Little Georgian Stories

Today's post is comprised of little bits of Georgian life that 1) do not fit anywhere else 2) parts of previous posts I forgot to mention or 3) stories too short to warrant a whole post to itself. It will likely become a regular component to the blog.

The Second Georgian Wedding: Adventures of the Drunk Uncle

The 2nd Georgian Wedding, and the subject of a post from about 2 weeks ago, involved my host mother's family; her niece to be exact. One of her brothers, Achille, I've sort of gotten to know from visiting the family business. The family owns a construction company, a small one, that just happens to build 16-storey, 90 apartment complexes. Achille speaks a little English, and 30 seconds after I first met him he asked if I was married and upon hearing "no," immediately informed me that he had some one for me. Fortunately, in 3 months this someone has not yet appeared. Back to the wedding...I saw him briefly as he toasted his niece and her new husband. I made a mental note to say hi during my time there. Later I asked my host sister where he was so that I might say hi. Her response was classic, albeit, shocking:

"The hospital."

"Why?"

"Oh, he drank too much."

Based on the tone of her voice, I concluded that this was not the first time such an event had befallen Uncle Achille. Also, it seemed as though such an occurance was not unusual for Georgian weddings. I base this assumption on what I have seen and the stories I've heard about the experiences of my American friends at weddings they have attended.

During the drive home, I asked her if Achille was going to be okay. Her response this time was even more shocking than the first.

"Yes, he's fine. He's out of the hospital. He even came back to the wedding."

I was speechless. Basically, he got plastered, had his stomach pumped, and still came back for more. I wonder what his BAC would have been? Only in Georgia...

Marshrut'kas: Not Only for Humans

Earlier this week I wrote about the wonderful world of the marshrut'ka. I failed to mention how I've also shared them with animals. Not kidding.

This happened in August on the way back from Keda. Keda is about an hour from Batumi, and for Americans the village featured in Borat might help to provide some reference. However, there are villages in Georgia even more Borat-esque. This village does have water and even spotty internet access. During the long, bumpy, and crowded ride back, I related what I had seen on a marshrut'ka during our hell trip to Kutaisi. (100 F, with a 100% humidity, and unreliable air conditioning in a bus of 36 people). We had stopped at a wayside, and there was a group in a marshrut'ka. It was packed with every imaginable item, almost as if the people were moving in it. One old women even had a chicken. Eventually she started carrying it in a plastic bag to avoid it running away. My friends were shocked, and not 2 seconds after I finished, we started hearing chicken noises...on the marshrut'ka. There was a chicken riding too. I wonder how much owners have to pay for their livestock to ride? If it is 1.5 lari for a human, 30 tetri for a chicken, perhaps?

Yesterday while on a marshrut'ka home, I saw a man with a goat at the bus station. I sincerely hope he was not trying to get that on one.

Insight into Village Life

Yesterday I took half of my class I hold after school to Batumi. These are the students with great promise in the English language, so I work with them in a small group. After yesterday I realized just how sheltered life in Georgia really is. To be honestly, I already knew this, but yesterday it was greatly reinforced.

It was apparent quickly that the students in my school do not get out much. The trip to the American Corner at the Public Library was a BIG DEAL. One girl even went home to change into dress-up clothes to go. This is odd to me because I go to Batumi all the time. We can see Batumi from our village, it is just a short marshrut'ka ride away. This further illustrates why the world view of Georgian students is so small: they simply do not get out. The majority of students in the school have not been to Tbilisi, and it is likely I have seen more of their country in the 3.5 months I have been here then they have in their whole lives. But today at school one of the girls could not stop talking about how much yesterday meant to her. As long as they start thinking beyond the borders of Georgia, that is a good thing.

Earlier in the year, I asked the 12th graders if they could go anywhere in the world on a dream trip, where would they go. The few who responded all wanted to go to places in Georgia, Svaneti was the most popular. Really guys? It was disheartening.