Best Weekend Ever!!

This weekend was by far the best weekend I have had in a really long time! I went with my new friends across all of Georgia. We stopped in Kutaisi first to grab some essentials before making the long trek up a giant mountain to the region of Svaneti. It took us a while to get up there, with bumpy roads and head butting cows, but we finally made it just in time to have a supra with one of my friends cousins. They own a sort of bed and breakfast type house so we slept very well! The next day we continued up the mountain to get a better view as well as some food; what a long ride that was! We then went back to my friends cousins house where we made yet another supra. We called it a night and woke up bright and early to drive down the mountain and to the Black Sea. It took us a few hours but we finally made it to the beach city of Batumi. We swam, drove to the Turkish boarder, and even got to see a water show that used a projector to project various dances from around the world into a cloud of mist; the dancers looked like they were actually there dancing! We left Batumi that same night and drove back to Kutaisi where I met some more Georgians, one of which gave me a present (a bottle of Georgian wine) after only getting to meet me for one hour...now that's hospitality!! The next day we went into some caves and into a forest where we were able to see dinosaur footprints, very cool. After that we visited some churches, one of which is probably the most famous church in all of Georgia, then went to my friends parents house to eat and make supra before finally coming back to Gori. I had so much fun and I now have two really good Georgian friends. We are like the three stooges and are already planning our next adventure :).

Survival of the Fittest

So, where to begin. This past weekend I went camping with some students from work and let me tell you, it was survival of the fittest haha. I stood by while they all went crazy trying to set up a fire and get some food going. I helped fish, though I caught nothing. By the time it was ready for dinner we had one fish; but some smart person brought along basically the whole back half of a goat! So we cooked it on the fire and I ate goat liver for the first time! We then had a supra, of course, and drank lots of wine and cognac. I then proceeded to tell them how tough I was and that I could wade into the cold river. It turned out to be a bit too cold for me but that didn't matter because someone picked me up and threw me in the river! Luckily I brought a change of clothes so was able to keep dry. The next day we had to drive down the mountain on a gravel road which did not help the headache that I had. When I got home my host family told me that I should have drank more when I woke up; apparently three shots of cognac will cure any headache from the night before. While this may be true, my stomach would have hated me! So, instead they made me eat soup made of cow stomach and cow hooves; probably wont be eating that again! Now that my stomach has calmed down, it's back to school mode!

In the Line of Fire

So today one of the local army's second in commands took me to the buffer zone right between Georgia and the Russian occupied territory of South Ossetia. This was nerve racking, just a bit, because we were standing right on the national line of Georgia and the buffer zone; according to the Georgian soldiers guarding their side of the buffer zone, no one crosses it (Georgian or Russian) unless you want to encounter crossfire or start something that you definitely don't want to finish. I could stand on the hillside, behind low lying barricades, and see into South Ossetia, one of the most dangerous places in all of Georgia (because it's still Georgian territory, just occupied by the Russians). It was odd to think that as I was looking over towards the Russians, they were looking back at me, watching, to make sure that I, and the soldiers I was with, didn't cross into the buffer zone. When we went to another military blockade on the buffer zone a few miles away, we witnessed a woman crossing from South Ossetia back in Georgia. Cars cannot travel on these roads, you go by foot, and if you choose to go into South Ossetia...well, there is nothing more the Georgian government can do to protect you. All the way there and back it was noticeable, the bullet holes in the sides of buildings and the houses set just back off the road that were bombed and left to crumble. My host mother's sister's house in Gori, my town, was leveled when a bomb landed on it. Now come to think of it, when we went to the military base, where I teach, for the first time, I remember pointing out a building and asking my host brother what it was. He naturally said, "those are bullet holes," not knowing I was talking about the building as a whole. This is an interesting place, and the only reason they asked me to go with them to the buffer zone...because I'm a Journalist :). They thought as a Journalist that I'd be interested in this kind of stuff, so I could go back to America and tell people there Georgia's side of the story. I guess in a way I'm already doing that. Cheers.

Night out in Tbilisi

So, Friday was test day here in Gori and surprisingly, most students did well! On Saturday I traveled to the capital, Tbilisi, to meet up with my Georgian friend and a few other Americans. We toured around a bit, going to a castle (with a great view of the entire city) and also to an Orthodox Church (which was really big and really beautiful). It makes you think more about the history of Georgia and just how far this tiny country has come! We then we to eat some Georgian food, of course! We had khinquali and some meat kebabs followed my some Georgian beer. It was all very appetizing! We then went out for a night on the town which included checking out the local night life as well as going to hear my host brother's cousin sing; he is the winner of Geo Star which is like our American Idol. He sang lots of smooth jazz; I can see why he won! Then we headed to bed, woke up, and took off back to Gori. Class went well today and am starting to look forward to what's ahead. All of my officers that I teach want to take me out to practice shooting and possibly even making wine! We will see how this all goes. Will post more later!

Life in Gori

So, today I went with my host brother to yet another Supra, this time in celebration of a religious holiday of some kind. We ate lots of food: cow, sheep, pig, eggplant, bread, beans, cheese, khadjipuri, and of course...wine. Many toasts were made, this time they honored America and the aid that they have given Georgia over the years. This is especially interesting because today I watched the movie 5 Days of War about the Georgian/Russian war in 2008. Despite the movie being very Hollywood, the city I'm in, Gori, was bombed, abandoned, and occupied by Russian troops from the war zone of South Ossetia; and being very close to that still very dangerous territory is an eye opener for sure. Life in Gori is very much alive; you'd have no idea that just 3 years ago everyone fled for fear of being murdered. I'm glad that they are all still happy people and welcome me with open arms. I feel very much like apart of the "team" here and feel like though I don't always understand what people are saying, we are friends (or brother men as they call it here). Tomorrow is our first test in my English class and I still can't get over 45 year old men calling me Mr. Evan. Let's just hope they all pass!

Toasting

So, in Georgia they do this thing called toasting when they are having a Supra (a party around a table of food). I thought it meant toasting, as in clink your glasses together and take a sip. Here, toasting means chugging a glass of wine each time a toast is made...and there are usually at least 10 toasts per Supra. Let's just say, the next day I didn't feel my best. They toasted to all sorts of things, first the house that we are in (thanking the owner for letting us come in and eat/drink with him), then the tamada (toastmaster) will continue making toasts for his country (and mine), for all of our families, for all of our friends, and you always have to toast the dead, which is followed by another more happy toast (such as toasting to my sisters specifically, that they are well and my find love soon and have many children). The tradition here is beyond amazing. When they do drink, it's in people's honor...not just to get drunk. I even hiked up a small hill to Gori Castle the other day which was breathtaking; you could see the entire city from the top as well as the mountains surrounding the city. Last but not least, I had my first day of teaching yesterday! It went well; the first class was a bit rough as I was trying to find out the best way for them to learn, but after that it went smoother! It's hard having to teach people English when you have to start from scratch. So, we learned the alphabet, the verb to be, greetings, and various jobs. I guess tomorrow will be the true test to see if anything I have taught them sticks!

Pre-Training/Training Week

I left the States on May 22nd with one final destination in mind...Tbilisi, Georgia. I decided that graduating college was a big enough achievement to warrant a trip across Europe, in which I was able to visit friends in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Turkey, England, and Germany. My friend Hannah and I tag teamed this adventure which ended up consisting of eating raw meat sandwiches in the Netherlands (where they play the Friend's theme song in their bars), ordering Belgian waffles and Belgian beer in...you guessed it, Belgium, drinking lots of wine/eating tons of pasta and gelato in Italy, riding bikes up the islands off the coast of Istanbul, eating lots of chocolate filled croissants in England, and finally getting to try schnitzel for the first time in Germany. I then had to leave Hannah, her brother, and our newly made friends to fly out to Tbilisi. I had a layover in Kiev, Ukraine which was a hot mess for sure! To print off your boarding pass for connecting flights through Kiev, you have to wait in this MASSIVE mob of 70 people where everyone is pushing, shoving, and yelling at each other; it took me close to 3 hours to get my boarding pass (at least I got to fly business class)! I then flew to Tbilisi, arriving around 4 in the morning, where I met up with our team leader and the rest of our teaching group. We slept, woke up, and took off with our training. We were introduced, in a more in depth way, to the program and Georgian history. We took a marshutka to the Georgian National Museum where we ventured around a bit and had a lesson on all things intercultural. For the rest of the week we took classes on Georgian culture, teaching methodology, and sat in a room for 4 hours each day learning the Georgian language; there are only 14 alphabets in the entire world and Georgian is one of them (and it's basically used only in Georgia). It's a very different kind of alphabet that I hope to improve upon over time. During the week we occasionally went to the restaurant next door to drink wine (which Georgia is famous for) and we were even asked for our autographs by our waiter. Today we got to meet our summer time host families where we will be teaching English to police officers before moving again to teach school children. It was sad, all of us standing there, having our names called out one-by-one, only to get in a car with someone we had never met before who would take each of us to completely different regions of the country. I was placed in the city Gori for the summer. Gori is the birthplace of Stalin and was under attack, causing casualties, in the recent 2008 war with Russia. It's interesting, Gori, and I suspect that it will grow on me. When Georgians have guests over it's a very big deal. There were massive amounts of food, I was made to eat 3 plates full, I had a cup of coffee, a cup of mineral water, a cup of cherry juice, and a glass of wine all surrounding my plate (all the while I was being told to keep eating and not stop). The grandmother in the house is already looking for a wife for me and it was translated to me that she intends on fattening me up. Life here will be good, I can tell.