50 Words or Less: March 12

Monday: Nika told me one of my Georgian dad’s best friends was in jail for 19 years, which, of course, brought me to ask, “Why?” He was in the mafia. And he killed his mother. And the man his mother was having an affair with. He was at dinner last night.

Tuesday: Celebrated the spring day with a walk through the Vazisubani cemetery before going to my dance lesson.

Wednesday: What is it about the bell ringing at the end of classes that makes students turn into wild animals? I know you’re excited about leaving class, but do not use your excess energy to attack a girl with your English book or scream in the highest audible pitch.

Thursday: Instead of saying “I love my jeans” for one of the dialogues, one of my 5^th graders said “I love you” to his classmate. Further declarations of love then continued throughout class as everyone revealed who each other liked. And yet another day of dance, wind, and lost power.

Friday: Power came and went. And came and went. Played Trouble and made a Georgian verb dictionary, all the while realizing how boring my life has become.

Saturday: Went to church and came home to find that I would have 2 hours all to myself, during which I watched Georgia kick Russia’s butt in rugby, finished HP2, made lunch, drank a cup of hot chocolate, sang out loud, and edited pictures.

Sunday: Took a taxi, which included swerving at 70 mph to avoid cows, sheep, and potholes, to Davit Gureja, where we walked up a miniature mountain, and got back into the taxi, ran out of gas, got “towed” by the taxi driver’s parents, and witnessed road rage at 93 mph.

50 Words or Less: March 5, February 27

Week of March 5

Monday: Walked to school with my brothers, bought dance shoes in Telavi, played games with Ani, and took pictures of the mountains that most likely won’t look anything close to what they are.

Tuesday: Day one of dance. Vymey.

Wednesday: Sleepover at my house in celebration of Women’s Day. No school tomorrow.

Thursday: Celebrated Women’s Day by sleeping late, eating a cookie or three, watching Modern Family and Arrested Development, trading pictures and music, and taking a shower.

Friday: It’s going to be hard to go back to the States, where one’s coolness is based upon Friday night’s plans. My street cred will go down significantly if it gets out that I spent the majority of my Friday nights at a dance lesson, reading, crafting, or watching a movie…alone.

Saturday: Went to church, sang a song in Georgian, Russian, and English, baked a chocolate cake at Anita’s, watched Courageous without laughing too many times while eating said cake, came home to a candle-lit room, and played Trouble with Ani and Nana while Niko yelled out moves.

Sunday: Went to church, sang a song in Georgian, Russian, and English, made a side trip to Sighnaghi for Mexican food, came home to a mini-feast with cha-cha, drank wine and played Trouble and Backgammon with Nika, and finished the night off with cartoons and Fear Factor.

Week of February 27

Monday: Went to “Tbilisi Hostel” where I would be sleeping with four, smelly boys. Praise the Lord because it was the wrong one. A trip to McDonalds, 2 hours of training, and a 4 hour dinner later, and I have had a wonderful day.

Tuesday: “Explore the city on your day off” equals walk around in the sun, eat McDonalds, read Anna Karenina, sit in the park, meet up with a  friend, catch up on TV shows, Skype with Chelsea, and eat dinner with friends.

Wednesday: Met with Minister DimitriShashkini for breakfast at the Marriott followed by cinnamon tea at Prospero’s and a marshutka ride back to the village.

Thursday: The power went out around 7pm, so Ani, Nana, and I played Trouble (travel version) by candlelight while Niko sat at the end of the table asking what the number was and yelling out the moves he thought we should be making.

Friday: 4^th graders told to work on other homework because they don’t know English and 6^th graders blatantly cheating were the highlights at school, after which Jenny and I left for Gudauri only to realize we should’ve had a plan.

Saturday: Took the ski lift through the mountains, caught up on journaling while Jenny skied, and finished the day off making breakfast for dinner.

Sunday: Cut my hand doing the dishes after breakfast and wrapped it up without a Band-Aid, making it look like I had a knife wound rather than a broken glass cut. Came back to the village where Nika and Shotiko had apparently made an appearance. Watched BBT Season 4 in bed.

50 Words or Less: Week of February 20

Monday: One third grade class plus an hour in the sun wrapped in a blanket plus tea with a student’s family and Sopo plus a failed attempt at Skype plus a delightful piece of cake is the perfect formula for a good day in Shashiani.

Tuesday: Got home from Gurjaani to the announcement that Nika was in the village. After starting a game of King, eating fried potatoes, hot dogs, and omelets and drinking wine, we spent the rest of the night cracking hazelnuts in our palms and eating shvindi compoti.

Wednesday: Today proves I’ve accustomed to life in Georgia; I stopped by Sopo, dressed her baby, drank tea, and bought a Sim card to call America cheaply. On my way home, I ran into Nika and his friend waiting for the marshutka and greeted the neighbors sitting outside in the sun.

Thursday: Apparently one of the 3^rd graders hit his classmate in the head with a book. As retribution, my co-teacher took the book from him, gave it to the kid he hit, and told him to hit him back. I learned a valuable lesson; punishing violence with equivalent violence is acceptable.

Friday: After learning that my co-teacher just wants me to talk in class, I left for my weekend (plus 3 days) in Tbilisi. Hello showers, real chai, heat, internet, and English; I’ve missed you.

Saturday: One bank card, a trip to the ATM, and two packages later, I’m one happy Georgian.

Sunday: Planned my eventual wedding, ate a box of cereal, drank tea, and listened to the same song over and over again. There’s nothing better than a day of relaxing without anyone sitting over your shoulder asking what you’re doing, in Georgian.

Hot Showers and Dry Underwear

Since when did my happiness depend on how many showers I have in one week, whether there’s homemade cheese for breakfast, and if I my underwear have dried after laundry day?

In the past few months, I have felt a shift in the things that I value: hot showers, good food, clean laundry. I live in a village where my family can’t find a way to get internet in the house, dryers don’t exist, and baking soda must be imported from Turkey.

I know this now; I don’t take advantage of the little things now, but it’s one of those things that I feel will quickly be forgotten when I get back to the States. In a world where grocery stores are open past dark, sugar can be bought in bulk, and free Wi-Fi is available at every street corner, how can I remember to take appreciate those things? I caught a glimpse of myself as I walked past the mirror – carrying a bucket of very cold, dripping clothes, in a black skirt, sweater, and slippers with 5-day-old hair – and I thought, “I could do this. I could live in a village.”

I think it’s a place that anyone who has traveled comes to…whether you’re living in another country or you’re on a week-long trip to a different culture…you realize that there are differences. But how do you reconcile your life at home with the new life you’ve encountered and immersed yourself in?

I realize that I’m not going back to the States for another 18 weeks (yes, I’m keeping track), but it’s something that I want to start preparing for now. I’m a stronger person as a result of this experience, and I don’t want that to change. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to insist on taking only one shower per week or hanging my laundry outside to dry in the winter, but I want to stay the person I have become, and I want to take pleasure in the simple things.

50 Words or Less: Feb 13

Monday: Greeted the sun on my way to school and watched as the feet of snow melted into one foot of snow, went to Telavi for the internet, and stayed up late enough to know I wouldn’t be watching the Grammy’s.

Tuesday: Who knew 5^th graders could care so much about one point, 1^st graders could be so cute, 2^nd graders could be so loud, and 3^rd graders could be so awful? And to make matters worse, it’s Valentine’s Day. Khachapuri for lunch and khinkali for dinner makes everything better, though.

Wednesday: Apparently when Niko checked the hot water in the shower and found it not running, he left it on; when I went to take a “bath” an hour later, the bathroom was filled with steam, I couldn’t see 6” in front of me, and good laundry water was being wasted.

Thursday: Went to school prepared to teach lessons alone; instead, I met the new co-teacher and left school at the end of the day with a migraine – exhausted and overwhelmed. For the first time, it wasn’t because of the students.

Friday: After looking up a word she needed to translate for me, Ani started skimming through my Georgian-English dictionary that uses out-of-date English at times. After asking me if I have a “lover” and calling me a chaffinch, she exclaimed, “Andrea…seriously?!” Apparently she’d reached the “s” page.

Saturday: Woke up to my best friend calling to tell me she’s engaged. I was excited with her, but eventually I had to face reality: take off the gloves I slept in, get an extra pair of leggings to walk to church, do laundry outside,learn how to make “Cake Nana”.

Sunday: Homemade cheese and hot bread for breakfast, cake for brunch, and my second hot shower in one week; I’m so happy that having to use my hairdryer to dry a pair of underwear because I washed them all yesterday and the cold froze them couldn’t even dampen my spirits.

50 Words or Less: January 30 and February 6

Week of January 30


Monday: Dancing to host dad’s ringtones, flicking ants off bread, putting gloves on to get ready for bed, walking 15 minutes each way to and from school in the middle of the day to teach one lesson, correcting Ani as she recites a Georgian poem – just another day in the village.


Tuesday: Went to the internet café in Gurjaani, stared back at a small Georgian boy, attempted to start the fire in the pechi, failed at starting the fire in the pechi, passed a fox (or a dog) on the way to school. Day 9 without consistent water.


Wednesday: I’m sorry; are you speaking English or have you made up an entirely new language as a result of not knowing English; it sounds like the latter. And there’s nothing better than cake for the birthday of a teacher’s daughter who is studying in Tbilisi; any excuse for a celebration.


Thursday: One of my first grade students turned to me during class and smiled – her mouth full of blood and a tooth in her hand. My teacher looked up, asked me what had happened, laughed, and turned back to the student she was helping. 


Friday: The best part about watching the illegally downloaded version of Troy with my host brothers is the English summary I get every few minutes; the movie was in English. 


Saturday: Bebia decided my socks were not warm enough and put her robe over my feet. She then gave me a pair of socks, a blanket, a cup of tea and the bowl of sugar, followed by a plate of bread and cheese, all the while muttering in Georgian. 


Sunday: An Idiot Abroad Season 2, Persuasion, chicken broth soup, a glass of wine, macaroni and cheese, peach compote, and sledding with Ani…all in all, a good day.




Week of February 6


Monday: Bought new, very warm, boots for the cold weather that forced me to chip away this morning at the urine-filled ice cube that formed overnight in the toilet bowl. 


Tuesday: The kid in the green ski mask with a baseball-cap-like bill that sounds like he’s having a meltdown whenever he speaks (and who actually has meltdowns often) is a bright spot in my day when my teacher decides to tell me I don’t do anything in class. 


Wednesday: After the first lesson of three I would apparently be teaching alone, we were sent home until Monday due to snow. 4 hours of being alone with Ani has made me understand why parents love sending their children back to school. We celebrated by eating one of Nana’s cakes. 


Thursday: Out of power for the entire day, we went to Gurjaani, where we encountered two boys who – instead of yelling, “Hello!” – greeted us with “f***” ten times. 


Friday: Cleaned the kitchen, worked on my craft, read Anna Karenina, and played cards while the power was out; somewhere between moving to Georgia and today, I turned into an old woman. That’s what happens when you live in a village. 


Saturday: Friendship toasted with a twelve-year-old today and finished off 2 ½ bottles of wine with a group of 5 12-year-olds, 1 9-year-old, and Nana. And I thought Ani was bad enough on her own…turns out when 5 more join the group and get drunk, it can get worse. 


Sunday: Played outside for 25 minutes with Ani, watched Tangled with Susan and Jenny, ate way more than I should have at dinner (khinkali, khachapuri, fried chicken, and cream puffs), and crafted on the couch while Ani did math homework: a successful day.

50 Words or Less: January 23

I have recently found myself thinking of experiences in terms of potential status updates. I realize that’s ridiculous, especially since I don’t have immediately, daily, or even bi-weekly access to Facebook. However, such is life. Tonight (as I’m laying in bed with two bottles filled with hot water to keep me warm, two jackets, leggings, sweatpants, socks, and a hood), I decided to write them down to help me keep track of random things throughout the week as well as countdown the remaining weeks of my time here in Georgia (mainly, my time in the winter).

Since I have internet access once a week, I’m going to start posting these pseudo-Facebook statuses each week so that you, my readers (aka…mom and dad and the others they force to read this), can follow along with me in a typical week of Georgian experiences. Congrats; feel free to consider yourself lucky to have stumbled upon this delightful new addition to your life.

Week 1: Week of January 23 (Yes, I’m starting with Mondays because that’s the first day of the week for me…the first day of school)

Monday: There’s nothing like being greeted by my director after the holidays by signing two papers saying that I’ve received the president’s gift of wine, champagne, chocolates, and a card with various Georgian government buildings on the inside.

Tuesday: I know a student isn’t paying attention when she peers at me for two minutes over her book that she’s stood on her desk.

Wednesday: The teacher black market today consisted of 30 toothbrushes, 30 tubes of toothpaste, hand towels, and wash cloths; it was great watching teachers, one by one, walk over to the English-labeled toothpastes, unscrew the tops, and taste the contents to see if it is mint or not.

Thursday: I didn’t realize that Georgian students use snowball fights as training to become assassins.

Friday: When a group of men buys me cake, what are your suggestions? If I eat it, does it mean I’ll sleep with them, or would I be better off throwing it to the ground and yelling, “I will not sell my sexuality for a very large piece of cake!”

Saturday: A snow day in America means cuddling up in sweatpants by the fire with a good book; a snow day in Georgia means cuddling up in sweatpants, leggings, two shirts, a sweater, socks, and slippers by the pechi with one of the two books I brought with me.

Sunday:Never again will I spend at entire winter weekend with an 11-year-old; by 3:15 on Saturday, I have reached my whining, card game playing, and attention-seeking behavior quota.