I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

...but I do know that I will be back again.

We are leaving today for our winter vacation! We are going to Austria to visit my aunt and cousins. We will also be going to the Czech Republic and Hungary. Emet and AL are then returning to Tbilisi...while I meet my friend Beth in India!

I will be gone for three weeks. Hopefully, I will have cool things to tell you about upon my return.

Talk to you soon.

Am I Imagining This...?

...or is there a similarity?

Emet as a kid

Lucas now (5 1/2)

Cheers!

One of my favorite things about Georgia is the people. It is evident that hospitality is an art that is cultivated through the generations. I have been fortunate enough to be able to attend a few Supras and it will never allow me to eat dinner with friends in the same way (watch out)!

When I first arrived in Georgia, I thought a Supra was just a dinner. I was so wrong. Yes, it is a place to eat (and eat and eat and eat), but it is also a time to celebrate friends and family, culture and traditions, and take time to be thankful for all we have. These are all things I know I do not spend enough time doing in the states.


So...after quizzing multiple guests at each Supra I attended, here is what I learned (with a few of my observations thrown in, of course):


A Supra is a traditional Georgian feast. The amount of food and drinks that are available during a Supra is unbelievable. The food is literally piled high on a table that seems to have no end. Guests sit for hours eating and drinking. It is not uncommon for a Supra to last until the wee hours of the morning. People may end up playing games, dancing, or in our case, listening to Emet play guitar (yeah!).


Each Supra is led by a Tamada or toastmaster. On large occasions, such as a wedding, the Tamada is chosen by the guests in advance. If the Supra is more intimate, say 20 people in someone's home, the host may take on the role. The Tamada must be an eloquent speaker, able to command the attention of the guests, and hold his liquor. Each Tamada has a "second". This man's responsibility is to add to or enhance the toast. He is never to initiate a toast without the Tamada's permission. When the Tamada begins a toast, the men stand. From my observation, they have a hefty amount of alcohol at each toast! Imagine the size of a juice glass filled with wine or liquor and downing it with each toast. It is considered a "sin", whether man or woman, to be at the table during a toast with an empty glass. As you can imagine, the night gets fun pretty quickly.


The few Supras I have attended, the Tamada toasted many, many times throughout the night. By the end of the evening, they had toasted each guest, people who have passed away, and Georgian historical events and even the beauty of the language. I have learned a great deal about the people who are with us at the Supras and about Georgia!


The last Supra we attended was at one of Emet's co-worker's dacha (thanks Jeff for helping me with the spelling!). A dacha is a second home away from the city. It is a place to get away for the weekends or the summer and avoid the heat and smog of Tbilisi. Georgians are big on clean air. My crazy idea is that if everyone stopped smoking, the air would be much cleaner in Tbilisi. But once again, I digress.


This dacha was adorable! It had a fireplace, an open oven (literally) in the kitchen where shashlik was cooking, a wine cellar/house out back, and was on the edge of a river. It was gorgeous!



These are some of Emet's colleagues. I don't know if you can see how much food was left on the table, but this was hours after everyone had finished eating.




So get those wine glasses ready and think of wonderful things to say...we may not do it completely Georgian style (I can't just sit all night and listen to my man talk!), but I am excited about having Supras in Virginia!

Conflict of Interest

So we went to a friend's house for dinner the other night and they ordered pizza from a place called Fantastiko. Now I don't want to mislead you. Being a Jersey girl who lived in NYC for a few years, this really isn't my idea of pizza. However, I was once told by a good friend that pizza is pizza and bad pizza is still good and better than no pizza.

Anyway, when the delivery man showed up he told us that we shouldn't order from Fantastiko anymore and he shoved a menu for another pizza place at us.

The next day, Emet said the same thing happened at his office. This delivery guy has got a deal going on! Wonder what he gets for selling out Fantastiko and giving the new place props? Free pizza, I guess.

Pass the Khachapuri, Please

I took some pictures of typical Georgian food for your viewing pleasure! When I first moved here, I did not care for any of it. The longer I live here, I find that there are a few things I like. By the time we leave Georgia, I may have developed actual cravings....hmmm, we'll see.

Every meal starts with Puri (bread)

Khinkali: dumpling with meat, cheese, potato, or mushrooms inside. There is a certain amount of skill involved in eating these. You are supposed to hold it by the stubby end, take a bite and at the same time suck out all of the juices. After all of the juice is sucked out, then you can actually eat it. Unfortunately, no one told me this when I first tried it and I ended up with juice running down my chin and all over my shirt. It is fun to see this dish being brought out by the dozens to large tables of men drinking heavily. Many people believe that Khinkali and alcohol go hand and hand.

Kabob: a flour-like tortilla (called levash) wrapped around semi-fried beef in the shape of a long rod. Not your momma's kabob.

Khachapuri: This is a Georgian staple. It is a pastry-like dough filled with melted Georgian cheese (called sulguni). There are so many different ways of making this, so it is different at every restaurant. There are also different versions based on the region of the country.

This is Adjarian Khachapuri: the bread is made into a boat shape and then filled with cheese and baked multiple times. Right before they bring it to your table, they put a raw egg and a pat of butter on top. The proper procedure for eating this kind of khachapuri is to stir it immediately upon arrival so that the egg cooks...that is how extremely hot it is!

Lobio: The word for beans in Georgian is lobio. When you order lobio in restaurants, these kidney beans come stewed in a clay pot. People eat it plain or with their puri. They use some different spices and it is pretty tasty.

M'tsvadi (Shashlik in Russian): This is what we think of as shish kabob in America. You can get chicken, pork, beef, or veal. You can often see people BBQing this on the street as well. It is customary to remove the meat from the skewers with one piece of bread. This bread then has all of the juices from the meat and therefore considered a delicacy.

Water: Not as simple as one might think. There is water with gas and without gas. Within the 'gas family' of water, there are three kinds: Nabeghlavi, Likani, and Borjomi. The difference between these three waters is their level of saltiness.

Salate Kitri da Pomadori Nicoisi: Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Walnut Paste. Yummy!

Badrijani: Grilled Eggplant stuffed with walnut paste (there are a few versions of how this is prepared, but usually have similar ingredients). Eggplant is used in many dishes...too bad I don't like it.

Georgian Lemonade: The best part about ordering lemonade is when the server asks, "what flavor?" There is pear, tarragon, and lemon. The lemon tastes like 7 up on a sugar high. The tarragon resembles a radioactive by-product, so I refuse to drink it.

Lemon Flavor:

Tarragon Flavor:

So although I may be beginning to like some of the Georgian food, the one thing I will not get used to is the smoke filled restaurants. When I come home from a dinner out, I smell my clothes and hair and am reminded of my many nights spent in bars (does this sound bad?). I rush to take a shower and hang my clothes outside to air out (my old trick of putting all my clothes in the dryer with a dryer sheet does not work since we don't have a dryer!). However, if you go out early enough, you can avoid some of the smoke.

I tried to capture the smoke lingering in the air...not sure if you can see it, but believe me, it was there.

How Long Do Vibes Last?

A few weeks ago, Emet's friend Jonathan came to visit--such fun! While he was here, we went on a day trip to Stalin's birth place. Traveling to Gori did not take very long, but we got to see beautiful landscape and lots of animals along the way. Not really being a history buff (this is a bit of an understatement, as my father-in-law might say), I walked around the Stalin museum wondering how someone's life ends up the way his did.

Stalin's Death Mask

We saw the train he used to travel the country.

This was Stalin's house when he was a child. His entire family lived in this small room.

As Lucas laid on the bed where Stalin slept, I became a bit unnerved. Are Stalin's vibes still there? Will they seep into Lucas' skin, penetrating his soul? OK, maybe a bit dramatic, but really these were the thoughts that ran through my mind as I hurried Lucas off the bed.

Before we continued our journey, we stopped for lunch. I love going to restaurants outside of Tbilisi...you never know what kind of experience you will have. Being a former vegetarian, I tried my best to ignore all of the animals on display.

Just a little down time, before our food arrived.

We then drove about 15 minutes to Uplistsikhe. This is considered one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia.

We paid our entrance fee and hired a guide. He spoke a bit of English, but I had a very hard time understanding him. It was obvious he had created a "script" because if we asked a question, he would get all flustered as if we disrupted his place in the script and was unsure if he would be able to find his place again. We were able to put together some information from our guide and he charged us much less than other tour guides because he told us that he didn't have "60 Lari English only 40 Lari English".

It was fascinating to see how people built their homes on the edge of these cliffs. They had sewer streets, a well, pagan temples, a theater....

This is the temple at the top of the hill.

Doesn't this look like a face (profile)?

Since my return to Tbilisi, I learned about a legend that the slaves who built the town were given an axe of gold, with an iron end. The harder they worked, carving the buildings out of the sandstone rocks, the earlier they were left with a piece of pure gold. Disclaimer: I have no idea if this is true or not.

Click it or Ticket

I may have mentioned in previous posts about the crazy, zig-zag, make you dizzy way of driving here. I know I told you all about the fact that the white lines on the roads are optional. Did I also happen to mention that NO ONE wears a seat belt?

Beliefs about seat belts, as told by Georgians:

1. If you put on a seat belt, you are drawing attention to yourself. Obviously, you must be drunk or impaired in some other way. Don't do it, you will just get in trouble with the police.

2. If you are a passenger in a car and reach for your seat belt, you have just insulted the driver. You are insinuating that the driver is unfit to drive. You might as well just get out of the car if you make the mistake of reaching for your seat belt. It won't be a pleasant ride.

Well, as of today, December 1st, all people in the front seats of cars must wear their seat belts. If they are pulled over and not wearing one, it is a 40 Lari fine.

Hooray! I have tried to teach some of my Georgian friends the phrase "click it or ticket"...I don't think they get it though. They do, however, get a laugh from watching me attempt to act it out.

Next step: No more babies between the driver's legs.

Care to Join Me for a Night Out?

In the entire country of Georgia, there are only two McDonald's.

I will pause for a minute, so you can catch your breath.

Yes, only 2. In the entire country.

It is actually one of the things I love about Georgia. It is not littered by fast food chains and Starbucks coffee shops. But I digress.

Both McDonald's are located in Tbilisi...which is a far drive for a Georgian who is living outside the city limits and craving a Big Mac. Since it is considered a nice restaurant, people dress up while they dine on their burgers and fries. It is also relatively expensive!

Ronald McDonald speaks everyone's language.

If I ate McDonald's everyday, would I look as beautiful and seductive as she does? I think not.

A bit racy for a tray liner, huh?

Trick or Treat!

I love yearly traditions. I love routines. So, as you can guess, moving across the world kinda threw off all of my carefully constructed routines a bit.

Every Halloween for the last few years, we sat outside with our neighbors and had a big feast while we passed out candy. We brought out chairs, coffee tables, etc....and snuggled in for a night of chatting and commenting on little kid's costumes.

In Georgia, people don't celebrate Halloween. In fact, it is considered sacrilegious by most. At school, we could not do anything Halloween related. Although not the same as our Sweethorn bash, we went to the US Embassy to trick or treat around the offices and play a few games in the lobby. On the actual day of Halloween, we went to a friend of AL's for a party. The kids had a blast.

Here is one of the rooms from the party....they used black light!

Lucas has worn the same Spider-man costume for 2 years now. Not for Halloween, mind you, but just so he could fight all of the evil lurking around our house. The costume started off way too big for him two years ago. Now he doesn't wear anything underneath it in order for it to still fit. I use the term fit loosely...really it is bordering on inappropriate. So when my mom came to visit, she brought another Spider-Man costume. Yeah! So Lucas was a comfortable Spidey for Halloween.

This opened the door for Aidan, who was never allowed to wear the Spider-Man costume. He has a Batman costume, but really, is it as exciting as the Spider-Man costume his brother has been saving the world with for the last two years? Luckily, it fit Aidan and he decided to dress as Spider-Bat. He wore the Spider-Man costume, the Batman cape, and one Spider-Man sock and one Batman sock. The best part about it was his level of pride and confidence as people tried to guess what he was!

Yes, She Saw My....

Day 2 Dr. Visit:

Remember the L-O-N-G conversation about what time I should arrive for my appointment? Remember in the end I was told to come at 9:30? Yeah, well, I should have known better.

The Dr. walked into the clinic at 10:14 -no mention of the time or being late (Georgians are notorious for not keeping to a scheduled time). I walked into the exam room and the first thing she said to me was, "OK, I want to see your cervix."

We have moved up in the world!

I looked around for a gown, and saw nothin'. I waited a few seconds thinking she might leave the room. Instead, she just stood there with this disgusted look on her face as if I was wasting her time by not getting undressed. She finally led me to a bed and handed me feet coverings. I asked her what I should take off and she said everything from the bottom down, but not my socks. So as she watched me, I undressed. I started laughing hysterically when I put on the blue booties because now I had to walk across the room to the exam table half naked, with these ridiculous looking blue booties covering my socks. It struck me as so funny that she insisted I wear booties, but could care less if all else was exposed for "everyone" to see.

I climbed up on the table, still laughing. The Dr. then began to laugh. At one point she shook her head and mumbled something. I think she thought I was crazy. My laughter was quickly silenced when I realized that this exam table was different than American ones. As many of us so fondly know, the stirrups are where we place our feet. Here in Georgia, however, the stirrups go behind the back of your knee. As a result, your tush is completely elevated off of the table. I tried not to be self conscious as the Dr. continued to laugh.

Is that a Diet Coke on the exam tray?

Once that was complete, the Dr. chatted with me as I got dressed (a bit awkward, I might add) and then walked me to the ultrasound room (she decided she wanted an ultrasound of my thyroid).

I entered the ultrasound room and there were 2 women in there. One of them looked at me and said, "strip." Silly me, glanced around for a gown and automatically waited again for them to leave the room. No one made a move, so I just started taking off clothes. Once I was undressed, one of the women moved me around the bed about 100 times. The tech then emptied about half a tube of the ultrasound gel all over my chest and neck. As she was working her magic with the wand, I heard the door open and a man walked in. At this point my back was to him, so I was only a bit flustered. He then walked towards me and stood in front of me, talking to the ultrasound tech.

Really?

Since I was half naked, I tried to cover up with my arms, but just ended up getting cold gel everywhere! I think I uttered something in a panicked state and the man just looked at me blankly and muttered, "It is OK, I am a Dr." He continued the conversation with the tech and then walked out. Oh, how I wished I had a gown. At least then I could have used it to wipe up all of the blue goop that was now on my chest, neck, face, and arms. Ugh.

Luckily, nothing exciting happened at the blood draw. It has been five days and I am still waiting on my results. When I called the Dr. on Tuesday, she told me I should come in to see her. When I asked if she had my results yet, she said no. Did she just want to have lunch with me? Maybe see my uterus? I didn't negotiate, argue, or try to understand...I just told her that I would wait to see her until she had all of my blood tests back.

Wonder how long that will take? If it goes past 2 weeks, I may try to bribe her. A peek at my fallopian tubes for my test results. Think it will work?

You'll See My What Tomorrow???

PARENTAL ADVISORY: The post you are about to read contains mature content that may not be suitable for all audiences. You must be at least 18 years of age to continue reading and you must agree that you are not offended by mature content. If you enjoy mature content, keep reading!

The other day was the first time I visited a Dr. here in Tbilisi....I wanted some lab tests done because I think my thyroid meds need to be adjusted. Little did I know what was in store for me!

I entered the clinic, which was a beautiful center. I walked over to the reception counter and told one of the three women sitting behind the big desk I was here for my appointment. She did some fancy moves on her computer and took my ID. She told me to step to the woman to her left, so I slid my stuff down the counter and waited while this new receptionist wrote up a receipt for me. This new woman then told me to go to the woman at the far end of the counter to pay. I wanted so badly to comment on how they could streamline this process, but I didn't. Instead, I quietly paid my 50 Lari ($28) for my consultation.

This was the reception desk--you can see how silly I probably looked shuffling back and forth between these three women.

After about a five minute wait, the doctor (gyn.) came out to greet me. She took me to her office which has a desk and all of the accoutrements of an exam room.

When I scheduled my appointment, I asked for an English speaking doctor, so luckily her English was pretty good. She began by asking me about my history...all of the normal stuff-- age, how many pregnancies, etc... Then the conversation took an interesting turn. Here is how it went:

Dr.: What sexually transmitted diseases have you had (positive assumptions!)?

Me: None.

Dr: None? (please note the shocked tone) What about ____________ or ______________ (I had never even heard of these, so I can't even remember their names)

Me: I shake my head and say none (again).

Dr: Not even chlamydia?

Me: (now I am starting to doubt myself...can she see something I don't know about? Do I have some special mark just under my left eye that all Georgian doctors understand means your stricken with chlamydia?) I find myself stammering...um, no....nothing.....I think...I mean.....

Dr: Are you sure?

Me: Yes? I think I'm sure.

Dr: Wow.

Me: Wow?

Dr: Yes.

I feel a little off kilter by this conversation, but am ready to continue. All I want is lab work done, so I can tweak my medication if necessary. She then proceeds to tell me she needs to do an ultrasound of my vagina. I am here for my thyroid. How in the world will an ultrasound of my vagina give her the information we need? We go round and round...although she speaks English it is not the same as speaking to someone who is a native English speaker.

Finally, I agree to the examination. Sometimes it is just easier to get a pelvic exam than to continue a conversation. She tells me to get undressed. I ask to use the restroom before she begins. She looks at me and says, "Maybe you should come back tomorrow." I tell her I can go to the bathroom quickly and really it is in her best interest to allow me these few minutes. She shakes her head and our conversation continues:

Dr: Well, you should just come tomorrow and then we can do your blood work too. It is better to do it in the morning.

Me: So, I should be fasting?

Dr: Yes, I think that would be better. Do you have time tomorrow?

Me: (running through all that I would rather be doing tomorrow) sure, I can come tomorrow.

Dr: OK, how about 9 or 10?

Me: 9 would be great. I wake up around 6, so the earlier the better.

Dr: Or maybe 10?

Me: Oh, OK do you need me to come at 10?

Dr: Or you could come at 9.

Me: OK, I will come at 9.

Dr: OK, so you will come at 9 or 10 tomorrow.

Me: (in my head: AAAAHHHH!) Would you like me to come at 9 or 1o?

Dr: I think it doesn't matter- 9 or 10.

Me: Then I will come at 9.

The Dr. then walked me back to the reception desk and said, "So you will come at 9:30 tomorrow." I just nodded, completely dumbfounded, hoping that our interaction the next day would be less confusing. Then, instead of a standard handshake and goodbye, the Dr. nonchalantly said, "OK, I will see your vagina tomorrow." I am not sure what the appropriate response to that is--somehow "I will see your vagina tomorrow" just didn't feel right. I looked at her and then glanced at the 3 other people sitting within ear shot and nodded again.

Hanging Out with Omi

Here are some pictures from when my mom was here last week! We were in Vake Park, which is about 2 blocks from our apartment.

Susi, you are not in Kansas anymore...

My mom came to visit (yeah!) and I took her to the Bazroba one afternoon. I posted awhile back about all the different shopping venues here, but thought I would finally add some pictures!

Fish in a box or a bucket...take your pick.

My mom thought these chickens were like the fake desserts some restaurants put on display. I tried to explain that there was nothing fake about these. She didn't want to believe me.

Lots of spices, flour, sugar, beans, and pasta

Eggs anyone?

I didn't take too many pictures of the other parts of the Bazroba due to the evil looks I was receiving each time I snapped a photo, but there are many places to buy clothing, housewares, shoes, toys....

I Now Understand.

I teach 5th grade at the same school my kids attend Kindergarten. I take the school bus (not the American idea of a school bus!) with my kids in the morning. Most afternoons, I take the school bus home with them too. This is very different than my 10-11 hour days as an assistant principal! We leave the house at 8:45 am - so nice after years of leaving the house by 6:45 am!

Teachers are hoarders. People joke, but real teachers see an item and ponder how they could use it in their classrooms. "Oh, you are not going to throw out that piece of lint, are you? I could use that to teach about the phases of the moon!"


I now understand why we get that rap.


I find myself saving everything, hoarding, and re-using constantly. For instance, the little yarn that another teacher lent me so I could prop my window open during the hot days of August is now the same yarn that is binding a book that one of my students wrote. Not sure what I will do when it is hot again--I guess I can steal one of Emet's shoe laces to hold open my window. When you don't have much, you use what you have. I imagine this is what it used to be like way back when. I guess, sadly, it is still like this in America in many school districts. I worked in such school districts most of my career, however, I could just run to Target to get what I needed for my classroom. The difference here...there is no Target (gasp!).

Here are a few shots of my classroom. I wish I had taken "before" pictures. Most of what is in my classroom, I brought from my attic. I brought over a 1000 books. I am excited to donate them to the school when we leave Georgia.

Every day, from 10:45 - 11:-00 the school stops for a break and a snack. Teachers and kids can come to this cafe to buy cakes, teas, and other delicacies.

At 12:30 every day, the entire English department and some of the Georgian department come together in this canteen to eat lunch. All students are given a hot homemade meal each day. The teachers eat lunch with their classes.

Flags from around the world are at the entrance of our school.



A view of the city from our school grounds.





There is a fish pond and a grassy area where kids can play at break time and at recess. It is beautiful!