top 10 of georgia

I I have been meaning to do this for a while, but with my imminent departure, I wanted to present to you my assessment of the best, the worst, and the funniest/strangest things about Georgia.

Top 5 Peculiarities (couldn't really get to 10)

5. Georgian Orthodox priests and nuns dress from head to toe in black (priests in a little middle eastern hat, nuns in something approaching a burka), which really screws up my sense of symbolism that I learned in middle school English. They feel more evil than good. One morning I was out early, and I saw three nuns in flowing black robes approaching me, and I felt like the angels of death were coming for me.

4. Here, lemonade= any soda. So if someone asks you if you want lemonade with lunch, you are likely to get pear or tarragon (yes, tarragon! it's an eerie shade of green) soda. And by the way, lemon-flavored lemonade tastes like cleaning solution.


3. Speaking of lemon-flavored cleaning solution: try Barf detergent! "Barf means better."


2. Speaking of barf: the fact that the road to the airport is called President George W. Bush Street.


And the number 1 peculiarity/strange thing I've seen in Georgia: The picture on the sign for George W. Bush Street. What is he doing? Trying to direct traffic? Saying hello? High five? Not that it's out of the ordinary for our president to give a strange and ambiguous facial and hand expression.

Top 10 Bad things about Georgia (in no particular order)
10. Ugly soviet buildings
9. Power goes out unpredictably and at very inconvienient times
8. Coffee here= Nescafe. Turkish coffee= lots and lots of Nescafe in a small cup, with a splash of water
7. Dust and broken glass
6. Georgian food gets monotonous
5. Georgian food made me fat! (It has nothing to do with beer. Or willpower.)
4. The vast majority of beggars are elderly women. This makes me sad. Most of the time their husbands have died, and they have never worked, and they don't have enough money to live.
3. Gypsies who harrass me. Ok, I know it's not politically correct to say gypsies (they're "Romani") or to say that they're bad--I'm sure that 95% of Georgian Roma people are perfectly nice, they work, whatever-- but here I'm talking about the ones here who have literally hit me, thrown lollipops at me, dumped out peanuts on the ground that have been given to them, and stolen half-drunk sodas out of the hands of my friends.
2. & 1. I can't think of a ninth or tenth and nothing else really bothered me, so we'll leave it at that.


And most importantly:
Top 10 Best things about Georgia! (in order)
10. They have Chupa-Chups!
9. Cute stray dogs. I want one.









8. Cool Soviet cars. Volkswagen Rabbit (car of my childhood)+small SUV= Lada Niva.

I want one of these too.

7. Kazbegi brewery. Yummy beer, sun, river, and occassionally beerpong and the very friendly toothless lady who sells great peanuts.

6. Cool statues and sculptures.


5. Public transportation is convenient and very very cheap.
4. Georgian food: although monotonous and the reason for my pants being tight, it's damn good. My Georgian cookbook should arrive in Watkinsville from Amazon about the time that I get home. Khinkali anyone?
3. Green and mountains everywhere, even in the city. It's a really beatiful country.
2. Hospitality and generosity that has not waned and has not been beaten by any country I've visited. They celebrate guests, treat us with food and drink (lots), store keepers and cab drivers share their things and sometimes refuse payment, waiters allow us to steal beer mugs, they're always impressed and amused at any small attempt to speak Georgian. I will really, really miss this friendly culture.
1. Our Georgian friends! More than anything else here, I will miss Salome, Irina, Giorgi driver, Giorgi Emory, and all the others we have met and who have taken care of us, had fun with us, and also been so generous in the Georgian spirit.

This may be my last report from Georgia. I'm spending the next few days tying up loose ends, giving gifts to all the people at the AIDS center who have helped me out, possibly a cheap trip to the salon with Salome, packing, etc. We had a nice tourist day in Tbilisi on Sunday, visiting its historical fortress with amazing views of the city. We'd attempted to go before, but although you can see it from anywhere you are in the city, it is amazingly difficult to locate the one street that leads to it from among all the windy roads in the Old City. Saturday we had an interesting rafting trip with some visiting Emory physicians and their Georgian counterparts followed by a bonfire and the best picnic I've ever seen next to the river. I tell you, the Georgians know how to do it right, and I'm trying to take lessons.

So I'll leave Tbilisi on Thursday at 11:35 am and arrive in Atlanta (via London and DC) at 11:50 pm, about 20 hours later. I can't wait to see all you Atlantans and Athenians and talk to everyone else!