Week 2: Politika! Politika! Politika!

In this week's special, I wanted to take a break from the craziness of the American political cycle and share the equal craziness of Georgia's political sphere! So buckle up buttercup, it's a trip!

Now, I won't claim to be an expert, but here are some basic facts (followed by the real juicy details).

• Georgia is a multi-party democracy based on a parliamentary system of party distribution; all the parties receive some sort of number (above)! My family worked with the '3' candidate.
• This year's election was held on Saturday, October 8th, 2016 with minimal violence (except there was a *drunken?* fight at a polling station in Zughdidi and everyone was underwhelmed)
• Current Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili's ruling 'Georgian Dream' party swept parliament by what looked like a healthy majority (I couldn't exactly read the TV, but the graphic of a mostly blue parliament looked convincing).
• Georgia is well-known for their bloodless Rose Revolution in 2003; the days before 2003 have been described to me as 'Dzalian tseudi' (Very bad).
• Pertinent issues: 'Reclaiming' Abkhazia and South Ossetia (separatist regions), Euro-American or Russian alliance, unemployment, infrastructure, educational reform, etc.

'Goergian Dream' poster (41) in Tbilisi metro

• Unlike the U.S. where yard signs are common, political posters on fences, walls, windows are EVERYWHERE AND EN MASSE! Several million trees have been use to wallpaper this entire country with politics (I wish I was kidding).
• With that in mind, you would think these posters would be ignored? On the contrary, political vandalism is common and, seemingly, encouraged. Days before the election, there would be a complete proxy war of campaign literature. One campaign would put up a million posters; the next day a million different posters would cover those same posters, OR the original posters would be torn down. This reoccurring cycle happened for days before the election.

Political vandalism

• On actual election day, people cast their ballot into a clear box and the votes are counted. However, the people overseeing the polling station wear green vests that mostly resemble a legion of dental hygienists more so than election officials....

I happened upon the 'Georgian Dream' election party while I was in Tbilisi election night

Well, I hope you enjoyed this short segment! Stay tuned for more fun to come!

Week 1: Host Family and Placements

Hello friends and those interested in Georgia, alike! Danielle LaBrash and myself, Keegan Scott, will be sharing our experience throughout the Teach and Learn Georgia (TLG) program! To give some background, the TLG program was created several years ago by the Georgian government to encourage English language acquisition in the classroom and at homes in addition to greater cultural exchange (http://www.tlg.gov.ge/). Keegan is currently placed in No. 7 school in Chiatura teaching all grades. After 10 days of orientation in Tbilisi, we are happy to be here!

In this week’s edition, we wanted to highlight our hometowns and host families!

Keegan: For a little history about my city--Chiatura--it is a smaller town of 20,000 on the banks of the Kvirila River in the Imireti province. The region is extremely rocky and the area is know for the many manganese deposits and mines. Along with these mines and steep cliff sides, Chiatura is also known for its cable cars. Although few run today, remnants of this Soviet history are scattered throughout the area. P.S. There's actually a song about Chiatura (the second video) and the first one is of the city in general!

Chiatura City Hall

Chiatura

As for my host family, I have 3 host brothers (Givi - 15, Luka - 8, Alex - 5), Shorena, my host mother (Deda in Georgian), Shmagi, my host dad (Mama in Georgian), and my Bebia (grandmother)! We live in a beautiful two-story cliff side home with about an acre of land. We have grape vines as far as the eye can see, a pig, and 2 cows (dzroha). Most of the family activity happens in the common room/kitchen area. We have a wonderful kitchen space, a large TV, and plenty of chairs for friends who frequent often! Branching from this area is a combination of bedrooms and an indoor bathroom with a toilet and washing machine. As for the shower, it’s a small brick building with a wood stove in order to heat water. Although this sounds “primitive”, it is actually very nice! The cement is extremely smooth and it feels almost like a sauna. The upstairs has more living space, my bedroom included! I sleep in a very comfortable full bed with a gorgeous view of the area. The house is not heated (indoor heating is uncommon throughout Georgia), but there are enough wool blankets to keep everyone toasty!

Luka, Shorena, Alex, and Givi (L to R).

My home

As for my schedule, I wake up around 7:30/8:00 A.M. for school, get dressed and ready, eat breakfast, and walk or take the ‘Marshutka’ or mini-bus to school. I teach several English classes (more on education/teaching later), and, then, I head home around 1:00 or 2:00 P.M. for lunch and then spend the rest of the day socializing, hanging out with my host family, running errands into town, or simply studying Georgian (Kartuli as it’s known in Georgian) with dinner around 7:00 or 8:00 P.M. This past Friday was particularly memorable because the family visited “Katskhi”, an ancient orthodox monastery built atop a steppe.

Katskhi

Grapes in our yard!

As for my overall opinion of my placement and Georgia, I absolutely love it! My family immediately welcomed me in and I feel very much a part of the unit. Everyone is very receptive to foreigners in Chiatura (there are few foreigners in the city with the exception of the occasionally tourist here to see Katskhi or the cable cars)! My bebia and deda constantly feed me (again, i’ll elaborate on food in a later post)! I have managed to explain in broken Georgian that I will need 2 plane tickets back to the U.S.! This is always met with jibes and laughs. In the meantime, if you have questions, feel free to ask! Danielle and I will be explaining in later posts gender relations, language, food, politics, education, and more! ნახვამდის {Nakhvamdits (Goodbye!)}