I came back to Georgia a week before I really
needed to. I was convinced that I would
spend a few days in the village, catching up with friends and family, and then
round up my friends and head somewhere in Georgia for a few days because so
much time in the village would drive me crazy.
That did not happen.
After spending two whirlwind weeks at home and another week chasing
Polish history, I was ready for a rest.
Between a sleepless night while traveling to Georgia, time changes, and jet lag,
I needed a few days to rest. So I slept
in like my teenage siblings, spent the days by the petchka (wood stove), drank
tea, walked around the village with my host family and by myself, caught up
with friends, and remembered why I love Georgia and my Georgian home.
Last Thursday was Orthodox Epiphany, which I only realize
after the fact. My family and friends
told me that it was a holiday celebrated by making khinkali (dumplings) in the
morning and had something to do with the patriarch baptizing the cross. I slept in, had vodka and khinkali for
breakfast (my host mother never drinks but said on this day it was a must, so I
had my obligatory vodka and set off with my host sisters for church. Despite the cold, we stayed in the church
longer than I ever had for an Orthodox service. I enjoyed getting to see a few
of my students. We still did not stay
long and went with my host sister’s friends to the priest’s residence, since
one of their friends lived there. Then
they had a supra (Georgian party) at the residence. My host sisters and their friend stayed in
the kitchen but had me in the dining room, where I kind of knew one
person. The priest asked who I was (by
calling me a beautiful girl) and was more than satisfied with the answer that I
was the English teacher, and then the supra began. I was able to drink little and eat
little. The coolest part was that after
the men would make toasts, a few women and one teenage boy would sing. Their
voices were one of the most beautiful things I had ever heard, so the feeling
of being awkwardly in a place I felt I didn’t belong slid into an appreciation
for taking part in a new part of Georgian culture. Unlike most supras, this one ended
early. My host siblings, their friend,
and I played in the snow before heading over to some relative’s house, where we
were treated to more khinkali. I really
liked this holiday.
I went on several walks, soaking up the sunshine the last 2
weeks. On one, I found a new part of
Manglisi that led to some woods that looked gorgeous in the snow. On another, I ran into a friend who invited
me to come to her house on the weekend.
I went on Sunday and played with her 4 kids, stretching my Georgian,
while also chatting with her. Her 4-year-old
daughter played with my hair and gave me a “makeover”, so somewhere there is a
great picture of the two of us, and I have a Disney crown on, as well as a bit
of make-up.
School starts on January 20th, but since that was
a Friday, only one kid came since everyone knew they wouldn’t do anything. I went to school but stayed for only 15
minutes. I realized that the proper
thing to do that day would have been to turn off my alarm, roll over, and keep
sleeping like the rest of my host family.
It did not make Monday morning that much easier either.
School has actually continued almost seamlessly from last
semester. I think the kids’ parents made
them review their English since they had not forgotten nearly as much as I had
expected. Like always, some classes make
me smile, others drive me crazy. I did
realize this week as I had a bunch of my 3rd graders read a small
bit of English aloud that although some kids were still clueless, I had
actually helped several of them to learn to read English. Maybe I am making a difference after all.
On Monday, the first real day of school, my main co-teacher
had her birthday. She invited me to her
house for her birthday supra. My host
sister showed me the way and got roped into staying. As one of the guys pointed out when he
toasted Mari, she was a great sport as she was stuck the whole night between 2
teachers. It was great to see my
co-teacher outside of class and encouraged me to try harder in my relationship
with her, especially speaking more in English.
Some intrepid souls in my region got an email chain going
for TLGers in my region, so this weekend I went into Tbilisi to meet several of them. Several of my old friends were also in Tbilisi, so it was a
great weekend of old and new friends. Georgia has made me much more social, and I love
running into old friends on the streets of Tbilisi.
I also love how easy it is to make friends with other TLGers, since we
all have stories to tell and experiences to compare. I spent the entire day walking from one place
to eat and drink to the next, since the weather was not very good. People came and left throughout the day, but
the day was a great mix of hearing about old friends’ vacations and new
friends’ life stories and tales of their Georgia.
Of course, I forgot my camera, so I have no pictures of the
beautiful sight of Tbilisi
covered in snow. I treated myself to 2
nights in Tbilisi
as opposed to the usual one this weekend, a wise decision. Our pipes have been freezing at night for
months, but this week, only a few have come unfrozen for only a few hours a
day. Unfortunately, those pipes do not
lead to the hot water heater or the washing machine, so I was in desperate need
of a shower and had a pile of laundry that I did not relish hand washing. I found a hostel with free laundry, so that was
my Friday night. The hostel even had a
dryer, which was a great shock, as I was not sure if they existed in Georgia. I enjoyed this luxury even as I find myself
growing more accustomed to the seeming hardships that village winters can
bring.
In general, I think leaving Georgia and coming back to it has
made me appreciate it more. It helps
that I don’t have grad school applications anymore, but my life in general
feels less like a struggle. I realize it is as much my mental state as how I
fit in with my family, but my Georgian family really does feel like
family. I spend most of my days with
them and rarely do things in the village without them. I was so pleased when they liked their
Christmas gifts and humbled when tonight my host sister gave me a small box
with several pairs of earrings and a few rings as gifts. I like the jewelry for its style, but I know
I will treasure it for the love behind it, and it will serve as a reminder of
my Georgian family even after I leave here.
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