Opposition on the Move in Georgia

There has been a lot going on this past week....and possibly more to come.  Check it out here.

**OK, got in a bit of trouble for this post. I guess I should have started off by saying we are safe! We have not seen much of anything with the exception of being rerouted one night on the way to dinner because the road by the Parliament was closed. Other than that, all is good. I just find the situation very interesting and wanted to share. Sorry if I scared anyone!

Tie a Yellow Ribbon...

If you hike along a path or drive out of the city, you are likely to come across a tree that looks like this:

At first, I didn't know what to make of this tree. Although littering is a huge problem in Georgia, I couldn't believe that people would take the time to throw the trash into the tree. As I was spouting off one day about how much nicer Tbilisi would be if people just cared enough to throw out their garbage,  I was informed that this tree wasn't actually a fancy rubbish bin (as they like to call it), but instead a tree that grants wishes.   

Legend has it that if you make a wish while tying a small piece of cloth onto a branch of a Wishing Tree, your wish will come true. Although no one knows how a specific tree actually becomes a Wishing Tree, those that are covered in fabric have been thought to have granted wishes. These lucky people then spread the word and folks come from all over to tie a cloth on this now famous tree.

The appropriate protocol is to tie a piece of cloth onto a branch while making a wish. However, many times you will see whole shirts, plastic bags, or other odd assortments of "stuff" tied to the tree. People are resourceful...they use what they have, so they don't get left out of fulfilling their dreams.

I will not, however, break protocol and leave my wish making to chance. So to ensure that I am properly prepared when I come across a Wishing Tree, I have cut up a few pairs of Emet's underwear and tucked them safely in my backpack. Hope he doesn't mind.

Kissing Jessica Stein

Upon greeting someone in America, you are either a hugger or a cheek kisser (unless you really know them). Possibly, at times, a simple hello will do. However, when you first meet someone, a hand shake is appropriate. Many times, it depends on the background of who you are greeting. On my dad's side of the family we are all cheek kissers, my friends from high school are huggers, and many of my friends from Northern Virginia are more comfortable with the simple hello--no contact needed.

I have learned the rules. I know who to kiss, when to hug, and when to keep my distance. Well, as with most things that were turned upside by moving to Georgia, all of these rules were thrown out the window. 

Put on your ChapStick ladies and gentlemen for the rules of greeting people in Georgia are different.

 1.  In social settings, you kiss everyone hello and goodbye--even if you are meeting them for the first time.

2.  Women kiss both women and men.

3.  Men also kiss both women and men.

The tricky part for me wasn't the kissing because I am all about kissing. Instead, it was the technique that messed me up. Really, it boiled down to knowing which cheek to aim for. In America, I always go left. My goal is to brush the right cheek of my target. That is what I have always done and what I think others do too. It is a general understanding that is followed by all so as not to cause any broken noses or face dancing while trying to say hello. But in Georgia, everyone goes to the right. The person's left cheek is what you are aiming for.

When I first moved here, I could not remember to go right. I created many awkward moments with virtual strangers as they tried to understand why we were awkwardly moving our heads back and forth like two people meeting in a narrow hallway trying to get around each other.

My all time low was in a bar, meeting a colleague of Emet's for the first time. As our faces approached each other, I once again forgot to go right while she confidently did the Georgian-appropriate move and aimed for my left cheek. Instead of engaging in my familiar face dancing routines of the past, I panicked and we ended up locking lips.  

Yup, that's right. I kissed Emet's colleague, directly on the mouth while in a bar.

As an educator, I know everyone learns better by doing and sometimes complete and utter failure can help raise one’s skill level. You can believe that since that night I always go right. I don't need a repeat of that incident and all the embarrassing hoopla to remind me which cheek to aim for. I always go right.

Now, when I return to America, let's hope I can return to my left going ways. Otherwise, I am bound to end up kissing another person on the lips. This time they might not be as understanding as Emet’s colleague was of a culturally unadjusted American… especially in my own country.  

Treading with Trepidation

There are very few things of which I am afraid (let's see how well you know me). Although I am not as petrified of dogs as I am of m-i-c-e or  r-a-t-s, hanging around strange dogs will never be how I chose to spend my free time. In fact, I may actually walk in the opposite direction of any said dogs. I have owned a few dogs in my time and this is where my fear stems from. I could stretch out on the couch and tell you all about the struggles of my past dog ownerships, but I won't. Because, let's be real, that won't assuage my fear.

So I bring all this up because in Georgia it is a bit of problem to be afraid of dogs. They sit on every corner, walk the streets at all hours, gather in packs at times, and just plain petrify me! For the most part, they are used to living alongside people and therefore leave us, for the most part, alone. But really, it only takes one time for a hound to chomp down on my leg for me to be convinced that I will never get over my fear of dogs.  

I admit this malnourished pup does not look intimidating. But don't be fooled. What if you were in between it and some food?

  

So, I will continue, upon everyone's suggestion, to quietly hide a rock in my pocket (but really, would I ever use it?  Wouldn't I just piss the dog off more if I hit it with a rock?). I will also continue to cross the street every time I see a stray dog, making sure to avoid all eye contact, exuding a no fear vibe (they can sense fear, you know?) and trying to convince myself that no one else can hear the deafening pounding that is my heart. 

I didn't even touch on the fact that with an abundance of stray dogs comes....you guessed it, poop! Piles of poop sit on the sidewalk waiting for someone's shoe to squish into it.  Gross.  

Armenian Genocide

Over the years, I have been fortunate to be able to travel to some amazing places. Some of them I appreciated for their sheer beauty (New Zealand), while others were much more emotionally charged (Auschwitz).  My trip to Armenia combined a little of both.

While in Armenia we were invited to participate in day of remembrance for the lives lost in the Armenian Genocide. Every year on April 24th, people from all over the country of Armenia gather at the Genocide Memorial to place flowers, pay their respects for lost lives, and make sure no one ever forgets this horrific event.

I am utterly ashamed to say that I knew nothing about the Armenian Genocide until we were on our way to the memorial. In case anyone is as ignorant as I was, here is the very basic information that I learned from my Armenian friends: During and just after WWI (beginning in 1915), the Ottoman Empire systematically killed at least one to one and half million Armenians. It is thought to be one of the first major genocides and the second most studied genocide, after the Holocaust. However, to this day, the Republic of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire), denies that it was a genocide. They claim that the deportations of the Armenian people was necessary since they had become allies of the Russian army.

Needless to say, the tragedy remains.

We were fortunate enough to be invited to walk with our Armenian friends on this day. As we walked, our friend told the story of the genocide and how his grandmother walked for 500 km to safety. The number of men, women, and children walking the path created a powerful yet somber feeling. It took about one hour to walk to the memorial. People carried signs, flowers, and family crests. The emotion in the air was heavy and the walk was long.

As were were approaching the memorial, there were many trees that lined the path. Next to each tree was a plaque naming the country or leader who planted it in remembrance.

This tall structure represents the national rebirth of Armenia. The separation down its length symbolizes the past split between eastern and western Armenia.

This is the actual memorial. It sits upon a hill overlooking the city of Yerevan. These twelve columns which are arranged in a circle represent the twelve lost Armenian provinces. When you walk inside this memorial, an eternal flame is surrounded by mountains of flowers.

I cried from the moment I rounded the corner and saw the monument. There is no way that a blog post can do this experience justice. Watching families supporting one another, ensuring grandparents and small children alike were able to place a flower near the eternal flame, will always be etched in my heart.

Caravan to Yerevan

We had a long weekend for Easter (Friday and Monday off from school...yahoo!) and decided to go with friends to Yerevan, Armenia.  We made a few stops on the way, so in total it took about 6 hours to get there. 

Lake Sevan seemed to be endless.  It was especially foggy on this day, so I kept waiting to see if the Loch Ness Monster or maybe even Jason Voorhees would emerge from the steamy water.  I looked up the measurements of the lake and decided I wouldn't bore you with the exact km squared and billion cubic meters. So let's just say that is HUGE! 

In recent years people lowered the water level of the lake (a much simplified explanation). As a result, this peninsula was created.  It used to be an island that tourists visited by boat.

We also tried to go down this one road, only to discover it was no longer driveable.  We drove through the fields and ended up on another highway. Gotta love it!

The city of Yerevan was beautiful. The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. Since it has been raining for the last five weeks in Tbilisi, this may have colored my view of this magnificent city.  My favorite part was Republic Square. The buildings were tall enough to be impressive, but not so tall as to be oppressive. The streets were wide and clean and people happily walked all over town.

These are pictures from Republic Square.

This was a bazaar that was about 2 blocks behind our apartment.  I was amazed at all of the handmade items from authentic Armenian artists.  We bought a really cool clock for our house!

This was the view from our apartment.  Doesn't that mountain look fake?  It's not.

The ride back home was a bit brutal. Going up and down the mountains on winding roads caused both A & L to throw up in the backseat.  Now that is what I call a fun time...simultaneous puking! The fog was also unbelievable.  I tried to take some pictures when it was not too foggy.

 People stopped alongside the highway and got water from this barrel.

Can you see the guard rail?  This was the crazy fog!  I don't know how Giorgi managed to see the road while driving.

Since two of the friends we traveled with are Armenian, they took us to all of the hot spots.  We ate fantastic food, saw amazing sites, and just hung out with good friends. 

Yerevan has made it on my list of top 5 favorite places.

It's raining, it's pouring...

When I was backpacking through Europe after college, my friends and I ended up traveling with an Australian guy named Aaron for a couple of weeks. I remember a few snippets from my time with him (I learned what Vegemite was and that I never wanted to eat it again). However, the one thing that stuck with me was his commentary on Istanbul. As we planned this trip, circling in my mind were Aaron's words, if you go to Istanbul, bring your own toilet paper. Hmmmmm, what implications does this have for our trip? How much toilet paper should I pack? 

Aaron's warning quickly left my mind this past January. On my way to India, I had a long layover in Istanbul, so I actually left the airport, took a taxi to the happening part of town and walked around for about 5 hours. I LOVED it! In a nutshell, it was lush, green, quaint, and friendly. So when we decided to spend one glorious day touring Istanbul after our trip to Antalya, I was so excited. I should have realized that grass does not become lush and green without copious amounts of water!

It rained the entire time we were walking around the city. The great packer that I am forgot to bring jackets, rain coats, hats, or umbrellas. My kids were troopers. We were absolutely soaked, but we still managed to see a few things in Istanbul!



I had NO idea that Istanbul was the only city that
spreads over two continents-Europe and Asia!
We were driving by this sign on the bridge and I couldn't
really ask the driver to pull over so I could get a better picture.
Although I admit, I was tempted.



Massive traffic jams at
every turn in Istanbul



Turkish dude taking advantage
of the traffic jam. Just trying to make a livin'.

View of one of the many bridges 

There were so many mosques.
They were all beautiful!

We went to a delicious Turkish kitchen for dinner one night.
The hostess asked us our nationality when we entered and then
plopped these flags on our table.  We were the only people in the entire
restaurant with flags on our table!

Want an appetizer? In Istanbul you don't order them
from a menu, you grab them from a man pushing a cart.

Hagia Sophia:  basilica, mosque, and now a museum...

The Cistern in Istanbul:  we walked underground and explored this magical cavern.  The columns were illuminated and created an eerie almost mystical feeling.

So full circle back to the toilet paper issue.  Let's visit the restrooms of Istanbul.

I thought it was important for you to see
these mothballs in the sink area.  I was hoping
you could actually smell them.  Little did I know, that
a Turkish woman would begin hitting me repeatedly
in the arm for taking pictures. I continued to snap photos
and walked away with an earful and a bruised arm.
So please enjoy this picture.

This sign was inside the bathroom stall.
Solid waste?
There are no trash cans in the stalls,
so I guess you are supposed to
scoop your poop out of the toilet and
carry it to the sink area and throw it out
in the garbage can with the paper towels.
Eeewwwww! 

Antalya, Turkey

We went to Antalya, Turkey for almost a week.  We rested on the beach, played in the indoor pool, and ate way too much. The boys learned the fine art of Foosball, our hope being that they will be fully prepared for college life. For me, the highlight was losing repeatedly to Emet in ping pong.

We did rent a car for a day and explore the city life. We found quickly that there wasn't much city and not a lot of life. We did notice that every building's roof had water barrels. We assume this is where their hot water comes from. 

We walked around Old City and took in the sights.

We ended up buying some combination of these that
makes a flavored all natural tea.  

A man hand sewing a carpet.

There were blankets strewn over everything.

Love the spelling!

Yes Officer, I do have my helmet.
It's right here in my hand.

Plug Me In. Hook Me Up.

I hear you whispering. I know what you're saying.  Did she even go to Turkey? ... or maybe She must have gotten herself into a snafu and ended up being detained at the airport for the last week... or better yet ...Monica probably pulled a stupid stunt and is now sitting in a Turkish prison for the long haul.

Well, rest easy. The answer isn't as fun as any of those.

Food poisoning, virus, fungus, bacteria, amoebas and parasites. Not sure which one it was, but I was attacked. I will save you from the details of my intestinal tract for the last 8 days, but let me reassure you. It hasn't been pretty. And it definitely does not smell of roses.

Here is a picture of the IV I was hooked up to in the Emergency Room (I needed 3 bags!). Luckily, I am on the mend. Not my usual sunshiny self, but so much better.

Hopefully, now the rumors can stop.

Gobble, Gobble

After the current events in Egypt, we decided to cancel our trip (we got a full refund less $100, not bad for 6 airline tickets!) and try somewhere new. We struggled with where to go...we wanted somewhere warm, not too far from Tbilisi, and not overly expensive. I felt strongly about wanting to go somewhere we have never been and somewhere we probably will never go once we return to the states.  So Turkey it is. 

We will be going to Istanbul and Antalya.  It is not going to be warm enough to sunbathe on the beach, but it will be warm enough to enjoy being outdoors.  We are going with Emet's parents (who just arrived from Michigan last night!). 

I am excited about going to the spice bazaar in Istanbul, sitting on the beaches near the Mediterranean Sea (maybe wearing a sweatshirt), and just chillin' with family.  I am not, however, excited about leaving for the airport at 4 a.m.

Hopefully, I will have some good stories when I return.


Please note the fancy arrows I inserted
so you could easily find where we are going.
Can you see us?