Onwards

What a busy few days! We woke up early (well, early by Georgian standards) Wednesday morning for our first day of school! I love first days… Anyways, we went to one of the schools I will be teaching at, and were in time for the school’s opening ceremony. It was so much fun! All the students – from first grade to twelfth – stood outside the school while some of the students performed. They sung, did some really neat Georgian dances, and recited poetry. All the kids were really excited and were dancing and swaying to the music. It felt like a rock concert, except that everyone there was about 7. Sophie introduced Corrie and I to the student body and then, after dumping a ton of balloons on the crowd, it was a beeline for the entrance. OK, I know I’m small, but it shouldn’t be possible for me to be run over by elementary schoolers…

After we finally found our way to the teacher lounge (a little worse for wear), we met the director and all of the teachers I will be working with. The director is this very elegant lady who seems very nice, though she doesn’t speak English. As Georgians absolutely love there cake, there was, of course, this massive cake shaped like a book. And as an accompaniment, this extremely strong homemade liquor. At 9am. In the teacher’s lounge. At school. We're not in Kansas anymore... :D

After we left the first school, we went to my second school – this fabulously pink building right across from Stalin’s Museum. We met up with one of the teachers I will be working with (who we had met in Tbilisi) and talked for a bit. I meet with her again today to work out my schedule.

Finally, Sophie took us to the American Corner –an American resource center – where I will probably be holding most of my clubs. It’s still being renovated and won’t be open until mid-October, so that will give me some time to get used to everything. Once again, everyone was extremely kind and gracious. Nobody speaks English there, so our conversations are an interesting mix of Russian, English and Georgian.
After finally deciding on an apartment (with the help of the trusty coin flip), Sophie left us to head back to Tbilisi. She was such a great help! With still a good part of the day left, Corrie and I decided to familiarize ourselves with Gori. We walked around and got lavashi (flat bread) and fruit for dinner. A grand total of $1 for both of us. Nice, no? All the Fulbrighters were right when they said we’ll never be able to eat fruit back home again…

The next day (Thursday), Corrie and I were woken up by one of the ladies at the hotel with a call for “bREak fest.” Georgians are serious about their breakfast. We decided to walk around the bazaar, which is awesome. It’s like a mini version of Izmailovo, but very cheap. I’m going to be so happy there.  After much trial and error, we found a little stand selling soup with kasha, bread, and lemonade (all fruit drinks are called lemonade) – a total of $2 for two of us. They were so excited that we are Americans and unabashedly stared at us the entire meal (that is becoming quite a common thing…) Then, after a quick rest, we went to one of the parks and got a dinner of stuffed lavashi, fruit, and tomatoes for $1.50. I like cheap, delicious food.

Our apartment is very nice. It's near the edge of the center of town (does that make any sense?) in a neighbor by the river. It has a playground and a little store and gardens all around it. Apparently, there is also a French person and an Italian somewhere in the complex as well.

Friday was a nice break. We woke up late, to another call of “bREak fast” and then walked around the city for a bit. I think I have now officially walked down every street in Gori. We stopped for lunch at this little shop by the bazaar and met this Turkish guy there. We talked for a long while (well, I mostly just listened – I’ve suddenly become shy) before heading off to meet our host family and move into our apartment! Yay! My room was very pink and has lots of stuffed toys around, so after a little doctoring, it’s finally starting to feel like home. Corrie and I went for a quick trip to Populi (the western style store in the city) and then made a delicious dinner of homemade kinkali and lavishi. OK, so we just boiled frozen kinkali and bought lavashi from the store, but still, I’m impressed with us. :)

Today (Saturday), we met with some of the teachers from one of my schools to ask questions and prepare for the ambassador’s visit. Oh, yeah, did I mention that the Ambassador’s coming? He’s coming this week for a quick visit. That’s fun to say. Even if there will be media. Ick. I am not all too fond of all the cameramen running around. Who can act natural with a camera stuck in their face? But still, come on, how many people can say that they hosted an Ambassador.

Normally, I don’t think Fulbrighters are quite this connected with the Embassy. In fact, I’ve never really heard of Fulbrighters doing anything with them before. However, Georgia is currently in the midst of a new initiative in which the Georgian government is trying to hire 1000 native English speakers to teach English in Georgian schools. It’s all in an effort to make English, not Russian, the second language. As FETA and ELFs, we are separate from this program and a way for the U.S. government to show that they support Georgia’s initiative and hope to be partners with them in the change. Hence, the media. Makes me feel nervous but, hey, I’m here on the government’s dime. They might as well use us, right?

Anyways, since Corrie and I are the only Americans in Gori, and since I am the only one working in the schools themselves, the teachers want me to do as many different groups as possible. So it looks like I will teach about 20 different classes/cohorts a week (in two school – 10 in each). That way, I will visit each particular cohort about once a month. Unfortunately, I will not have a lot of time with two or three groups, so I’m going to have to come up with some way to make those 45 minutes a month count. Any suggestions? I will be running a few clubs, but I’m afraid they might become too crowded very quickly. I guess we’ll see…

After the meeting, Bobby (our main contact at one of the schools) showed us the best places to buy salads, khachapuri, and cake in the city before heading home. Corrie and I then went to the market and did some more shopping. I’m really going to have to learn Georgian quickly in order to be able to bargain. My brain has been a sieve lately and I just can’t seem to grasp any words or concepts. Hopefully, once I get a bit more settled in and get over this cold (blech), I’ll be able to concentrate on learning the language. Corrie knows quite a bit more than me, so she’s been acting as my translator…and bodyguard… I’m her secretary and navigator, so together we make a halfway competent person. Urrah!

We arrive home, exhausted and just ready to take a nap. The neighbors had their door open, so we nodded a “gamargoba” (hello) and went ready to go inside. Next thing I know, I am ensconced at their kitchen table with a cup of Turkish q’ava (coffee), cake and k’ili (fruit). Neither our neighbor nor her husband speak English or Russian. Her brother speaks Russian and he was over for a visit, so we had another very interesting Russian-Georgian-English conversation. I really need to find a Georgian teacher…

Later, our landlady came by with her brother who speaks fluent English. We chatted for a bit over tea and cookies and they invited us to the grape harvest in their village later on in the month. That should be so much fun! Tomorrow, it’s off to Tbilisi for some fun, book shopping, and church. Then, preparing for the Ambassador! Until then, nakvamdis!