one piece.
The ceremony itself took place in a castle, which was really just the fortress walls surrounding a giant courtyard. It was really pretty, though. We entered down a tree-lined path, to traditional Georgian folksongs. They had some speeches from the Adjaran minister of education and some other people followed by traditional Georgian dancing. It was really cool. Then they served refreshments (which none of us had room for) and our host families found us. Even though most of us had met our families, they still read out the names, so we could meet in front of the media.
My family brought me back to their house. It’s in a little village about 10 minutes out of Kobuleti and it’s huge. There is plenty of room for Mom, Dad, Grandma, 3 kids and me. No one in the family speaks English, but there’s a neighbour who came by to translate. Then we all had family dinner and in broken Georgian I tried to explain that I was just full, because they kept wanting me to eat.
I unpacked after dinner. It was pretty easy to find room for all of my things. When I came downstairs, there were over 15 people here. My host mom introduced me to everyone, but I forgot all names within seconds. None of them spoke much English, either, so we muddled through with mangled English, Georgian and French (one of the women spoke a little). It was really overwhelming.
This morning we went swimming in the Black Sea. It wasn’t as salty as the ocean, but more than a lake. The beach was a rock beach, which meant that there wasn’t sand getting into everything, but it was hard on the feet. I slipped many times trying to get to the water. The coolest thing is that when the waves are going out, it sounds like a wind chyme, because of the rocks sliding over each other.
The scariest part about going to the beach was getting there. Apparently in Georgia, no one wears a seat belt and laws are not enforced. There were 7 people in the car on the way to the beach; Mom, Dad, me, 3 kids and the nanny (I think). We passed cows and goats and other cars. It was frightning, but we arrived there and back in one piece.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Aug. 6-8 - Training/ Summer Camp
Georgian classes continue in the mornings. We're getting better. I can remember most of the grammar rules, but I need work on my vocab. It's coming along better than I'd expected, though, so I'm excited about getting to use it for real.
Thursday night, we went to see a cave. It was pretty cool, but the 40 minute bus ride up an unpaved, single lane mountain road was not. Especially when there were groups of Georgian soldiers trying to march down the same road and I already felt like crap. The best thing about the cave was the temperature. It was about 16 degrees in there. It's the first time in a week that I was comfortable outside my air conditioned room.
On our way back from the cave, we stopped in town. I hung out with my roommate, S, in the park, while most of the group went for a walk. My stomach was very unhappy with me, so I got to practice some Georgian while trying to find a public bathroom. I finally found one in the back room of this tiny shop. S practiced her Georgian while waiting for me.
S and I are lucky enough to be in all of the same classes and seminars. We have exactly the same attitude. When we're bored, we pass notes and do things like make a tally chart of the number of stupid questions people in our group ask (that was during Wed's cross cultural class), but when the teacher's paying attention, we fake interest very well.
Friday through today we have teaching methodology in the afternoon. I can see how it would be useful to someone who didn't just spend a year learning much better teqniques, but I am BORED OUT OF MY MIND. We also have a lot of people in our group who have their M.Ed. or like, 20 years classroom experience, so the attention level is not very high. It doesn't help that while teaching us about learning style and different classroom techniques, our teacher uses only 1 teaching method. She's quite sweet, obviously enthusiastic and fairly knowledgable, but did I mention that I am BORED OUT OF MY MIND?
S and I spend the whole class sitting with C (the class clown from Alabama). We pass notes, and don't really discuss what we're supposed to during discussion time, but when the teacher calls on us, we always have an answer. Usually a good one. We've also learned that if she doesn't understand our answer, she stops calling on us. (She's Georgian, so sometimes there's a language barrier.)
Friday and Saturday nights the TLG staff organised more field trips for us, but S and I decided not to go. The first night, I still felt poorly and didn't want to chance the bus ride. So I read a little and hung out with S watching some web videos and doing laundry. By yesterday I felt better, but last night we both just decided we need some alone time away from the group. So, she skyped her parents in the office while I was in the bedroom reading. Then we watched Pirates of the Carribean on her computer. Good times.
There is nothing planned tonight, so I will probably just do my Georgian homework and study some vocab before bed.
Thursday night, we went to see a cave. It was pretty cool, but the 40 minute bus ride up an unpaved, single lane mountain road was not. Especially when there were groups of Georgian soldiers trying to march down the same road and I already felt like crap. The best thing about the cave was the temperature. It was about 16 degrees in there. It's the first time in a week that I was comfortable outside my air conditioned room.
On our way back from the cave, we stopped in town. I hung out with my roommate, S, in the park, while most of the group went for a walk. My stomach was very unhappy with me, so I got to practice some Georgian while trying to find a public bathroom. I finally found one in the back room of this tiny shop. S practiced her Georgian while waiting for me.
S and I are lucky enough to be in all of the same classes and seminars. We have exactly the same attitude. When we're bored, we pass notes and do things like make a tally chart of the number of stupid questions people in our group ask (that was during Wed's cross cultural class), but when the teacher's paying attention, we fake interest very well.
Friday through today we have teaching methodology in the afternoon. I can see how it would be useful to someone who didn't just spend a year learning much better teqniques, but I am BORED OUT OF MY MIND. We also have a lot of people in our group who have their M.Ed. or like, 20 years classroom experience, so the attention level is not very high. It doesn't help that while teaching us about learning style and different classroom techniques, our teacher uses only 1 teaching method. She's quite sweet, obviously enthusiastic and fairly knowledgable, but did I mention that I am BORED OUT OF MY MIND?
S and I spend the whole class sitting with C (the class clown from Alabama). We pass notes, and don't really discuss what we're supposed to during discussion time, but when the teacher calls on us, we always have an answer. Usually a good one. We've also learned that if she doesn't understand our answer, she stops calling on us. (She's Georgian, so sometimes there's a language barrier.)
Friday and Saturday nights the TLG staff organised more field trips for us, but S and I decided not to go. The first night, I still felt poorly and didn't want to chance the bus ride. So I read a little and hung out with S watching some web videos and doing laundry. By yesterday I felt better, but last night we both just decided we need some alone time away from the group. So, she skyped her parents in the office while I was in the bedroom reading. Then we watched Pirates of the Carribean on her computer. Good times.
There is nothing planned tonight, so I will probably just do my Georgian homework and study some vocab before bed.
Friday, August 6, 2010
TLG Recruiting
Anyone interested in coming to teach in Georgia, should visit www. tlg.gov.ge. When you register, mention my name, because there's a pretty sweet recruitment bonus in it for me.
Aug. 3-5 - nose to the grindstone time
Our schedule until next Monday consists of Georgian language classes for 4 hours in the morning, lunch, 4 hours of other classes in the afternoon (ex. safety, Georgian culture, teaching methodology...), 8pm supper and then "free time" until bed, which most of us use for studying. It's been quite grueling. Especially when the afternoon classes seem largely irrelevant and the power goes off causing the a.c. to stop working. Let me tell you, 25 people in a crowded classroom with no a.c. are 25 very irritable people. We've been so over-scheduled from morning til night that it's really hard to get even a moment to oneself. To make matters worse, almost everyone is suffering from some form of intestinal discomfort, though that should pass as we get more used to the food and water.
Things of note that I've learned over the past 3 days:
From the safety lecture,
- if a North American woman smiles at a strange man, she is offering herself to him.
- rural Georgia is like a weird cross between victorian England and 1950's U.S. as far as male/female relationships are concerned.
and,
- if a tiger attacks, I am within my rights to defend myself
From the "cross-cultural learning" session,
-
-
That was a long 4 hours, let me tell you. Some people just like to hear the sound of their own voice, regardless of whether they have anything relevant to say or not.
Yesterday afternoon we took a field trip to see some caves. They were pretty cool. I took some neat pictures of the stalactites and stuff. The hour-long drive to the caves, was not cool, however. The cave, surprise, surprise was in the mountains, which meant a lot of twisty narrow and UNPAVED roads. I already felt like crap and had I known we were going to stop in the city for an hour and a half, I wouldn't have gone.
Last night my roommate and I went to bed right after dinner, so I'm feeling a little better this morning, though my stomach wasn't thrilled with my attempt to eat breakfast. I miss toast and peanut butter.
Things of note that I've learned over the past 3 days:
From the safety lecture,
- if a North American woman smiles at a strange man, she is offering herself to him.
- rural Georgia is like a weird cross between victorian England and 1950's U.S. as far as male/female relationships are concerned.
and,
- if a tiger attacks, I am within my rights to defend myself
From the "cross-cultural learning" session,
-
-
That was a long 4 hours, let me tell you. Some people just like to hear the sound of their own voice, regardless of whether they have anything relevant to say or not.
Yesterday afternoon we took a field trip to see some caves. They were pretty cool. I took some neat pictures of the stalactites and stuff. The hour-long drive to the caves, was not cool, however. The cave, surprise, surprise was in the mountains, which meant a lot of twisty narrow and UNPAVED roads. I already felt like crap and had I known we were going to stop in the city for an hour and a half, I wouldn't have gone.
Last night my roommate and I went to bed right after dinner, so I'm feeling a little better this morning, though my stomach wasn't thrilled with my attempt to eat breakfast. I miss toast and peanut butter.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Aug. 2 - Last Day in T'blisi
We=ve learned that life in
This morning we had a reception at the Ministry of Education. There was LOADS of media there and I was asked to give another interview. The reporter who spoke to me was one of the ones that interviewed me at the airport. She also asked me for my personal phone number and gave me hers. It was a little weird.
The minister gave a speech and then we all got little packages of
From the Ministry we headed to
The rest of the bus ride to
Arriving in
Aug. 1 - the super long day
Breakfast started at 9am. It was a little weird. I don=t know if I can get used to the idea of the cold cuts, coleslaw, and dessert from the night before served as breakfast. There is cereal here, but the milk is different and I couldn=t eat it. So I=ve had yogurt and tea and hard boiled eggs to start my day. The hotel also reminds me of the Shining, the hallway leading to our rooms is really creepy. Also, smoking is allowed inside. It=s annoying.
After breakfast we had orientation. There was loads of media there again. I was lucky enough not to have to give another interview, but a bunch of different people did. We got a Georgian-English dictionary and our cell phones.
During sightseeing, we went to this super-old church, where there was more media. It had this wall, with really steep steps going up. I climbed the whole set. Before we left, one of the wedding couples wanted us to be in pictures with them, so we did and I got a couple on my camera, too. We also went to Goodwill, so that people could pick up some essential items, like wine. Here, Goodwill is like Walmart. They don=t have anything second-hand. From the bus we=ve passed this church on a hill, called metekhi, with a statue of a guy on a horse beside it. There are lots of statues of guys on horses around the city. Each one is a different king. The most famous is King David the Builder, but we only saw it from the back.
Before dinner, we had a couple of hours to kill, so I went for a walk with one of the guys, K, he=s from Mississipi. We wandered by the hotel. It was crazy, the houses in the middle of the city had gorgeous gardens. There are grape vines growing over everything. At one point we found this tiny little path that went through an overgrown orchard with many varieties of unidentified fruit; 2 of which we later learned were figs and pomegranates, respectively. The National Guard has a facility that we found, right after the fountain that looks like a giant ball. But we decided that it was a bad idea to go in, with so many people around. When we were back to the hotel, there was time to have a quick shower before dinner.
Dinner is a HUGE deal here, they call it supra and it can last all day. We spent 2 hours at the restaurant and there was enough food to feed 3x the number of people who were there. They pile the table with dishes, literally stacked one on top of the other. There is a cheese bread that is typical Georgian fare as well as egg plant and creamed spinach. They also serve a drink that they call Limonade, but doesn=t actually have any lime in it. It=s like a really sweet soda that comes in cream, pear, grape, and tarragon flavours. The cream one tastes like cream soda and the tarragon tastes like black licorice.
We were served Georgian wine at dinner, which I didn=t really like. But that=s ok, because when we got back to the hotel, we had a little party (in the creepy Shining-esque ballroom) where we drank the wine that we bought at Goodwill. We met the last teacher to arrive and chatted about our respective flights and airlines. It was a relaxing time, and the wine made me sleepy, so we went back to our room to pack.
On the way back to the room, we ran into a couple of Georgian guys having their own party in the hallway outside our rooms. They invited us to join them, but M and I needed to pack, so we went into our room, leaving D to hang out and practice his Georgian with them. But he called us later and asked us to come out again.
When we finished packing, we joined the guys in the hall, where we learned that if food or drink is offered, it=s rude to decline. So we each had a little bit of mulberry vodka, which wasn=t too bad, once the burning stopped. It was better than trying to take normal vodka straight. We hung out until about 2:30 and then went to bed.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Privacy
I will only be referring to my friends and co-workers by the first letter of their names, and possibly country of origin, in order to protect their privacy.
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