I wrote this when I first got to Manglisi and just now got internet to post it. Not much has happened since then, except I should now have internet.
I already feel behind. Someday I may get to training, but it was lots of training and Americans and little Tbilisi. It was still fun.
I had too much fun last night and stayed up far too late. Thus, I was quite tired today so was not very exciting for my host family. I got picked up around one-thirty by a cop from Manglisi named Gela. We talked about drunk driving laws and laws about cell phone usage while driving along in his Mercedes. We talked in Russian, which I think I will rely on far too much if I let myself. Obviously I want to improve my Russian, but I am also committed to learning Georgian. Manglisi is up in the mountains so we had quite a few twists and turns, so I can understand why I have heard so many stories about people throwing up in public transportation (alcohol aside). The scenery is gorgeous. I hope to have pictures soon. About three or so, we arrived at a shiny new police station. I never would have felt so comfortable in a Russian police station. I sat there for quite a while before Gela took me to my new home, to another Gela.
My host family consists of Gela, his wife, Nona, their four children, and the grandmother, Gura. The children are Ana-17, Mari-15, and the twins Luka and Oti-13. I think I got that right. Their neighbor Data, also 15, spent the whole day with us, since he spoke some English. The house is pretty nice. I have a spacious room. The toilet and bathroom are both downstairs, and the stairs are outside, so that could get interesting in the cold. For now, being outside is great.
I fell asleep before I could detail everything. I was exhausted so went to bed early and slept in far too late on day 2, although it was the best sleep I’ve had in probably 2 weeks. I woke up around 6 with the roosters but easily made it back asleep. Yesterday I had hardly any time to myself but today I had time to plan my lesson, organize my room, and feel human again. I can communicate in Russian mostly with my host mother. I think my host grandmother speaks Russian, but her accent is difficult. The kids understand a little English, and my host mother is eager to learn, but Data, the neighbor, is the one I have talked to the most. I feel bad because I can say so little in Georgian. They clearly want to talk to me and I really want to communicate with them, but right now it is difficult, so hopefully we will all make progress quickly. Today seems better than yesterday already. Hopefully soon I will have some pictures of Manglisi, because it is so pretty. The mountains are gorgeous, and right now it is around 70 or 75 outside.
Manglisi has about 5000 residents according to the internet. Data said it has more like 10-20,000. He said that the old police station (looks like ruins) will become a Radisson hotel. He also said that they are going to build an airport soon. I’m curious to know more about both possibilities. Everything in Georgia seems to be changing rapidly, and it is very cool to be part of that change. The people who work for TLG work very hard, and it is obvious that they do this because they want to help their country progress. Knowing that Manglisi might become a tourist spot makes me feel like teaching the police officers English actually will be helpful. I know it used to be a resort during Soviet times. I have a feeling people from Tbilisi and other areas come here in the summer to escape the oppressive heat of Tbilisi and just relax for a bit.
Things I saw today:
Men leading carts with donkeys
Cows walking down my street in front of a Mercedes
