"That's What's Great About Georgia!"

Yesterday evening as I sat near the petchi (stove that burns wood to heat a room), and waited as a bucket of water was heated to wash my hair for the first time since January 2, my dear host mom asked me "What happens in America when there is no heat, no running water, and no gas?"

I smiled. I answered that I wasn't sure since it rarely happened.

She looked over at me and smiled knowingly, "That's what's great about Georgia--everything happens here!"

I loved it. Everything does.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

The word is "gaacharet."

It's what you tell a minibus driver when you want the vehicle to stop. You can pretty much get out wherever you want along the route, which is a blessing. All you have to do is say "gaacharet."

You can add "tu sheidzleba," too. That means please.

And if you want to get sophisticated, which I decided to go for, you can also say: "Gamicheret, tu sheidzleba." That means "Stop (for me), please."

Yeah. Now the thing is, the whole plan might fall apart if you make a small change, and, say, mistakenly say: "Gamacharet, tu sheidzleba." This small mistaken "a" in the place of an "i," you see, would result in your saying:

"Stop me, please."

Or as I said: "Stop me here, please. Stop me."

:)

But a misplaced consonant can do wonders to your conversation too.

Like when you put together the following sentence the first time you meet your host family and they serve melon and watermelon to you. (And, BLESS THEM, iced coffee too.)

Maybe you're bored of simply saying "This is tasty." Mayhap, like me, you go for something more detailed. Maybe it was "This melon is juicy!"

Which, as we all know, would read as "Es nesvi tsvniania." Soften your "s" as I did into a "z," and you'll have said, as I did:

"This sow is juicy!"

NOT my intention.

:)

The More Things Change... The More Things REALLY Change

So, there was a time when the following things would worry my beloved mom:

1. I'm moving apartments all alone, poor me, and I will doubtless be reckless and will throw out my back.
2. I have a cold and rather than taking care of myself will doubtless deteriorate to a dangerous level.
3. New York City is hot and I am heedlessly failing to buy A/C and am suffering needlessly.

THESE days, things are different. After all, I am an ocean away an in the remote Caucasus country of Georgia. And a Russian missile has just been dropped in a village nearby my hometown here. Meaning within 10 miles. Now, the missile isn't live. It didn't detonate.

I hurriedly send e-mails home entitled "I AM FINE!!!"

And... *shrug* It seems that's enough! :) My mom, who fretted over my being hot in a New York summer, isn't really disturbed by such trivialities as Russian missiles!

:) I love it.

And... in case you are reading this and are needlessly worrying... Er. Don't. :) My mom's approach is the right one :)

PC Georgia has REALLY been taking care of everything incredibly well. I'm VERY impressed by them. Incredible outfit.

I'm an American in Georgia

So, the evening of the day when PC informed us that we were on "Standfast Alert" due to the Russian missile incident, my host mom and I were hanging out in the kitchen. And we hear a loud rumble and the ground shakes ever so slightly. My host mom looks out the window, feeling it is a military exercise. I feel it cannot be. (What was I thinking!) It's clearly thunder, I assure her.

Despite the fact that it is clearly not raining, and there is no lightening either. And in fact it's scorchingly hot. As it has been for a while.

And then a text message goes out from PC. Indeed, it's a military exercise and we are not to worry :)

A Georgian military excercise.

No worries at all.

~ This blog updated after being cajoled into it by Paul :)

Last US post for 27 months!

This is it, folks!

If I haven't reached you to say goodbye, I regret it. The bus is coming soon to take the G7 group to the airport. We have 11 hours in Munich before we arrive in Georgia... Maybe I'll have internet access, maybe I'll just hug the day room PC provides for us, and lavish my attention on my pillow and the shower. Time will tell how konked out I am.

Love to all and I'll write you from Georgia if I can!!!

xx ~ moi :)