One Adventures Leads to Another

I had a dream last night that I was leaving Georgia; I was back in the States with my family, and I was trying not to cry because I couldn’t understand why I didn’t have a proper goodbye with my Georgian family. I was confused that it wasn’t yet Christmas, and I was leaving without the intention of coming back. It’s been 2 months since I’ve been in Georgia, and I am proud to say that I was happy to wake up from that dream. As much as I miss my family and friends in America and have days that I would like nothing better than to be there, I love Georgia, and it’s been a fabulous 2 months living in Shashiani and experiencing all that comes with that: walking faster to get onto the road before the cow does, learning to avoid glancing in the rat-infested gutters, appreciating soap operas, cuddling with hot water bottles in the night, perfecting the art of layering, chasing chickens out of the kitchen, becoming part of a church that does not speak my language, drying clothes in the midst of a snowstorm, and playing duraka for hours.

However, in one week, I will be leaving the country to go to another in search of yet another adventure. I can’t help but think that this is the sort of thing that happens in movies or to other people. I am the one who talks about traveling, not the one who actually endures all the “adventures” that go along with that. At some point, I may start another blog called “The Adventures of a Non-Adventurous Girl” because that pretty well defines my thoughts on the matter.

If moving to Georgia wasn’t enough, I am now getting ready to spend nearly 1 month in Ireland. We (my traveling buddy Jenny and I) will be spending Christmas and New Years in Ireland and Scotland, although as it happened, we’ll only be in Scotland for one week. We’ve rented a car, booked hotels, confirmed reservations, and planned travel via ferries, cars (driven on the opposite side of the road), trains, and buses. It’s a lot of adventure packed into one month, yet I can’t help but feel prepared. This preparation is not the kind that comes from organizing the trip perfectly because heavens knows we haven’t done that (don’t be concerned, mom and dad). Rather, it’s the preparation that comes from spending 2 months in a country where no one speaks fluent English or is there to hold your hand as you discover public transportation. Please don’t misunderstand me; there are numerous parts of this trip that are new and seemingly “too-adventurous” for me, but for a change, those are in the minority.

So in 1 week, we will leave the village and take a marshutka to Tbilisi. We will take the metro to the biggest market where I can finally buy a black purse, some slippers, and possibly an extra pair of sweatpants. We will check in at our favorite hostel and say goodbye to the TLG friends we’ve made here. We will attempt to see a movie in Georgian at the theater of which we already know the location, and we will take the metro and/or bus to the airport, where we will fly to Istanbul and then off to Dublin for another month of adventure. If I’ve learned anything at all in the past 2 months, it’s that as much as I can become comfortable in one part of life, adventure always manages to be lurking around the corner.