One of the hard things about moving overseas is leaving family and friends behind. However, as with anything there are always trade offs. Living in Georgia we can live a lifestyle we could not otherwise afford in Virginia. We live in "the city" and have a full-time nanny/housekeeper, Tamriko. The title of nanny/housekeeper does not seem to do justice for Tamriko. She has so quickly become part of our family and has adopted us into hers! Besides the fact that she does everything to make our lives better (clean our house, do all of our wash, make us dinner each night....all while taking our kids on hikes in the mountains when they are home from school), she is a genuinely kind and loving person. She loves AL and affectionately calls them, "her angels" or "little hooligans".
Did I mention that Tamriko also cuts hair?
The third day we were in Georgia, with my head still spinning, Tamriko whisked in with her two children (Giorgi, age 19 and Anna, age 21) and took AL to the zoo. I never thought that I would have felt comfortable enough to send my kids with three strangers on an afternoon outing after being in a country for three days...but I did. 'Nuf said?
Her kids are amazing also. Giorgi drives us places when we need a ride (and he happily learned how to use the car seats!). He also will accompany us into stores and help us translate or search for items we must have at that moment (and never makes fun of us). Anna will come over just to spend time with AL and keep her mom company while she works.
One day a few weeks ago, Giorgi and Anna took AL and I to Mtsminda Park. Although the power went out at the park and we couldn't go on any rides, we had a great time.
Aidan and Lucas love rough housing with Giorgi.
This is Anna with AL
Who needs rides when you have a water fountain?
After leaving the park, a bit disappointed, we went on a small city tour. Anna has a job as a tour guide, so she had a lot of information to share!
This is the Holy Trinity Cathedral (also known as Sameba--which is Georgian for Trinity). This is the main Georgian Orthodox Christian cathedral and it was only built a few years ago (between 1995-2004). It is the largest religious building in all of Georgia.
Inside the church, people light candles and say prayers
Sitting under an olive tree with Anna outside of the church...
3 comments:
It's wonderful to hear that you have developed a family relationship there in Tbilisi. On the other hand, I'm sooo jealous.
WOW! What I would give to have her here...though I probably couldn't afford her here. lol. That's so neat that her kids come too. :) Michelle
Glad to see that you have found such great people there! Love the blog updates - look forward to reading future entries.
- Gary
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