"My soul is elsewhere, I'm sure of that. And I intend to end up there." -- Rumi

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Saburtalo So Far

Time for another "what's been going on" post.  I am irrationally tired, so don't look for much creativity here today.  But without further ado...

My new digs.  Highly preferred.
View from my bedroom's tiny balcony.
Me with my new host brother Beka, in my family's very beautiful living room.
Host dad Badri, Host mom Marina
 A few Sundays ago, we piled into the car and went to take a look at nearby Mtskheta.



I thought Mtskheta was beautiful.  It's probably very similar to what Svaneti's Mestia will look like in a few years once all the construction is finally done.  The downtown was certainly very touristy with plenty of shops selling kitch.  For 50 tetri I got to wear this sexy traditional hat and have Beka take my picture.


We didn't stay terribly long in town because the cold was a significant problem.  But we did stop in and check out this incredibly beautiful 11th century church in the center of town.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral




On the way home, we stopped at a Kinkhali House for, well, kinkhali.  And vodka.

Marina and me, and one sad uneaten kinkhali. :)
View from the restaurant's window.
Later that day, the family decided to take me to see their country home, in a village about half an hour east of Tbilisi.  Apparently they spend a lot of their time here in the summer, avoiding Tbilisi's city heat.

Badri and his homemade wine.
Then, last weekend Marina decided to show me how to make kinkhali.  I at least got the dough to stay together although mine were nowhere near as pretty as Marina's!



Also last Sunday, Beka's sister Keti came to visit and took me to see a friend's art opening in a small gallery downtown.  I very much liked his work, check it out if you're in the area.  OR Gallery on Lezelide Street.


So that's what I've been up to, at least as far as host family and culture and stuff.  A second post to catch you up on beer and shenanigans (and less culture) is forthcoming.  I also have a pretty mammoth post on this whole Teaching in Georgia experience, which so far I have been quite silent on.  For a reason.  So until next time.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

An Intervention

The other night I had a conversation with my host dad (with my host brother as translator) about food. Specifically about American food, and how universally unhealthy it is. Now, it was late, I'd had a long working day, and maybe I wasn't as diplomatic as I could have been when I replied that Georgians could throw stones about health when their dinner table included vegetables of some sort.

(I said this laughingly, teasing, and not in a mean way. But to my host family's incredible credit and generosity [they are truly awesome], dinners for the past several nights have included salad. The kind with lettuce. In fact, tonight's dinner was exceptionally wonderful.  So let it be said that my host family is to be exempted from pretty much everything that is going to come below.  They are simply way cooler than average.)

Americans have a bad rap for fast food and obesity, and this in many situations is justified. But I'm not sure that a culture whose main staples are white carbs, cheese, undefinable animal parts, and chacha can really pass any judgement in this particular department. And also of course there's a lot more to being healthy than just what is on the table.

The other night was hardly the first time I have had to defend American food and health habits to a Georgian.  In fact, this post had been percolating in draft form for about a month before I dusted it off.  So, Georgia -- you think we've got messed up ideas about health and good food?  Allow me to reply.

Not long before leaving my Vashlijvari family, I had another relatively brief but violent bout of food poisoning. Unfortunately food poisoning is no longer something to write home about because it is just one of those things that can be expected from time to time. And why is this? This is because Georgians have this really interesting idea that it is unnecessary to refrigerate anything. The culprit this last time was bean stew (lobio), which ironically is one of their "healthier" staples but any nutritional properties of the dish go literally down the toilet when the stewpot has been sitting on the stove for 36 hours straight, next to the heater.

Georgia: food will go bad if you do not properly store/refrigerate it. Eventually, all food will go bad even if it is properly stored. Eating this food will make you sick. This is a fact.

Additionally, while this more relevant in the summer, flies and other insects carry disease. Having them crawling on your food because you leave stuff out and uncovered is gross. This too, is a fact.

And finally -- when you wash your hands and you don't use any soap, this does not count as washing your hands. Not washing your hands spreads germs. And yes -- this is another fact.

Let's move on to food itself.

Above, I mentioned a typical Georgian table's complete lack of vegetables, but it merits further review because I want to point out that during my entire stay with my Vashilijvari family, not ONCE did a fresh vegetable appear. This is not hyperbole, not an exaggeration to make a point. This is truth. And back in Poti, once my host family's own garden stopped producing tomatoes and cucumbers, they stopped serving veggies too. It goes without saying that Georgians don't take multivitamins, so this means that for the entire winter... what? They get their vitamins from the air? Honestly I am surprised scurvy is not a common Georgian disease. Oh, and btw -- covering vegetables with oil or mayonnaise, while better than nothing, does kind of defeat the purpose some.

Georgia: vegetables are awesome. They are out there, waiting to love you. Do not fear the vegetables.

The pitfalls of a Georgian table hardly end here. With the exception of cheese, there is practically no dairy. I rarely if ever see kids drinking milk, and adults don't even put milk in their coffee. I don't think it would come as a surprise to anyone (except maybe a Georgian), that this likely is a major contributor as to why so many older Georgians have terrible osteoporosis, as well as the horror-movie quality of Georgian teeth.

On to meat. Georgians love to boil stuff. They boil it into irrecognition, and either no one has told them that boiling removes a good deal of nutrition from anything, or they don't care, or they disregard this as "theory." When (most) Georgians get meat, the first thing they usually do is boil it. Then when it's nice and stringy, they hack the poor waterlogged creature into indefinable chunks, taking into zero account such finer points as the actual cuts of meat, let alone things like bone, fat, gristle, skin, and my personal favorite subgroup, the sneaky sneaky bone shard. It's not terribly appetizing, to be honest. And I feel kind of redundant saying that boiling something to pulp and then frying it in sunflower oil is not exactly the healthiest way to go about getting your protein.

Let's move on to carbs. Georgia loves carbs. They love carbs a bunch. Every meal includes bread, and a lot of it. But let me tell you about something near and dear to my heart (sarcasm), a lovely little dish called ghomi.

Poti is in a region of Georgian called Mingrelia, and ghomi is a traditional Mingrelian staple. Ghomi is grits. It's basically coarse-ground corn flour boiled in water. It has practically no dietary fiber, a ton of carbohydrates, and almost no vitamins. Despite popular (Mengrelian) belief, not only is ghomi not healthy, but it tastes like something I imagine they serve prisoners in North Korea. It's like the gruel Oliver asked for more of. I freaking hate ghomi. I would rather not eat rather than eat ghomi, and I have.

When I lived in Poti, I got ghomi a lot, and was hoping that since it was a regional specialty, I'd be spared this particular cultural experience in Tbilisi. Sadly for me, my Vashlijvari family loved the stuff, but my new (sane!) family has told me that they hate ghomi.  Hooray for them!  And for me.

Georgia: Eating tons of white bread (or similar carbs) at every meal is not healthy. This is also a fact.

No post about Georgian eating habits would be complete without mentioning the booze.  Some might call me hypocritical for bitching about Georgia's collective love of boozing it up, as clearly I have had no problems with this tradition in the past.  But Georgia, even though I may agree that shooting back chacha for hours while toasting everyone from God to Saakashvili to all my aunts, uncles, and cousins twice removed is good solid family fun, surely we can agree that this habit is not particularly good for you.  Most grown people in other countries do not carry bottles of vodka with them to visit friends.  In fact, it's pretty uncommon for most folks out of college to do shots at all -- special events like bachelor parties, job firings, unauthorized credit card activity etc., not withstanding.

This last particular anecdote is not directly related to food, but is related to health, so I think now is a good time to share with you that many Georgians honestly do not believe that spending hours in the sun with no protection will give you skin cancer. On the other hand, I have been told, with utter seriousness and sincerity, that cats will give you lung cancer. Now, if "cats" were a code word for "cigarettes", which nearly every Georgian over 18 (and a good deal younger) smokes like they think the answer to the universe will be found on the other end of the filter, that would make sense. But the (young and educated!) Georgian that told me this did not mean cigarettes. She meant cats, and she explained that this was the reason that many Georgians did not like cats. I'm just going to take this moment to say the following, for the record.

Georgia:  Yes, those giant black and white labels on your cigarettes are not lying. Cigarettes are bad for your health. Broiling your unprotected skin for hours in the summer sun is also bad for your health.  These are facts.

Cats, on the other hand, I'm pretty sure are in the clear.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

We come from the land of the ice and snow...

First... more news! I've been selected to be a guest blogger on my Program's official blog! I suppose at this point I finally need to stop sidestepping this issue. The big reveal....my "Program" is called Teach and Learn with Georgia, although seriously that is probably an open secret by now. I will be sure to post links when I write in my new official capacity. I wonder if I can work in a post about Star Trek.

I feel it really must be noted that, for closing on a year I keep on somehow getting pretty much what I ask for. Whether what I ask for is always actually what I really need is another story, but...

My newest host family just keeps blowing my mind on an hourly basis. We are currently closing out the evening watching the Travel Channel (dubbed in Georgian). My host dad and I are sipping whiskey on the rocks.

Yeah. Sipping. From glasses that contain actual ice cubes. My host family owns an ice tray.

Their apartment is utterly lovely. My room is huge, gorgeous, and boasts its own private teeny balcony. There are built-in radiators in every room. And seriously, you should just see the kitchen.

I live with my host mom and dad Mariam and Badri, with their 20-year old son Beka. There are also two grandparents that live in a granny suite, so I see them maybe once a day for a few seconds. Beka speaks excellent English and so far we are getting along great. This is good, because I found out yesterday that my family also owns the apartment directly above this one, and that is where my host parents sleep and spend part of their day. With the grandparents behind closed doors, this means that Beka and I have this enormous beautiful apartment all to ourselves for a good part of the time. Honestly this could be a little weird if it wasn't for my young host's impeccable manners and hospitality.

The four of us have had dinner together the past three nights, and overall things have been nothing but pleasant and easygoing. Mariam and Badri don't speak English but Beka is a very willing and able translator. Badri has selected a different libation for each evening. The first night, it was homemade black wine. The second night, Russian chacha. And tonight, the whiskey. Tomorrow night we are having white wine to accompany the goose he shot today while hunting with his friends.

On Sunday, they are planning to take me on a day trip to Mtskheta.

The one, and I do really mean the only one, less-than-good thing about my new situation is that they do not have wireless. I am posting this from the family's computer which is located in the hallway. I have started the conversation regarding my paying for the extra service if they're willing to get wireless; if that doesn't work I will have to get one of those portable routers like several other TLGers have. So, stay tuned for jealousy-inducing photos as soon as I can upload them.

Yesterday, I had my first day of classes at the Ministry of Justice. They both went very well and I am looking forward to our next class tomorrow. But I don't exactly have my commute to my new home streamlined yet, and it took me over an hour and a half door-to-door. Beka sent me a few texts and finally called, saying his parents were worried about me. I didn't know how to take this -- after all, I plan to be out some nights a LOT later than 9:30! But I finally stumble in the door shortly before 10:00 to find that they had actually held dinner for me. This is not something that my previous host families would have ever done, so needless to say I was thrown for a little bit of a loop! But they were everything that is gracious and we had a wonderful meal with lots of laughter.

Today was very quiet; I did work for my MOJ job most of the afternoon. It snowed (again, for a change) most of last night and today, utterly quelling any possible desire to set foot outside if I did not have to. And Beka just told me that tomorrow will be even colder, with -- yes, more snow. Guess I am rocking the waterproof hiking boots at the MOJ tomorrow.

Ah yes... and of course I am currently waiting to start at my new school in Saburtalo. The weather is shite enough that schools have been closed nationwide until Monday. The (tentative) plan is for me to meet my new co-teachers on Friday, and then start on Monday. We will see.

So... yeah. TLG job co-teaching, job with the MOJ, TLG blog writing, personal blog writing, and studying for my Business English certification. Oh yes, and figuring out where I am going next. It just might be a good thing that this epic winter is keeping me inside where I belong. Because as soon as it warms the heck up I am not going to want to spend many weekends in Tbilisi. There's a country to see, somewhere buried under all this stupid snow.

This has been in my head recently (with good cause).  Now it will be in your head too.


Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Modern Era

I am procrastinating on writing my Upper Intermediate syllabus while listening to Georgian folk at window-rattling volume (which I'm pretty sure is deliberate punishment for my being stubborn and insisting that I got a hot shower last night [which required staying up until past 4:00 AM]), so here is is:

21 simple inventions I really, really wish Georgians would embrace:
  1. The clothes dryer
  2. The street sign
  3. The accessible and accurate bus and marshrutka schedule
  4. The window screen
  5. The "change ringtone" option on their Nokia cell phone
  6. The taxi meter
  7. The ice tray
  8. The charcoal grill
  9. The snow shovel
  10. The snow plow
  11. The gravel salt and icemelt
  12. The central heating (and AC!)
  13. The volume button (specifically the down button) on their television and computer
  14. The food preservation safety precautions
  15. The mealtime (not to mention the concept of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
  16. The traffic lane
  17. The sheet set
  18. The dental floss
  19. The privacy
  20. The personal space
  21. The child discipline

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Changes

Well.  Here we are again, my lovlies.  Many exciting things have happened recently in my exciting life that I am very excited to tell you about.  Excitedly.

First, I completed my TEFL course.  I am now a certified to Teach English in a Foreign Language.  The particular course I signed up for also came with a free supplementary course in Business English, so really I am just rolling right along, learnin' stuff.

And just a few days after I finished my TEFL, I got a second job!  I really am very pleased about this, because it will effectively double my take-home pay.  Which is huge (in importance, not in $$. Sadly).  However, I have told myself that this extra income is for two things -- travel, and savings.  We'll see how well I hold up with that.  The job is teaching Advanced and Upper Intermediate adults at Georgia's Ministry of Justice.  Pretty sweet resume booster, but this also looks to be no slouch.  I just spent most of this afternoon and evening rewriting a very detailed syllabus for my Advanced class, and it's not even done.  After that there is the UI syllabus to tackle, and class hasn't even started yet.  I am looking forward to the challenge, and it will be a refreshing change from the feral playground that is the Georgian school system.

Lastly... I am moving.  I found out last night that my host family is selling the apartment and going... somewhere.  So I have to get out.  Luckily, my Program found me another host family within 24 hours, and I move on Monday.  The really good news is that this time I actually will be in Saburtalo, near the Delisi metro stop.  I'm not going to pretend that I'm not really, really happy to be getting out of Vashlijvari.  This village life is not what I expected when I moved to the Capital!  I have felt very isolated and just plain bored here.  I am looking forward to not spending an hour or more on mass transit when I decide I want to go grab dinner out.

It's a little bit of a bummer how things have ended with my host family here though.  I have absolutely no details and they are sharing nothing, so I can't speculate on whatever situation made them so abruptly decide to pull up stakes.  But (I am leaving so I guess I can afford to be honest), although these people have been very good to me, it has become obvious that the family is dealing with some ongoing and pretty serious interpersonal issues.  They really are not in a position right now to host anyone, even if they weren't moving.  I wish them all the best, but I am relieved to have gotten this opportunity to let them work out whatever serious issues they are apparently facing, and relieved as well to be able to gracefully bow out.

(There are a whole plethora of small issues I could cite as more specific examples as to why I am happy to be leaving, but I started to type and it all just sounded horribly petty, so I guess that's for another time if at all.)

No Gori for me this weekend, clearly.  Even if I didn't have to pack and write two syllabi, Tbilisi's currently savage winter makes traveling anywhere both unpleasant and dangerous.  They say it gets better in March.  I am very, very glad February is a short month.