The Great Escape: Fairwell to Saqartvelo! (Dec 2012)

Kev and I in T'bilisi after he arrived

Well I made it out of Georgia! It was literally the most amazing experience in the world and I feel infinitely enriched by the journey that I've had and the way of life that I became accustomed to living. Towards the end of my time there, I was lucky enough to have Kevin come and visit me for some much needed "American" time. He was such a good sport and didn't even blink when we

Kev and I at the Rugby game watching Georgia vs. Japan

mentioned that the people that Carly and I found to pick him up from the airport were a bit on the intoxicated and hazy side and may or may not have passed out at the wheel at one of the stop lights on our way to pick him up. He endured the awkward stares of my village and smiled like a champ when I didn't even bother to translate that most people thought we were going to hell for sleeping in the same room without being married. Fortunately, my host family (like countless others) assumed that Americans were a bit on the "floozy side", if you will, and absolutely loved his visit without a question. Nata especially loved having him around as they would play Uno for hooours which I was pretty burnt out on by that point.

Max in a food coma back at the hostel

One of the highlights of my last months in Georgia included our Thanksgiving celebration from Tim and Julie's apartment in the city. We toasted and thanked God, Allah, and any other deity lurking out there that we had lived this long travelling every weekend via marshuktas and that they wouldn't let me drive a stick shift car (foreshadowing). I was so thankful to have Kev come visit as he brought me much needed books and cards from my family which definitely helped me to make it through. It got extremely cold towards the end and the only source of heat was from a "pechi"

Irma making chuchella on the pechi, which
was our only source of "heat"

which is a small wood fueled furnace that is meant to heat the whole lower part of the house. My room was conveniently on the top floor.. without heat. There were a few nights that I could see my breath in my room before I went to bed and the most efficient remedy was to fill up an old water bottle with hot water to cuddle with. My last week in school was ridiculously hard and emotional as I had become so attached to all of my beautiful students and co-teachers. They put on a play the last week I was there which was so amazing and the teachers hosted a surprise "supra" for me that nearly brought me to tears (and I'm definitely not a crier). Saying good-bye to my host family was incredibly hard and we spent my last night eating my favorite food "catapille peroshokis" and after moving all the furniture around in the living room, learning how to do traditional Georgian dancing.

Chuchella! Aka boiled nuts dipped in a grape concoction

Carly had left early (Carlypalooza!), but Max and I got to bro out in T'bilisi the weekend before our flights and share an uber romantic room in our favorite brothel turned hostel. Max is from Georgia the state, therefore verrrry unaccustomed to walking in snow and the locals got a kick out of him falling every five seconds. We had 2 lari beers in our favorite pub with our infamous server Tata and watched as Max failed horrendously at trying to be a true Qartveli man and eat over 20 kinkhali... fail. Big time. But I made it back to the States and with the help of Kev, was able to surprise my mother in Chicago for her birthday :)