Sunday, October 17, 2010

1st Week in Georgia

Just doing a little back tracking at first to catch up:

I'm in Amsterdam waiting for my last connecting flight to Georgia. I feel like I skipped the night and went straight to the next day.  While waiting I spent about $6 for 15 min of internet and I scarfed down a delicious panini that prob cost me $12.  My previous 2 flights were pretty uneventful, just long because I only slept for about 2omin. -Oct. 2, 2010 at 12:34pm

I made it! I'm sharing a room with two other girls at the Sheridon for a week of training in T'bilisi.  There was media and video cameras everywhere when we were gathering and trying to leave the airport.  When I first walked out of the airport, the impression I got was that the country smelt like cigrette smoke and donuts. Mmmm. -Oct. 2, 2010 at 9:21pm



Learning the language is crazy. We've been studying all day every day since I got here.  Basically, we get this awesome breakfast in the morning of pretty much anything we want, then we meet together as a group for about 15 min and then we have Georgian Language classes for 4 hours. After that we have lunch and then go back to class for Cultural training for three more hours, then dinner break and then back to another group meeting for whatever they need to give us or tell us. - Oct. 6, 2010 at 1:54pm

We took a venture out one night and saw this castle on the hill.

 The view from breakfast, 10th floor of the Hotel.
 Our fearless leaders Giga and Tamara.
 My hotel roommates, Jiayi & Joanne.

So we all just found out where we're going to be teaching. I am staying in T'bilisi the capital. Yay! I wanted to go to the coast but this will be great too. - Oct. 7, 2010 at 10:33pm




The separation.
  











So I am living with this very sweet family here in a subsection of T'bilisi. There is a mother, father, their 2 boys (9 & 11), and the grandparents. Lucky for me the mother speaks English pretty well. She took me around shopping with her yesterday and we went to my first bazari (outdoor market) It was pretty neat.  Oh, the driving here is crazy, trying to cross the street anywhere is like running a gauntlet. No one stops for pedestrians, not even for a little boy who looks about 4 years old on crutches. - Oct. 10, 2010 at 7:57am

My host family.



This is when we went to the Bazari




Yum yum.

4 comments:

  1. What a great adventure. I envy you.

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  2. The picture of the host family grandparents could totally win a photo contest if it was in focus with higher resolution. Either that one or even more likely the bell picture. Three bells but one is missing. You need to post that one here too. That picture was awesome.
    Reed

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  3. As I look at your pictures I have a longing to visit Georgia again. It is a special place with wonderful traditions and the best historical sites in the world to see!! David Gareja monastery near Udabno(literally means desert), Georgia is a 5th century monastery on the border of Georgia & Azerbaijan and it is a must see. This is living history, it is liking a being in a day from the Old Testament. Hike up the mountain there and you will see the Russian Federation to the North and Azerbaijan to the South.

    Another fantastic place to visit is Vardzia. This is in the South Central of Georgia, near Akhalsitkhe, and Turkish and Armenian borders. Vardzia is a 11th century cave complex that housed the Georgians beloved Queen Tamar and the Royal family.

    A closer place to go early evening is Mtskheta to see Jvari church. Jvari church sits on a mountain that faces toward Mtskheta and the convergence of the Mtvari and Aragavi Rivers. St. Nino of Cappodocia brought Christianity here about 350 AD. Georgia is considered the second country to adopt Christianity. Outside of Mtskheta there is a great place to go for dinner that serves Georgian dumplings called Khinkali. Yum! Tradition is to eat the top knot of the dumpling and suck out the juice.

    A good lunch in Tbilisi is at Lagidze Waters, I think on Rustaveli Ave., have the Adjaran khachapuuri (cheese bread) and one of their mineral waters. Simple but delicious!

    Okay so you get the picture, I like Georgia! My family hosted a Georgian foreign exchange student and I have visited them in 2003 and in 2005. Hope to come back again soon! Good people, great traditions, and great beauty!
    K

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  4. oh the pig feet!! and chicken feet!!

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