Welcome to Skra!

Did you know that the Georgians love Wheel of Fortune too? Well, that is what I am currently watching with my new host father, Zviad. Too bad I can barely spell, let alone speak Georgian. I’ll know I am doing well when I can actually start guessing words.

It’s funny to think how quickly the unknown can become the norm. Yesterday I was getting ready to find out where I would be spending the next three months, now I am here and it seems so “normal” and obvious. My head does start to spin a little when I start to think that I will be living here for the next 3 months! I’ve already had a number of what-am-I-doing-here-moments, but then I laugh and just keep going.

Yesterday after trainings we received our cluster assignments, delivered in true Tengo (PC head of training) fashion. I definitely lucked out with a great cluster- Alex, Bryan, Lisa, Melissa, Rachel, and Jim; not that you know any of them. We have been assigned to the village of Skra (სქრა) just 10km outside the city of Gori.

The Skra cluster minus Melissa, basically my lifeline for the next 3 months

We all packed quickly and then were loaded onto the buses and set out to meet our new families. On the way we stopped for a delicious supra (feast) which fulfilled our dreams of tasting khatchapuri and khinkali as well as several other delicious Georgian delicacies. The settings was fantastic and it was a great end to our week of PC summer camp aka orientation training. After another hour on the bus we arrived in Gori and headed to a school where a crowd of Georgians had gathered to watch the spectacle of wide-eyed Americans and claim one for themselves.

I felt like I was preparing for a firing squad as they called us up cluster by cluster and read out names and the names of our new host family. I was the final person called in my cluster and my new host mother ran up immediately to claim me. Next it was a whirlwind of gathering my belongings, saying a few goodbyes, and loading into a car with my mother, father, and new PC Georgian teacher Naili.

The ride to Skra was quick and luckily Naili was able to translate most of the conversation for me. When we arrived at my new house it wasn’t exactly a Fresh Prince moment, but I was welcomed in with much hospitality. My father showed me upstairs to my room and we brought in my belongings. Next he brought me downstairs to the living room and showed me to a chair. Naili was seated on the couch across the room and explained to me that their hospitality was preventing her from leaving. My host mother was preparing some food in the kitchen (food was the last thing on my mind after the lunch we had just eaten) and my host father began to use some English and Georgian to introduce me to his sons and show me around the rest of the house. I have two brothers, Nika and Vano who are 22 and 20 respectively. I didn’t learn much about Vano as he was in an out, but Nika is quite the sportsman and has collected quite a number of Judo medals and awards. Apparently, Irma’s (my mother) brother was an Olympic judo champion (not sure what that entails) but he recently passed away, from what I can tell.

My new house

Old house = New barn

Pigs- one for each son

The backyard with beehives, cherry trees, and strawberry/raspberry bushes.

Rear view of the house

My room

The view from the door

I think I get this balcony all to myself

The kitchen

The living room- we literally live in here all day

Having Naili with me as I arrived was very helpful. She did a lot of translating, and also helped me explain to my new family that I didn’t drink any alcohol, coffee, or black tea. It took a minute to explain but I think we are all on the same page and no one was offended. About an hour after we had arrived we all sat around the table and the eating began. There was quite an array of food and my father began to make the toast. Toasts are a big thing in Georgia culture and they toast to everything. There were toasts to Georgia, America, my parents, siblings, relatives, deceased relatives, and friends all made separately. It was a fantastic experience and great bonding moment with the family. It ended with them giving me gifts which I wasn’t anticipating and we all left happy.

After clearing the table I brought down the small gifts I had brought for them and tried to explain what things were. They loved it all. Next Nika and Zviad took me around to see their animals and orchards. My father has a milk cow, calf, chicks, and pigs (3 one for each of his sons, including me) as well as some beehives and 6 sections of fruit trees on the outskirt of the village. After that brief tour we came back home so Nika could head to his soccer game in Gori and Irma and Zviad could talk me around to meet their relatives. I meet so many grandparents, siblings, and cousins that I can’t keep any of it straight. Irma’s works at the local school and her sister is the director so that was useful information. I’m not sure what anyone else does. A few of Irma’s nieces speak good English so that made the whole experience a lot easier.

The rest of the night was fairly tame. We hung out in the living room trying to communicate with limited language skills and my dictionary. It was basically a huge game of charades. The big hit was all the candy which the guys went to town on, as well as the glow sticks. The glow sticks were an object of intense fascination and they wanted to know everything about them. I feel bad that they won’t last longer. After some time I snuck away to my room and began to unpack my things. After having been here for a week I have a good idea of what I need and don’t need and feel good that I didn’t pack too many unnecessary items. I might need more warm clothes if this cold weather doesn’t clear up soon.

Between unpacking and playing games with Nika I was up until about 12:30 or so. I finally got ready for bed and couldn't put it off any longer. I had my first appointment with my Turkish toilet… Overall it went well, it’s definitely a new experience but shouldn't be too bad. I just need to remember that texting on the toilet isn't advisable anymore, also I can't forget my headlamp at night.

Here is the outhouse 

My bed is super comfortable and my duvet is extra heavy- just how I like it. I slept in as long as I could and then made the fast run to the bathroom at about 7:30, afterwards I jump right back in bed and slept until about 10. The morning was pretty slow and we just hung out and ate as a family. Eventually my father indicated that we were going to Gori I ran up to get ready. People here often wear the same outfit for a couple days so they were already ready. I was willing to go without showering but I didn’t feel like heading out in my pajamas.

The trip to Gori was great and my mother gave a pretty good tour of the town. We stopped to get medicine for the trees, animal feed, and groceries. My mother let me follow her around the bazar and taught me the names of various food items which I have all but forgotten by now. She is getting really good at correcting my pronunciation and teaching me various phrases. Also I’m not going anywhere without my dictionary/phrasebook now.

We just finished a good lunch of onion/yogurt soup, boiled potatoes, fish, cheese, and bread and everyone is working on various tasks. I’m getting ready to meet my cluster to walk around town and get to know the village. I just need to find a way to explain that to my family and see if anyone can be our guide on this little adventure.

Hope everyone is having just as much fun back in the USA!