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!

A Castle with a View

A few weeks ago we went to Ananuri with some friends. In total, there were 8 kids (an 11 month old, six 5 year olds, and an 8 year old!) and 8 adults. Should I mention that we fit into two cars? Let's just say that legs and arms were intertwined by the time we got there. A bit awkward when I thought it was my leg I was scratching. Oops.

We climbed the castle and peeked in each and every room...even if there weren't any floors.

Amazing views seem to be the trend in Georgia.

Here is a view from inside the church.

After our tour of the grounds, we went down to the water and the kids (and the guys) enjoyed skimming (uh hum, throwing) rocks.

Lucas is pondering the big questions in life.

We left Ananuri and found a little place to eat lunch. As we all fell out of the cars, we saw a dog get hit by a speeding car. The awful noise the puppy made as it hobbled into the woods has not been forgotten. Anyway, I digress. This place was great because the kids could play in the fish pond and stay entertained while the adults chatted the afternoon away. They didn't even care that it was raining!

And the chickens roamed freely. I dare to ask...pets or lunch?

Here was the kitchen. At first, I was a bit worried...but I shouldn't have been. The food was delicious (except for the mushrooms. But they are never good. Anywhere.).

Nosy Neighbors

We don't have a mailbox. I have heard there is a post office somewhere in the city....but I have no idea where. When you get a bill, it mysteriously appears on the ledge near the elevator. They don't bother with envelopes, so if you ever wondered how much your neighbor's gas bill is...you can just peek!

My Lane is Your Lane.

There are many things that don't make much sense around here. For instance, there really aren't many rules of the road. There are white lines to delineate lanes, but no one uses them. Cars just drive where they please and honk their horns when they get too close to another car. You can imagine the symphony of horns that fills the air on any given day.

However, they do have one really good feature on the roads in Tbilisi. At most lights, there is a "countdown" so you know exactly how long you have until the light changes color. If you are smart, you can calculate how long you have to put on your make up, text a friend, or read the newspaper while you wait for the light to change. When the light is red, it counts down from 60 and then when the light turns yellow, it counts down from 3 (although most cars begin to drive when the light turns yellow). When the light is green it also has a countdown.

No more second guessing if you should speed up, slow down, or slam on your brakes....you know exactly how long you have until the light changes color! Brilliant.

Finding Family in a Far Away Land

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...