4 days down, only 820 to go!

So after my Sunday evening flight from DC to Munich and then an 8 hour layover in Munich, I finally arrived in Tbilisi at 3 am local time on Tuesday. We were welcomed by about 20 current Peace Corps Georgia Volunteers and staff at the airport and were then bused to Bazaleti, a small town about an hour outside of Tbilisi. There are 56 of us total (about double the size of any previous Georgia group) and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to serve alongside. We've been undergoing training at a conference center/hostel type building all week, which consists of language lessons, medical and safety briefings, and cross-cultural training.

The Georgian language is a unique and incredibly difficult language. The alphabet looks like this -

I'm sure you're wondering how to differentiate between the K' and K, T' and T, and Ts' and Ts sounds, and I'm right there with you, not to mention that some of the sounds in the alphabet simply do not exist in English. So ya, this'll be fun. 

As for cross-cultural training, the Georgian culture can pretty much be summed up in one word - supra. Georgians love supras, or feasts, where obscene amounts of wine are consumed (at least by males). Georgia is the oldest wine growing region in the world and to say they love wine is an understatement. When Georgians plan supras, they usually plan for about 1 liter per guest. These supras can range from normal family dinners to large wedding or celebratory dinners, and they can last anywhere from 2-3 hours to 6+ hours. Each supra is led by a Tamada, or toastmaster. He says a toast, and then everyone drinks. As a male, I am obliged to drink every glass of wine ბოლომდე (bolomde), or "to the bottom." There is no casual sipping or drinking throughout the meal - you drink when the Tamada toasts, and you drink to the bottom of the glass, which is then immediately refilled in preparation for the next toast. Georgians also enjoy cha-cha, or homemade moonshine that's about 160 proof, which I've been strongly advised to stay away from at all costs. It's safe to say there is a lot of consumption going on, and I'm learning a variety of ways to politely excuse myself from having to drink as much as the Georgians. For all of my self-believed drinking prowess, I'm fairly certain the Georgians have me beat by a mile. 

Yesterday we had the honor of meeting and listening to the the United States Ambassador to Georgia, Richard Norland, as well as the Regional Security Director and the Political/Economics Deputy Chief. It was very interesting to hear them talk about Georgia's rapid development and future with regard to the EU and NATO.

Ambassador Norland

Last night we took our first trip outside of the training center into the town of Bazaleti. Here are a few pics:

"Marketi" = Market. Pretty much the only store in town, which has most of your basic needs from vodka to shaving cream.

Some kids clowning around

Bazaleti Lake

Tomorrow is our last day here in Bazaleti. We'll be split up and sent to various villages around the main town of Khashuri for our real training, which will last for about 11 weeks. I'll be living with a host family during this time and will be training with a small group of other volunteers, who will also each be with a host family of their own. The rest of the volunteers will be 15-30 minutes away and every so often we'll have training sessions with the full group. At the end of training I'll receive my permanent site placement as well as my permanent host family but there's lots to come before that happens, so don't go anywhere.

ნახვამდის for now