The next part of the Adventure - Georgia

Howdy folks, I am writing again from Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia. I may have mentioned its location before but for those who missed it, it is to the east of the Black Sea, above Turkey and below Russia in the Caucasus region of the world.

I am here to teach English - I guess I should learn how to speak and write it sometime soon! On Friday the organisation - TLG (Teach & Learn Georgia) who organised this exciting opportunity will be sending me out  to an area called Kobuleti, to the village of Jikhanjuri. As far as I can see, it has a famous chapel and that's all the information I could glean from the internet.

One of the many castles in Tbilisi

 I arrived a week ago now and we have had a week of orientation since that arrival. Tbilisi is a very pleasant capital, and I am reminded a bit of my time in Central Asian capitals with a little bit of Luxembourg thrown in - lots of rocky hills and castles here to boot! However I have not got down to any exploration of this city as yet, save that for a long weekend later in my time here.

Road on the way to Batumi

 We are a group of 53 English Teachers - some, like myself, will be teaching for the first time. The majority are from the States, and in this group I am the only Australian. The orientation has been long and tiring. We have been given Georgian lessons and to be honest, not much has stuck for me. It's not easy and it's all so compressed. The days start at 9am and continue until 730pm or later, and when you are sitting and listening for most of that time, the back gets sore and the eyes start to droop somewhat. Who knows what I will find on Friday when I travel to Jikhanjuri? Outdoor toilets are a real possibility and the connection to the internet... well who knows how it will be.

Opera House, Batumi

We did have a treat though, we were taken (plus many other volunteers already teaching here) to Batumi in the west of Georgia to see a modern opera - 'Keto & Kobe', the story of two lovers who overcame the odds. The colourful and dramatic show was housed in the seemingly new (well seemingly unfinished, what with wires hanging out everywhere) Batumi Opera House.
If that wasn't exciting enough, the Prince of Monaco and the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, were also in attendance! No they didn't have their own box, in fact they sat in the fourth row with some volunteers only a seat or two away! The bus ride showcased how beautiful this mountainous country is as well, although at 7-8 hours each way and only one night in Batumi it was rather exhausting to say the least!

So this new adventure lies ahead for me. What will it bring? A lot of challenges that's for sure. I will be teaching primary kids in a small village, and there's not much more that I know for sure at this stage. Stay posted!