Marching forth with Birthdays, Weddings, and Good Citizenship

When you are a kid you tend to view your life as the typical experience, and thus assume that everyone experiences things like school the same way. You don't really realize the error of this view until you are sharing a story, with the expectation that everyone else has experienced or done the same thing, only to be greeted with blank stares and people laughing at you- not with you.

Apparently celebrating March 1st as Pig Day, is one of those non-so-universal things (though in my defense I looked it up and March 1st really is the national day of the pig). When March comes around I also think about "in like a lion out like a lamb" and vice versa. We always tracked the lamb weather days and lion weather days in elementary school, and made plenty of lion and lamb themed arts and crafts. Is it obvious now that I went to school in a more rural environment? I often forget.

Anyways, March in true fashion is bringing lots of fun sunny lamb days as well as not so fun rainy lion days. As always I am hoping that the lamb days prevail (although the foreboding April showers might be around the corner). The moral of the aside is that I can't wait to get outdoors and start enjoying all that Georgia has to offer. It has been amazing to once again see people milling around the city and hanging out in the park, the elusive (and ever scared of rain and cold) Georgian appears to be making its way out of hibernation.

Taken as the feast is about to begin

Now on to the things I learned this week. First there was a wedding. I've been wanting to attend a Georgian wedding for quite awhile, so when my family told me there was one coming up I jumped at the opportunity to attend. The groom and his parents were old neighbors of my family's (meaning they lived by the now empty lot where my host dad lived when he grew up and that my family has since raised the former home but are still considered to be members of that community). My father and uncle were both invited and turned down the invitation but my sister wanted to attend and invited me a long. Given the number of invitations sent out, it isn't kosher for more than 2 people to attend from a single family unless you have some close relations with the bride/groom. Also if you aren't one of the close friends or family you don't attend the ceremony. Instead you wait at the site of the wedding party/feast and welcome the wedding party once they arrive from the church and the subsequent procession around town (honking and taking laps in the local roundabouts). We were in the group of mere acquaintances so we headed straight to the feast.

There is actually more food than before despite this being 2hrs into the feast

The part is held in a banquet hall and for this wedding there were over 200 guests all seated at tables around the room. We were greeted by the party matron and the tamada (toast master) who helped us find seats. We then got to know the other people at our table and waited for the bride and groom. Once they arrived there was a procession through the room to the head table where they took their places along with the best man and maid of honor (I didn't notice any family members seated at the table). Once that is all taken care of the feasting can begin. Over the course of the next few hours there was a series of toasts and a continuous stream of food brought out to the tables. There were a few breaks for dancing, but I couldn't tell if this was a break in tradition since we were in a city and not a village where tradition tends to hold more sway.

It really never ends...

The Georgian word for a feast is სუფრა (supra) which also means tablecloth. I suspect that there is some unwritten rule that you aren't allowed to see the tablecloth during a supra because they bring out so much food. Also it is a shame for them is some item of food is completely depleted which means that the food is bountiful and it is often hard to tell how much food has been eaten since it never seems to disappear.

After 3 hours we started taking selfies...

I also found that guests of the wedding are expected to bring some money as a donation to help pay for the feast as well as to help the new couple. This is something I noticed again later in the week when yet another neighbor passed away. This time all of the neighbors gather to help prepare the funeral feast and also donate some money to the family of the deceased. People also pool money on a regular basis to help pay for college and other things. Family, friends, and coworkers might donate money regularly to a pot and then take turns drawing from that pot. It's an old tradition that predates than Georgian banking system and is still quite popular outside of the capital. Yet another instance of the strong communal a history and cultural attitudes making an appearance.

My host mom and her squad in the kitchen, baking and gossiping

Saturday I had the opportunity to teach a lesson on citizenship to one of the clubs I work with. I started a lesson with quite an eye-opener for the students.  On a quality of life ranking of 194 countries, Georgia ranks 96th. A surprising fact for many Georgians who often bemoan the quality of life in Georgia and love to talk about how miserable things are. Thus is is not surprising that on the Satisfaction index of 178 countries, Georgia ranks 169th. And there is the problem; Georgia ranks in the 50th percentile for quality of life but in only the 5th percentile for satisfaction with life (not surprisingly other post-soviet countries seem to fill up the rankings next to Georgia).
FYI- The bottom 10 countries on the index are as follows:
Georgia
Belarus
Turkmenistan
Armenia
Sudan
Ukraine
Moldova
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Zimbabwe
Burundi

Working on their presentation

This was the beginning of a great conversation on citizenship, rights, and responsibilities. The goal was to help the students realize the important role that the citizens play in a democratic society. I can only assume that the transition from a communist to democratic society has not been an easy one. The transition was difficult on the national stage and involved years of fighting. Despite the more or less stable state of democracy as a political structure in Georgia, the transition has not fully caught hold in the hearts and minds of the citizens. Hence the presence of the Peace Corps here in Georgia.

You'd better believe that my lesson included the quote:

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." - JFK (or as I rephrased it- Ask not what problems your country can solve for you, ask what problems you can solve for your country)

Presenting on the freedom of expression

Which brings me to my last point. On March 1st (pig day) Peace Corps celebrated its 55th birthday, or anniversary of the day that President Kennedy signed the executive order creating the Peace Corps. Joining the Peace Corps was always a thought in the back of my mind, but one I just assumed I'd never fulfill. Luckily circumstances worked out differently and I am here having an amazing time serving the people of Georgia and learning from their unique culture and traditions.

Happy Birthday Peace Corps!