A Glimpse of the East

Recently I went on a trip to job-shadow a current volunteer in the region of Kakheti in the far east of Georgia. We were literally a stone's throw from Azerbaijan and what you see in the background of the picture are the Caucasus Mountains. Growing up my entire life playing soccer I particularly appreciate this one. The view is absolutely breathtaking, and for an ox to simply be hanging out right by the gates to the fields was quite amusing.

Warmer Outdoors than In!

Our school is a concrete box likely from the Soviet Era. I do not know how much time those of you reading have spent in concrete buildings with no insulation, but I'll give you a tip, it is akin to going to school inside a refrigerator. Our first few weeks here we wore hats, gloves, scarves, and our fleeces just to keep warm during our four hours of language class every morning. I truly have a new respect for the actual students in Georgia as well as the teachers and empathize with them. During the winters it must be absolutely brutal. I used to hate how cold school was in America, which was due to excessive air conditioning, that did not even compare!

This pictures was taken on a particularly nice day during which one of our breaks from class the members of my cluster came to a consensus that we could focus more on our studies if we could feel the tips of our fingers. So we moved everything you see outside and had a lovely session in the sunshine! :)

Jame! Georgia Takes the Cake as a Top Food Culture.

Saying food is an integral part of this culture would be an understatement. I have visited many places where cuisine was a key ingredient of the culture, but I think Georgia is unlike any other. Hospitality is an integral part of how they behave and how they perceive themselves. Being that offering and providing one's guests is a primary means to convey said hospitality, let's just say one never has the opportunity to go hungry here. :)

When I first arrived I did try to eat almost everything they offered except for dairy which I have stood firm against eating here. However as time goes on I realize neither my stomach nor my body will appreciate if I consume EVERYTHING...including the literally loaves of bread they offer in a single sitting daily. I love the dishes that are solely Georgian, which include khatchapouri and lobiani, basically cheese bread and bean bread. However, in the interest of my health I stand firm on consuming only one pouri (bread) serving a day and so far it has gone well. Granted there are days that my host mom thinks I eat only beans and cucumbers, but I'm doing alright so far. We lovingly joke that butter, oil, and salt seem to be food groups here, but other than that, the vegetables I have been offered are in fact quite amazing. I don't always know every vegetable that is in each dish so I just refer to them as medleys of goodness!

In one more display of appreciation for us American visitors, Claire's Family (Claire is the other girl volunteer in my village and the one in the picture) made a cake for us. It says in Georgian "Me Mik'vars claire da zhana.", or "I love Claire and Jana"! It was really adorable and made me feel special to say the least!

Awesome Dviri Cluster

This is myself, Collin, Goodloe, and Claire, the other members in my group at Ottoman ruins on a hill in our village. Overall I think we have a pretty nice time together and we have a good balance of Southern versus everyone else in the country, since Goodloe is also a wonderful Southener. :)

We have a paved road running through the center of our village with some lights on it and at some parts in the village there are dirt roads that still have lights on them. I live on a rocky dirt road up a hill with absolutely no lights. One of our host fathers lovingly refers to the paved road as New York, the lighted unpaved as Chicago, and the regular dirt road as Nicaragua. Which road one is walking is irrelevant in my opinion, as I have already become an expert in dodging presents from the farm animals that roam freely scattered about all of the roads. The only difficulty I find with the unpaved is it makes wallowing pigs more difficult to spot and on more than one occasion I have almost stepped on one.

Oh and notice in the picture the openness behind us. Literally if anyone of us leaned back a foot we would have dropped off and become scrambled eggs shortly after that. Hiking up there was another interesting journey up a pretty sizable hill. I did enjoy it a great deal, although coming down one of the locals accompanying us asked if I was a city girl essentially because I tripped more than once. Little did he know I trip on solid ground like it's my job!