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!