Hop, Skip, and a Jump: Lo and behold, I'm in Georgia.

After a very long flight, a very long layover, a not-so-long flight, and a not-so-long wait in the airport, I have arrived in Georgia. We left Chicago at 10:30pm on Wednesday night and finally arrived at the hotel in Tbilisi at 5am Friday morning. With the time change, it feels like we just skipped right over Thursday, so needless to say, I was a bit confused on the time yesterday (which was actually earlier this morning). I got settled into my room at the Bazaleti Hotel where I will spend the next week in training and orientation.

The trip – so far – has been fairly uneventful, but I will highlight some of the great parts about it.

           1.       The small child sitting in front of me on the plane to Istanbul. She was super 
                cute and risked getting in trouble multiple times to smile and laugh at the funny
                faces I was making at her.

           2.       Getting somewhat confused in the Istanbul airport because apparently if you are
                leaving the country, you do not, in fact, need to go through passport control.

           3.       Walking into the bathroom at the Tbilisi airport to a woman smoking, which I
                thought was just one of those things I take for granted in the States. I later
                found out that you’re not allowed to smoke in the airport here anymore than
                it’s allowed at home, which explains why she was doing so in the bathroom.

           4.       Waking up to the sounds of Tbilisi – honking horns, cars braking, and whatever
                other sounds were pouring through my window at 9:30.

           5.       Getting my last suitcase from baggage claim – both of them made it safe and 

                     sound!

           6.       Skyping with the ‘rents (it sounds cool to say it like that…) and getting to use
                the internet after going without communication for so long.

 

I would love to tell you (and by “you” I mean, the collective body reading this post) that all is well, I’m super excited, and I am eager to start learning Georgian, but right now, I’m exhausted. I think everything is well, I will be super excited, and if I can stay awake, I’ll be very eager to start learning the language; those feelings are just buried a bit by the idea that I can take a nap.

Georgia Preparations

UPDATE: We’ve received an e-mail that states we should plan on leaving Sept. 28^th. It’s not definite; it is, in fact, extremely tentative, based only on the departure dates of previous groups. Anyway, that’s the latest: I might leave on the 28^th.

In order to be ready to possibly leave on the 28 ^th, I’ve started to begin some necessary preparations. First, I made a list of all the TV shows I will need to catch up on when I come back. It’s a really long list, but it will be a nice time killer when I come back, and I just want to sit. To go along with this, I have started stocking my iPod full of free episodes of upcoming TV shows. I have at least 6 pilot episodes, so my already-too-long list may become even longer.

Second, I’m making full use of the foods that I will not have a chance to eat while I’m gone. For example, this morning, I went and got breakfast from McDonald’s. I really love the #12 (although it changes everywhere) of a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel with a hash brown and a medium Coke. This morning, it called my name. I answered. 

I have also packed most of my winter clothes in a large suitcase in my closet so they are all together to repack into duffel bags when my family returns with them from Africa (on Sunday!). I think I made this preparation a bit early because it has become winter very quickly, and I am stuck wearing a tank-top with a thin jacket and a blanket wrapped around my shoulders for warmth…in the house. Granted, I could just open my suitcase, but that seems irrational. 

The final, most recent, preparation I have made is to stock up on the free e-books offered throughout the week from Kindle or Kobo. I don’t want to have to bring an entire suitcase made up purely of books (at least that’s what I keep telling myself), so I am trying to have an adequate amount of reading to do via my e-reader. I think the problem is that I am inevitably going to hate the free e-books I’ve downloaded, as they are comprised mainly of cheesy Christian romance novels and science fiction crap. I’ll probably end up reading Pride & Prejudice and Anna Karenina hundreds of times, so if I come back quoting either of these classics, don’t judge me.

While many more preparations (probably more important ones) wait on the sidelines to be started, I feel as though I’ve accomplished a lot in completing the crucial four I’ve highlighted above. I’ll keep you apprised of any further arrangements I make in regards to my upcoming adventure.

I'm Moving to Georgia...not the state.

Most of you are already aware that I at the end of the month, I am moving to the republic of Georgia, where I will teach English for 9 months. One of the reasons I started a blog was to have a central location that I could update friends and family on my experiences on the other side of the world. However, I realize I haven't addressed Georgia at all, so allow me - if you will - to do so now.

To those of you who may ask, "Where will you be teaching?", the answer is...I don't know.

To those of you who may ask, "What age will you be teaching?", the answer is...I don't know.

To those of you who may ask, "When do you leave?", the answer is...I don't know.

To those of you who may ask, "When will you be back?", the answer is...I don't know.

To those of you who may ask, "What will you do when you return?", the answer is...I don't know.

To those of you who may ask, "Georgia is a country?", the answer is...I hope so.

Here's the thing: I don't know many of the details, which is probably why I haven't used my blog to update anyone on the "Georgia experience" yet. I know that my departure date is September 30. That does not mean that I will leave the US on September 30; rather, it means I should be prepared to leave 3 days before/after that date. However, I won't actually find out my flight information more than 5-7 days before I leave, which complicates things a bit. When I arrive in Tbilisi (Georgian capital), I will be in orientation/training for one week. At the end of that week, I will be placed in city, school, and host family.

That's the basic gist of it. I'll teach for 9 months. Travel a bit. Be back in the States by this time next year.


Yes, I am excited, although my excitement has varying degrees depending on the week, day, even hour. As it approaches, however, the amount of panic is significantly less than the amount of excitement, so I guess that's a good sign.

For now, I shall stop rambling about the little I know regarding Georgia. Hopefully, I will have more details for you the next time I attempt to update the world (because that's how many people read this...).

ძილი ნებისა.

  "Good night."