It has now been one month since I’ve been
in Georgia. In fact, today marks one month since I arrived in Shashiani. I can
hardly believe that it’s been so long already, and I know that I will be saying
the same thing as I continue to mark off my 9 months. It will be very difficult
to leave the life I have found myself in here.
As one month seems like a significant
marker of sorts, I feel that it is appropriate to look back over the past 4
weeks. One of the lists I’ve made in mind over my time here has been the things
I am most glad I brought with me and the things I wish I had with me. Today
seems like a fitting time to share that with you, whether you’re interested or
not…
Things I Consider It A Stroke of Brilliance
That I Have Them With Me (whether or not it was my own brilliance is another
matter entirely, so if something on this list was your idea…10 points to you):
1. Leggings – It’s getting cold
here, and I can’t just wear another sweater to make my legs
warm.
2. Aleve – I’ve had a few
headaches in my days here, probably from trying so hard to
catch a word or two
here in a conversation in a language I don’t understand.
3. Kleenex – They are soft; they
are my friend, and I’ve had a cold for the majority of my
time in Georgia up
until yesterday.
4. Black boots – It rains a lot
here, and my flats just won’t cut it as I walk to and from
school in the mud.
5. Granola bars and other sorts of
American snacks – I realize I won’t have these forever,
but they’re definitely
helped as I transition into finding Georgian snacks that I want to
have and
deal with not controlling my food intake.
6. Movies – I filled a CD case
with movies and TV shows, and it’s been a great way to end
the evening when I
go to my room for the night.
Things I Consider It a Stroke of Idiocracy
That I Don’t Have With Them Me (whether or not I would’ve had room for them is
another matter entirely):
1. Games – I have a few, but they
are mostly educational, and sometimes I would like to
whip out a game that Ani
and I could play together.
2. Computer paper – Ani and I draw
a lot, and it would be nice to have some blank paper.
3. Big black bag – Seriously, all
the teachers here have them to carry their books around
in, so it would’ve been
nice to have been clued in on that one before coming. I can buy
one here that I
really like, but it’s fairly expensive, so we’ll see what happens.
4. Just one more sweater – I have
a bunch of sweaters, so that’s not really the problem. I
do, however, wish that
I had an extra “lounging” sweater that I could wear around the
house or as an
additional layer when it’s just a bit chilly.
5. Georgian-English dictionary – I
can get one here, but it would’ve been nice to have it
with me in the past
month as the tiny dictionary in the back of my phrasebook renders
itself
useless in many cases.
6. An extra pair of flats – I
realize I can just buy some here, but it’s easier to buy things in
stores in
which the employees speak perfect English and not everyone stares at you
when
you walk in. I would like a pair of flats that I can wear around the house, and
I
know exactly the pair that I left at home in favor of tennis shoes…tennis
shoes, like I’ll
ever need those.
All things considered, though, I’ve done
pretty well with the things I’ve brought. There’s nothing that I don’t have
that I can’t live without – just things that could make life a little easier.
Alas, I will buy them here, and a month from now I will be writing on the
things that I didn’t realize I could buy with such ease in Georgia.
7 ½ months to go, one of which spent
traveling in Ireland and Scotland for the holidays, and I can say with perfect
honesty, as I sit on a random pipe in front of the house to catch the sun after
being at church this morning in which I understood the majority of the sermon
as it is given in English and then translated into Georgian, that I am completely
content with being right where I am.
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