Week 34: Climate & Geography

After a quick scan through, I realized, to much dismay, that I completely failed to include any maps or geography of Georgia! This post is here to remedy that!

Map of Georgia!

Geography
Nestled between the Northern and Southern Caucasian mountains, Georgia is a surprisingly diverse nation despite its small size. ***Extremely*** mountainous in both the north and the south, the country is strikingly flat in the western Imereti and Samagrelo regions with rolling hills everywhere else. In fact, this pancake-like topography reminded me of Ohio! 

The mountains of the Svaneti region in the north

As for its general size, it takes about ~7 hours to travel from the eastern part of the country to the southwest and maybe several hours from the the north to the south depending on how you travel and where you are going.

The country is within the Black Sea and Caspian sea watershed with all rivers and streams heading to their respective bodies of water. There are many lakes dotting the country, but, none, in my opinion, that are notable. The Black Sea and it's beaches are the ideal places that many vacation-goers flock to.

Politics
The country is divided into 12 unique regions with Tbilisi, the capital, being some sort of federal district. However, due to the civil wars, Abkhazia and South Ossetia are currently under Russia's control (more on that in a later post) and Adjara remains an autonomous republic. The regions are further divided into municipalities with an anchor city as the respective capital. Parliament was moved in the 2000s from Tbilisi to the center of the country in Kutaisi.

Parliament of Georgia in Kutaisi

Climate
For the most part, the climate is fairly temperate with parts of the west being more marshy and the east being more desert-like. The climate varies depending on region with the more mountainous areas being significantly colder (obvi). In my experience, the winters are brutally cold here which are simply highlighted by the lack of indoor heating! It can be anywhere from -10 degrees to 32 degrees Fahrenheit and several inches or feet of snow in the winter while the current weather is a comfortable 80 degrees! My friends in Svaneti stated that the snow melts from most of the mountains much later than the rest of the country. The spring and fall, much like the Midwest, are characterized by rain! Georgia very much experiences all seasons!

December in Chiatura

Population
Georgia is made up of about 4.3 million people with much of that population concentrated in Tbilisi (1.5 million people). The other notable cities are Kutaisi, in the center, Batumi in the southwest, and Zugdidi in the northwest. Outside of that, villages are scattered about! Often, many villages can be extremely isolated from the rest region and it can take hours to go to the nearest city center.

The Bridge of Peace in Tbilisi

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the wars that followed, large swaths of the population have either left the country or moved to the city centers. It's not uncommon to see former communities' populations nearly halved! In my own hometown, Chiatura was a boom town of 40,000 with a current population of 20,000!

Before I bore you with any more facts, I wanted to share an excellent video that explains Georgia in a much more entertaining medium! I'll be highlighting the environment, and cuisine in the weeks to come!

Week 31: Traditions & Customs

Throughout my time in Georgia, I have noticed some stark cultural contrasts to my American lifestyle! Although this is is an incomplete list (more subjects will be covered later), and barely encompasses Georgia's diverse peoples, I hope you enjoy what makes Georgia special!

Svaneti!

Shoes!
Walking into a Georgian home, you will find yourself taking your shoes off before entering! You will have your specific indoor slippers to wear and you might even have special shoes for the area outside!

However, what is most surprising is the importance of CLEAN shoes. People constantly glance at your shoes and I've found myself in the habit of cleaning my shoes every morning!

Dance
Dance is a spectacular sport here rich in rhythm and style! Expect lots of jumps, twirls, frills, and thrills with some ~casual~ knife-throwing! I've seen varying styles with singularly men or only women while others consisted of almost a non-verbal conversation between both!

Greeting
Between almost anyone, expect one cheek-to-cheek 'kiss' especially for friends who haven't seen each other in quite some time (and even those who saw each other yesterday!). Admittedly, it varies depending on the person, the relationship between the individuals, and the frequency in which they see each other, but I still find the gesture rather sweet!

As for verbal salutations, i've learned that 'Gamarjoba' or hello is simply reserved for only once a day! Many older teachers at school will give a 'hard blink' and a slight smile to recognize your presence after the initial 'hello'.

Lines
Perhaps my least favorite part of Georgia, queuing is practically non-existent in Georgia. Georgians will swarm anything that requires a line and waiting boils down to jockeying to the front of the line. 

This pic isn't from Georgia, but it gets the point across

Time
Life is much more relaxed here in Georgia. A sense of urgency and advanced notice are constantly left to yesterday, and don't get me started on planning!!! It can be frustrating working here sometimes, and I'm still not accustomed, but the leisurely pace of life can be pleasant.

A picture of what life feels like every day (half joking)

Death
Mourning is much different than in the United States. When someone dies, the body is placed in the house for 5 days and, then, finally buried. In the cemetery, there is usually a gravestone with the person's portrait, and family and friends will visit to celebrate the person's life. They do this by bringing plenty of wine and food and reserving a plate of food and drink for the deceased. In cemeteries, there are picnic tables for almost every grave so as to reserve a space for this celebration. Easter and the dead person's birthday are particular times to have a feast in honor of those passed away.

Hospitality
Georgia is renowned for their hospitality; in fact, there is a saying here: 'A guest is a gift from god'! As a foreigner, you are constantly invited in to sit, eat, and drink! There is not such a thing as overstaying your welcome and being charged for staying the night is unheard of!

A Georgian 'Supra' or feast

Gestures

Georgians hand signals are, perhaps, some of my favorite parts of this culture! To signal confusion, people twist their open hands as if they were twisting two knobs in front of them! Usually, this gesture is accompanied with 'ra vici' which translates as 'What do I know?'

To invite someone to drink wine or 'Cha Cha', Georgia's vile vodka, a man will flick his neck with his middle finger!

As for the bad gestures, your thumb in between your middle and pointer finger is the equivalent of the middle finger and making a fist and slapping it with other opposing hand's palm implies something like 'F*** you' or, simply, 'f***' in the sexual sense. The more you know, am I right?