While the exams were going on (and since I have no real responsibilities during these excursions except to smile when they talk about their American volunteer), Alicia and I had time to wander the streets of the village.  It’s been raining daily here, but for the few hours we were there it was sunny and beautiful.  Here are a few photos from our stroll – enjoy!

Signs at the Tbilisi airport greet travelers with a warm sentiment (and lousy, contrived logo… I guess that’s supposed to be a heart?) stating that it is, in fact, the city that loves you. In the two years that we have been in Georgia, Tbilisi has shown that she loves us more and more. Tbilisi is definitely a city on the move, quickly gaining an international reputation as one of those destinations that few people know about yet or have visited… but you better come now, because in the not-so-distant future, it will be “discovered” and as overrun with tourists as Prague and Krakow are becoming. I can’t say I disagree.

While it is certainly not perfect by any means (but what large city is?), I think Tbilisi is on the right track:

• Transportation infrastructure is improving. Old marshrutkas (mini-vans) are being replaced by shiny yellow ones. Buses are everywhere. And you can use one pass card to ride on both of them, which is also the same card you use on the already efficient Metro system. Oh, and that Metro system has brand new brightly lit directional signs — in English.
• International restaurant chains like Wendy’s are preparing to enter the market, perhaps paving the way for more Western brands. You can make the argument that this is actually bad for the country (more unhealthy food, homogenization of culture, etc.) but I think it’s a sign of progress. International brands don’t gamble. They make sure bets on places with economies that are growing and will continue to grow. What’s next? I think Burger King, Pizza Hut and/or KFC. Some say Starbucks. I don’t think so. I actually have a lot of thoughts about this issue, but they’re for another post.
• The largest mall in the Caucasus region has just been built on the outskirts of town where customers will (eventually) be able to shop at stores such as The Gap and Banana Republic, who have announced plans to open their first Georgian outlets there. I have mixed feelings about how successful this will be. Most of the population can’t afford to shop at stores like that, it’s a pain to get there (although apparently a Metro stop is being built), and you’re not going to change a thousand years of the bazaar-shopping culture overnight. That said, it’s an investment in the kind of Georgia that investors and government leaders want ten, twenty, fifty years from now. I can support that.
• Tbilisi is frequently being mentioned as a foodie destination. The M Group already operates several successful restaurants serving both Georgian and international cuisine. There is a fabulous Uzbeki restaurant a few blocks from the Philharmonic Hall. Several Indian restaurants. Even sushi. Not to mention numerous kitchens that demonstrate exactly how delicious and addictive Georgian food can be. The bar and nightclub scene is also expanding, with pockets of activity developing all over town, catering to everyone from hipsters looking for a cheap beer to sophisticated 20- and 30-somethings wanting to enjoy a glass of fine Georgian wine.
• It looks good and is looking better every time we go. Standing in Old Town at night, gazing out at the lights on the churches, fortress, bridges, parks and monuments, it is hard to deny that Tbilisi isn’t just cool “for Georgia” but is legitimately cool. An impressive world capital with a fascinating history and incredible potential. Of course it has its problems (trash, traffic, unreliable utilities at times), but Tbilisi has come a long way in the twenty years since gaining independence from the Soviets.

Back to our friends, Tony and Alicia. A few months ago, Tony and Alicia quit their jobs, sold their house, packed a couple of enviously small backpacks, and set out to see the world for a year. A little over a month into their journey, they’ve already experienced some amazing things in countries like Iceland, Spain and France. You can keep up with them on their blog.

Friday night, a few hours after McKinze and I returned from America, Tony and Alicia arrived. By the time we got out of the cab at the Peace Corps office, it was close to 4:30 AM. But instead of crashing onto the couches, we headed across the street for khachapuri and beer: a fitting intro to their time in Georgia. The sun was up when we left.

The rest of the weekend was pretty much perfect: filled with experiences that were both oh-so-Georgian and that also showcased the vibrant and modern city Tbilisi is rapidly becoming.

Alicia and Tony consulting their Georgian language “cheat sheet” on the balcony of a great Georgian restaurant in Old Town. Throughout lunch, from down below came the sounds of incessant sirens, squawking through megaphones and honking as four police cars attempted to clear the parking lot.

Perfect weather all weekend. McKinze, Alicia and Tony with the Peace Bridge and president’s house in the background.

We stumbled onto an American-style wine tasting in Old Town: generous pours of dozens of Georgian wines, plus cheese, nuts and fruits, all free.

Tony looks out over Tbilisi from high up on the walls of Narikala Fortress. Inside the church at the fortress, a traditional Georgian mass unexpectedly broke out, showing our guests the singing and rituals of this Orthodox religion.

The newly landscaped grounds outside of the Turkish Bath district, where Tbilisi is said to have been founded. You can see the domes of the sulphur baths in the background.

A block away from the tourist attractions, a young girl runs through an area where there is still much work to be done.

Tony and Alicia buy phones at one of the stores on “Cell Phone Alley” — a city block lined with one cell phone store after another, selling identical wares, across the street from the central train station.

We stopped in for a snack at a consistently good cafe in one of the transit stations. Suddenly, a Georgian man with a guitar comes in and sits down behind us, singing and playing traditional Georgian songs — and even making them up on the spot about people in the cafe.

Beautifully landscaped gardens surround the main Orthodox church in Tbilisi, Sameba. Roses everywhere. Swans. Never seen anything like it in Tbilisi.

The bell tower across from the cathedral, with bushes sculpted in the shape of the Georgian cross.

The four of us in front of Sameba.

Earlier in the day we went shopping at the “Gold Bazaar” — a massive room full of silver and gold jewelry vendors near the central train station. Here is McKinze’s silver necklace and medallion of Saint George (Georgia’s patron saint) killing the dragon.

McKinze gazing up at the statue of King Vakhtang (the Iberian king who founded Tbilisi), across the river from the fortress.

What Old Town might look like if it were a toy…

Enjoying their first liter of Georgian wine at a great restaurant in Old Town that not only serves up traditional Georgian food, but also some Ossetian specialties. Sometimes at this place, the tables of drinking men drag you into their business, but this time, in keeping with the good luck of the weekend, they left us alone.

Alicia snuggles up with a “Georgian man” drinking from a horn.

The ladies in front of the new fountains in the new park at the end of the new bridge.

We ended the night at a wine bar called (I believe) 121 Steps, signifying the number of steps you had to climb to get to its location, right under the Narikala Fortress in Old Town. We sat on the patio overlooking the city, enjoyed a liter of wine and were ready to go when it suddenly started pouring. We ducked inside and, over the next several hours and several liters, enjoyed a lot of lively conversation with one another and the Georgian proprietors.

Taken around 4:30 AM, shortly before the rain stopped and we left.

I hope Tony and Alicia had as good of a time discovering Tbilisi as we did sharing it. For the past day or so they’ve been experiencing life in the village. Tomorrow they come to Akhaltsikhe, and we’re looking forward to sharing our life here with them.

I think I can speak for McKinze when I say that experiences like this make us realize how much we love Tbilisi and Georgia, and how what was once a foreign land has definitely become a home. American friends and family, the clock is ticking but there’s still time to visit. We’re here for two more months. I guarantee you won’t regret it.

Ten years from now, you’ll stand in lines twice as long to pay twice as much.

A few pictures from our trip:
– My mom made me my favorite breakfast (pancakes with hot dogs) on our last morning in Iowa City.  Don’t judge.  I promise it is delicious!
– Sean’s mom took us to Cheesecake Factory four times.  And each time we had a slice of cheesecake.  Mmm.
– My dad and brother hamming it up at my mom’s pre-graduation reception.
– Sean and I scored lots of snuggle time with the cats at Sean’s mom’s house.  Winston and Lola are as sweet and spoiled as ever.
– On Sunday, my brother, Sean and I collaborated on a mother’s day lunch for my mom.  Sean made a delicious panzanella salad (pictured) and asparagus, while my brother made roasted lamb legs and rosemary bread.  I made a savory galette and a carrot cake parfait.  Sean and I (still) really miss having a kitchen of our own.  Soon…
– We had lots of help pulling off our surprises.  Here we are with our dear friend Nick, who treated us to breakfast before driving us to the pre-graduation reception.
– Congratulations to Dr. Cook!
– My aforementioned carrot cake parfait.  My mom loves carrot cake so I tried to shake things up with this recipe.  Jelly jars make everything cuter, right?!
–  My mom’s graduation ceremony was pretty boring.  Luckily I had my kindle.  Sean entertained himself by taking lots of pictures and videos for posterity.

What we managed not to photograph:
– Any pictures of Sean’s mom and sister.  Duh.  We spent half our time in Des Moines with them, but sometimes we just forget to take out the camera.  Sigh.
– A lovely birthday dinner (happy 9th, Noah!) at Motley Cow with good friends we don’t get to see enough.
– The surprise I gave my super-pregnant friend Kelly, who is due with her first baby in a matter of weeks.  I debated telling her I’d be in town, but couldn’t resist the surprise.  (And as she says, “I’m pregnant, not disabled!”)
– All the beer we drank with my brother while hanging out on the deck.  I think we drank the better part of his home-brewed five-gallon “kegerator” he brought to Iowa City, plus all the bottles we picked up at John’s in Iowa City.
– All the clothes Sean’s mom bought me.  She spoils me!  I haven’t been shopping, America-style, in a long time so I was a bit overwhelmed by the all the colors and options, but it feels so nice to have a few new things.

So it’d be an understatement to say it was a good trip.  It was a great trip!  And we’d be lying if we didn’t say we weren’t looking forward to all the good stuff that life in America has to offer us in a few months.  But we also know these last seven weeks in Georgia will fly by, with guests and parties and wrapping up projects and saying goodbye.  And I’m determined to focus on all that is here, now while I still can.

See you soon, America.

the recently-named Dr. Elaine Cook

We flew into Des Moines on Tuesday and spent last week with Sean’s mom, before traveling to Iowa City and surprising my mom on Saturday at the pre-graduation reception.

My parents, brother and Sean and me

We were pretty crafty in throwing off our moms.  We created an imaginary trip to Armenia with friends, and told them that during this trip we wouldn’t have our phones or much, if any, access to email and skype.  And it worked!  Neither mother had any idea.

We’re in Iowa until Thursday, enjoying all the comforts of America.  Thanks to all our accomplices for helping us pull off such a huge surprise!

Back in February we and the other volunteers in town held a creative writing competition, one of many held in Georgia and throughout the world.  We were thrilled to learn that not only was the Akhaltsikhe competition the largest in Georgia (150 participants!), we also cleaned house, awards-wise.  Of the 21 regional winners in Samtskhe-Javakheti, 19 were from the Akhaltsikhe municipality.  Three of those regional winners were selected as national winners and will be treated to a special reception in Tbilisi later this month!  We held a short presentation to acknowledge our awesomeness last week.  Go Akhaltsikhe!

Our friend, tutor and translator Tiko has become the cultural ambassador for the volunteers in town, offering to take us to interesting places and events in the area.  This past Sunday was one of two Giorgoba celebrations held each year.  (Giorgoba means “St. George’s Day.”  St. George is the patron saint of Georgia…hence the country name.)  This one celebrated his birthday; the one in November celebrates his death.  Apparently on this Giorgoba, everyone in the area travels to a tiny village outside Akhaltsikhe to visit the St. George Church.  The church is very small and old; services are no longer held there.  Perhaps most interestingly, there is both Orthodox and Catholic artwork on the walls, so that people from both religions will feel comfortable worshiping there.  We bought and lit candles and, as tradition dictates, circled the church three times before heading back to the city.

(Sean and I are on vacation now, so this was written over the weekend.  We’ll be back – with pictures and other stories to tell – soon.)

My organization is good at orchestrating these trainings.  During a busy month, we’ll have a few a week, so we definitely have the behind-the-scenes stuff down.  I don’t attend these trainings – they’re in Georgian, after all – but I’m around for them now and again and peek in when I can.

Yesterday, however, there was a training I was more or less in charge of and, surprisingly, I was a little nervous!  A few months back I met and befriended a Fulbright fellow who is working in Georgia to develop the country’s cancer prevention policy.  I found her to be a really interesting, hard-working lady and invited her to come to our office to train doctors, nurses and teachers about breast cancer and health, her passion and specialty.

What was I so nervous about?  People showing up.  My co-workers being there on time to open the office.  Whether or not the guys that hang around the office – sons of staff, mostly – would hang around in the kitchen and smoke, which is obviously frowned upon in a health clinic.  Whether or not the little hellion, a grandson of one of my co-workers, would still be at the office like he has been daily for three weeks, screaming and generally wreaking havoc.  Whether or not my friend (an American living in Georgia for ten months, but still, an American!) would be overwhelmed by the Georgian hospitality my co-workers would inevitably force upon her.  Whether or not we could even attempt to start on time, as she requested we do.  Whether or not the attendees would be engaged and participate.  Whether or not her direct, American style would offend the more traditional village women.  Whether or not everyone, my co-workers and the attendees would refrain from excessive cellphone use throughout the training and generally be respectful.  Whether or not there would be power for the projector and water for coffee.  You get the idea – all sorts of things I really couldn’t control, but tried to regardless.

I wanted this training to go well because I really, really wanted to make a good impression – not for me but for my organization.  I wanted my friend and others in Tbilisi to know that there are legit health organizations doing really great work for women in the regions.  So, needless to say, I felt a bit of pressure.  Self-imposed, I know, but I felt it.

Sean reminded me before I left that I’d done all I could.  And he was right.  Yes, we started 30 minutes late because we absolutely had to serve our guest khatchapuri, lobiani, fruit, tea, coffee and chocolates.  (I did manage to talk them out of ordering khinkali, however.)  Yes, the water was off for a period of time, making hospitality difficult.  But apparently my warnings that this was a big deal were heeded, since my co-workers were on their best behavior and dressed to the nines.  My friend was very gracious with all the hospitality and toured our facility, asking great questions and learning about our work.

And best of all, we had a full room of attendees who were completely engaged!  I’ve learned that Georgians need to hear health information from a expert for it to resonate, and my friend earned their trust immediately.  By the end of the training, they were asking her for tips on reducing back strain, what type of shoes to wear and how to prepare vegetables in a healthier way.  Amazing, really.

My friend demonstrating how she exercises by using plastic wine jugs as weights. The attendees ate it up! I’m sure they thought she was a crazy American but after the training I heard them saying how they could totally do those exercises at home.

The seated woman is a breast cancer survivor. My friend was demonstrating which muscles she needed to engage and strengthen now that she’s had surgery and is recovering.

She led them through some easy back, neck and shoulder exercises.  I heard one woman say, “Ooh!  It’s just like a massage!”

Georgians tend to be rather emotionless in these types of settings. (Pictures from our trainings, when people look as if they’re about ready to fall asleep, are proof of this.) But see, look! They really liked it!

What I really loved about my friend’s presentation is how she related breast health to overall health.  In a place where health and appearance are closely linked, many women either are on crash diets or simply say that they are already married and can “let themselves go.”  This training turned the conversation from looks to health, and made the case that we as women need to take care of ourselves by eating well and exercising so we can be there for our children and grandchildren.  Amen!  It certainly resonated with me, and I think it might have struck the women, too.

We have not yet been to a Georgian wedding. This is fairly remarkable, as it seems that someone we know is always either going to a wedding, has come from a wedding or is talking about going to or coming from a wedding. Large banquet halls like Akhaltsikhe’s “Romantica” are in business primarily for occasions like this. Cars from wedding parties parade through the streets of Akhaltsikhe on a near-daily basis, honking in unison in a head-splitting cacophony.

Yet we have not been to a wedding. Nobody in our close family, circles of friends or co-workers has gotten married, surprisingly. And the chances of us going this month are pretty slim. Apparently, it’s bad luck to get married in May. That’s why weddings were happening pretty much all-day every-day during the last week of April. One of my co-workers went to a wedding at 2 PM on a Tuesday.

Even though “the Georgian wedding” is still on our to-do list, last weekend we had the privilege of going to something that was at least as special, and probably more meaningful: the engagement party of our friends Kamran and Rachael.

In Georgian, this is called a “nishnoba,” which literally means “engagement.” It was a big event, one that Kamran’s entire village took very seriously. There was cooking for days. A baby piglet was purchased, slaughtered, roasted and eaten. An underground vessel of wine was cracked open. Dishes and tables were rented from the supra supply company (yes, that really exists).

McKinze helping prepare the food by frying up blini — crepes rolled up with meat and spices.

Kamran’s counterpart bringing out the roasted piglet.

A few minutes later…

Setting the supra table.

The “kvevri” room. Under each mound of dirt is a sealed lid, covering a hole filled with hundreds of liters of wine. Opening a kvevri is a very serious and traditional part of Georgian wine culture. A new one would be opened for this event. A small table was brought in for a mini-supra to accompany the opening.

Kamran doing the honors.

The men, toasting and drinking from clay bowls. Drinking from glasses is not allowed after opening the kvevri. Women are also not allowed in the room (although an exception was made after a little while for the American women, who were all huddled around the door, peering in with cameras in tow).

After the toasting, wine needed to be transferred out of the kvevri into bottles using this pitcher-on-a-stick.

McKinze and I have been to Kamran’s village before, and we always have a great time there. His host mother and brother are truly kind, generous and wonderful people, and the lifestyle they have on their farm is enviably self-sufficient, tranquil and gratifying.

Part of the house and balcony.

Mama and babies.

A calf. My fingers. His slimy tongue.

For this weekend, a handful of other Americans were there, as well as Georgians from all over. The focus of the supra was entirely on Kamran and Rachael, as it should have been. We have always been especially close to Kamran, who is part of our G10 group, scheduled to leave in July. He and Rachael, a G11 who will be here until 2013, are clearly enamored with each other and are the kind of couple that just makes you smile. The weekend was a Georgian-style celebration of this relationship, and it was truly special.

The supra begins! This is about 2/3 of the guests.

Putting on the ring.

Me, toasting the happy couple.

The big news was when Kamran stood up to give a toast, announcing that he had decided to stay in Georgia another year so he could be with Rachael. Everyone was completely surprised, and the looks on the faces of Kamran’s host family and counterparts can be summed up in one word:

Joy. Pure joy.

Kamran, his host brother, his counterpart, and our friend John, a few minutes after the big surprise.

That is the kind of impact that I think all Peace Corps volunteers strive for. One that goes beyond projects, grants and trainings… one that is about people and connections… mutual respect and love. All of that was clearly there. So in many ways, staying a third year in this kind of environment isn’t much of a surprise. It actually makes sense.

Apparently the last person left the supra at around 5 AM — 10 hours after it began. That didn’t stop the next supra from starting the following day, however. By 1:00 in the afternoon, many of us were gathered around a somewhat smaller table, once again toasting and celebrating.

The lunch supra. We ducked out after 3 hours; some of the more seasoned villagers kept it up for a few more hours after we left.

Kamran’s decision to stay another year was, however, another reminder to many of us that our days here are quickly coming to an end. Many toasts were made. Tears were shed. It was — and is — a heady time.

The Akhaltsikhe volunteers, plus our wonderful counterpart Tiko, at the International Volunteerism Day event in December

We all wanted to continue working together, so the four organizational development Peace Corps volunteers in town – that’s what Sean and I are – decided to tackle some of the biggest problems we face day-to-day in our organizations (the others, sadly enough, moved away).  Our directors were complaining of the same issues, and we were all struggling with the same internal challenges.  We were sent here to build the capacities of these organizations so we decided we’d pool our resources and skills and attempt to do just that.

Fast forward a few months and we’re now in the middle of the Peace Corps funded project, “KSA:  Building Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes in the Akhaltsikhe NGO Community.”  We’ve developed a series of five trainings that we feel our organizations really need:  how to manage employees; how to truly utilize volunteers; how to market themselves to donors and stakeholders; how to design and manage projects; how to advocate for change on a variety of levels.  All good stuff that I can say my co-workers and directors need, for sure.

An important lesson for my director, delivered by Sean at last week's management training

The benefits of collaborating on this project are many.  Of course, the work is quartered – I didn’t have to present a two-day training on project design, for example (and thank goodness!  Not the most thrilling topic, I’ll admit…).  But by working together we’ve also overcome some other challenges.  We are able to pay good money for a fantastic, reliable and capable translator (who, thus far, also happens to be our tutor); we’re able to use a beautiful new USAID-funded meeting space; we’ve been able to pitch the series as a “big deal” that people need to register and show up on time for; we’ve been able to serve tasty lunches and coffee breaks, which Georgians demand and appreciate; we are able to distribute fancy certificates on nice paper and have folders, nametags and other materials.

Sean and Tiko, our translator, tutor and one of the most hard-working, dedicated Georgians I know

In typical Georgian fashion, entirely too much food is ordered for each lunch...but it's really good and we get to take home leftovers. No complaints.

Add to that the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that comes with working with other Americans (seriously, we Americans know how to get things done, and I love that!) and you have a pretty cool project.  Granted, we’ve had our share of challenges and are continually refining our processes and approach, but I am looking forward to the last three trainings.  There is a lot of regional and hometown pride within Peace Corps, but I have to say it again…we’ve got it good in Akhaltsikhe!

One of the newer organizations in town proudly standing in front of their project outline after our project design and management training

(PS:  Every time I type out the title of this project I giggle to myself, because my dad has been signing his emails with “KSA” every single day since I left home for college.  What does it stand for?  Kick Some Ass, of course.  How appropriate!)

• Shota Rustaveli’s statue in the small park, which we never seem to visit but is actually very nice and much quieter than the other park.
• The Soviet-era free weight I’ve been using to exercise.  Sean prefers the heavy rocks at the stadium.
• View from our park bench in the “big” park.  Sadly these park benches are only a year old but already look dilapidated.
• The best-in-the-country kebabi we enjoyed at a favorite restaurant.  Yum.
• The manager of said restaurant sharing his homemade wine and toasting with Sean. Nothing like turning a relaxed, quiet Sunday evening into a mini-supra with 2.5 pitchers of wine (between three people, no less!).
• Another view from our park bench in the “big park.”  The weather was gorgeous all weekend so everyone seemed to be out and about.
• Packing our winter clothes for my mom to take back with her in July.  Thanks, Mom!
• New lamp posts at the small park.  Small park = classy park.
• Lonely Planet:  Turkey.  Our friend as we begin to plan our post-Peace Corps travel.

Unlike Catholics and Orthodox Armenians, Georgian Orthodox followers celebrated Easter this past weekend, one week after our families in the States.  Our family is less traditional than most and doesn’t go all-out for most holidays.  (Believe it or not, our New Years’ festivities are tamer than most, and for that I am thankful.)  But our host mom still made 17 loaves of Georgian traditional Easter bread — paska — and dyed dozens of eggs red on the Georgian equivalent of Good Friday, just like every Georgian family does.

The eggs are dyed deep red to symbolize the blood of Christ, and taken to the cemetery the day after Easter to roll across the graves of loved ones. And also to crack against others' eggs to see whose egg is the strongest! Sean snapped this picture of our host cousins' red egg display before the supra at their house on Monday.

Easter itself was low-key at our house, with a few family members dropping by and our host mom preparing other cakes and traditional supra foods.  Our host siblings went to Easter service Sunday night (which started around 10 pm and lasted until around 4 in the morning), leaving them exhausted for Monday, the day after Easter when the festivities really begin.

Sean and my red eggs at the grave of our host mom's mother, along with the rest of the extended family. Our host sister is lighting candles in front of the headstone.

The day after Easter is when Georgian families go to the graves of loved ones to pay their respects.  Most families have a supra on-site, which is why gravesites in Georgia aren’t what we find in the States.  They’re more like fenced-off little compounds, with covered picnic tables for the years with rain.

We weren’t sure what to expect, because for Americans, cemeteries are very somber, serious places.  We weren’t even sure if it would be appropriate to take pictures.  But our cemetery was lively and full of people.  Kids were running around, music was being played and almost everyone was already busy toasting to their loved ones and families.

Our cemetery is in Rabati, a neighborhood on a hill overlooking the city. I'll admit to not paying much attention to the sights day to day, but whenever I am a few minutes outside the city center, where we live and work, I'm reminded how pretty it is here.

Our family tends to err on the side of practicality, so the supra took place later in the afternoon at a relative’s home.  Instead, we took a jug of wine and a few cartons of eggs to our host mom’s mother’s grave.  Everyone lit small candles, rolled eggs across her grave, and then drank a half glass of wine in her memory, pouring the rest on the ground in the sign of the cross.  To each their own, but I really thought this was a lovely tradition.  Cemeteries and gravesites don’t have to be scary or sad places…they can also be joyful and celebratory.

After visiting the cemetery, we got down to business - supra-ing! Actually, this supra was pretty tame (but they still managed to cover the entire table with food and pile plate on top of plate).

That day’s supra was more like an Easter dinner, much like the ones I had with my extended family as a kid.  Except there was an inordinate amount of food (homemade khinkali!) and lots of wine and toasting.

Sean is a hit at supras. He gives great toasts (in Georgian, of course), which always win the respect of the guys. Here he is with our host dad, host uncle and family friend.

We missed Georgian Easter last year so I’m very happy we were able to spend it with our family this time around.  Sitting at the supra, we realized how comfortable this family and their traditions have become.  We fit in, kinda.  We understand why and how people live here.  Which is why we came in the first place.