Family Time

Since Chris left a few weeks ago, I haven't been doing much on the TLG social scene.  Part of that has to do with the fact that occasionally my brain decides it's just time to demand more solitude, introversion and introspection.  Hence the solo journeys.  I've also actually made a couple Georgian friends, and have been spending some pretty fun evenings with them.  And then my Fridays at Betsy's have also introduced me to a whole bunch of very interesting non-TLG expats.  There's only so much of me to go around, folks.

During Chris's visit, between work and tutoring and sightseeing and nights out with friends, I was stupid busy and booked for pretty much the entire time, and I didn't get to see much of my host family.  I was also pretty convinced they weren't happy with me about that, as they had started to ignore me when I was in the house.  This made me sad, as I like my host family.  But one of the things that has been the hardest for me to get used to in Georgia is that no one ever confronts any problem directly.  Georgia is the most passive-aggressive culture I have ever come across, and I knew that if I tried to talk to them about this problem it would turn into one gigantic, awkward cultural misunderstanding and things would only get worse.  They knew I was busy, that my friend was visiting.  And the fact was, even though I wanted to, I simply couldn't clone myself.

But then Chris's time in Georgia was up, and serendipitously it was only a few days later that I turned in my classes' final grades at the Ministry of Justice.  (I will miss those people tremendously, especially my incredible and talented AP class.  Hope to see you guys again!)  Suddenly it felt like I had slid into a cool pool after mowing the lawn in August.  So.  Much.  Free.  Time! :)

In a way, it made me sad that it was so easy to mend fences with my host family.  I wish I knew exactly what the catalyst was that made them write me off so obviously for those awkward weeks, and what it was that made them turn around again.  But one thing is certain, and that is that I sure did something right on May 23, that being my host brother's birthday.  I'd gone to Prospero's and picked him up an English-language book on International Law (what he's currently studying at University).

Well.  With the presentation of that gift, it was like the last few weeks evaporated.  All was right again, and that evening we had an excellent family supra to celebrate Beka turning 21.

Host Mom Marina with her two kids -- Beka and Keti

Beka's face here is awesome.

Badri and I in a triumphant vakhtanguri

During the supra, Badri got up and pointed on the wall calendar to May 26, Saturday.  On this day, Beka translates, there will be a neighborhood party down in the courtyard.  Terrific, I say.  I'm free, I'll be sure to be there.  I seriously love our neighborhood supras.

Well, Friday morning rolls around and Beka says to me with a grin: "Mary, are you ready for tonight?"

Crap.

Either they changed the date and didn't remember to tell me, or Badri pointed to the wrong day and Beka didn't notice, or all or none of the above.  It's Georgia.  After only so recently getting back into my family's good graces, I really, really wanted to show up at this party.  But I had made plans with friends at Betsy's, it being Friday night.  One of those plans even had a semi-business purpose to it, and I needed to be there.  Again with the cloning wishes.

Well, it worked out, because our neighborhood parties always start late.  I managed to get what I needed done at Betsy's, see friends, and taxi home by about 9:45, when things were just getting started!

Supra Yurt

I really do love these mtsvadi and wine nights with my family and neighbors.  The men all luuurve me because I can down a qanci like a pro, and I amuse everyone with my horrible pidgin-caveman Georgian when it's my turn to do toasts.  The mtsvadi is always so delish -- I think it's the wood they use to cook it.  Hmm... maybe attempt to do mtsvadi in the chiminea when I return home? :)

Delicious meat on sword... stick... things!

So... I perhaps was a touch hungover the next morning.  But I felt better in the afternoon, and that was good, because my host family surprised me with an impromptu trip out to their country house.

Their country house is awesome... boasts a porch swing and a hammock, and the backyard is full of fruit trees, a strawberry patch, and an herb garden.  We spent a couple minutes pulling cherries off the trees and eating them right there.

Beka gave me cherry "earrings"

I spent most of our time there reading on the swing.  Life could be worse. :)  We only ended up staying at the house for about two hours... I was kind of hoping we'd have dinner there but we left around 5:00.  On the way home, we stopped and picked up a big plastic jug of beer from the Kazbegi beer factory in Tbilisi, and some smoked fish.  It took me a minute to get into the fish, but dinner was damn tasty.  I spent Saturday night in, because I had to get up at 7:00 the next morning...

To go with my host family on a day-long tour of Kakheti.  I hadn't managed to see any of Kakheti yet, and had been told it was beautiful.  So I was looking forward to this tremendously.  It was a whole family affair, Badri, Marina, Beka, myself, plus Keti and her husband Irakli.  We all packed into their SUV and headed east to Sighnaghi.

Well, everything I'd been told turned out to be true.  Kakheti is beautiful -- a softer, less wild beauty than what I've seen in western Georgia.  It reminded me very much of the Shenandoah, and like my own very lovely home state, Kakheti is known for its wine.

Right before I left for Georgia, my dear friend Matt gave me a bottle of Georgian wine as a going-away present.  A saperavi, from the Pheasant's Tears winery.  We loved it, and in fact I'm pretty sure that bottle remains the best Georgian wine I've had so far.  Well, Pheasant's Tears hails from Sighnaghi, so I was super jazzed when we walked right by it!  Alas, we did not go inside despite my intimations.  Will have to come back again in the autumn.

We walked through the very pretty town and up into one of Sighnaghi's towers.  Back in the Middle Ages, Sighnaghi was a walled town and much of the original wall remains.  More old stones for the Ancient Ruins Nerd Girl!

Then... we left.  I was confused, as I would have really loved to see more of Sighnaghi, but no one had told me the plan for the day, which was to see a lot more of Kakheti. We drove to an ancient and apparently very popular monastery, but unfortunately I could not get the name.  All the same, it was pretty, and impressive, and old.  Go figure.

Keti and Beka walking up to the monastery

Frescoes inside

Me and a million-lari view

The monastery was (natch) at the top of a very steep hill; we weren't allowed to drive and had to take a marshutka.  At the bottom of the hill was a very cute little restaurant, and we stopped there for a typically traditional Georgian lunch -- mtsvadi, khachapuri, dedas puri, salati, kartopeli fri, and even a little red wine.

Then it was back in the car and on to Tsinandali.  I'd always thought Tsinandali was a kind of grape, like cabernet or chardonnay, but apparently it's a village.  We visited the historical estate winery in town, which sits in the middle of a huge park.

Inside is a winetasting room and upstairs a small museum.  I would have really, really liked to to either or both, but we ended up just walking around the grounds.  Very peaceful, and easy to imagine this as a Georgian estate 100 or 200 years ago.

Then it as back in the car for the long three-hour ride home.  We stopped and picked up matsoni, cheese, bread, cherries... and some other stuff on the way.  I arrived home exhausted but so happy that I had seen so much of Kakheti in one day.  My host family truly were so incredible to show me all of this (and refuse to let me pay for anything!)

And then I called up a friend and met him downtown for beer and snacks. :)  Damn good Sunday.

I have been so amazingly fortunate with my host families here in Georgia.  They have all given me so many memories and unique experiences I will remember for the rest of my life.  I hope we can keep in touch over the years!