Georgia. The country.
Just 18 short hours after take off we arrived. 18 hours of standing on a plane bouncing a certain baby girl. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. The good news is we made no one angry on our flight because she hardly ever cried. Why would she? She was bounced and held the whole time. The rest of the good news? My calfs, thighs, back and arms have never been stronger. Of course, that's not saying much.
First impression of Georgia? Not good. The view on the drive home left me feeling like we were in a third world country and not in Europe. Old, dilapidated apartment high rises - not old like Europe old - old like 70's in Mexico old. People burning trash. Brown landscape everywhere. I was feeling sleep deprived, scared and a little homesick...and the view brought me little comfort.
The next week and a half was mostly about unpacking, trying to get over jet lag, and making lists of things to do to settle in to home. We never left our house except for one trip to the grocery store. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by our house. It's large, but not uncomfortably large, and it is pretty modern with large bathtubs. This is important. Our street is a story for another post.
I would like to give a huge shout out to Delsa. I spent some serious time crying to her the first couple days thinking that after all the work she had to do to help me unpack, after her all-nighters with Cora, and her unforced house arrest, that she would never want to come back and see us again. That she would tell everyone that Georgia sucked and then no one else would come either.
I know I would never want to come back if my decision was based on my first 10 days here.
But then we were saved. A neighbor invited us to leave the house and go with her to a little town called Mtskheta and we learned that this country actually had charm, personality and most importantly delicious food. Oh, and things we wanted to buy. Always important to be able to shop.
Here are some pictures of our trip to Jvari Monastery and Mtskheta:
I think I might be able to love Georgia after all. If I can convince Delsa to stay and be my friend for 2 years.
Just 18 short hours after take off we arrived. 18 hours of standing on a plane bouncing a certain baby girl. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. The good news is we made no one angry on our flight because she hardly ever cried. Why would she? She was bounced and held the whole time. The rest of the good news? My calfs, thighs, back and arms have never been stronger. Of course, that's not saying much.
First impression of Georgia? Not good. The view on the drive home left me feeling like we were in a third world country and not in Europe. Old, dilapidated apartment high rises - not old like Europe old - old like 70's in Mexico old. People burning trash. Brown landscape everywhere. I was feeling sleep deprived, scared and a little homesick...and the view brought me little comfort.
The next week and a half was mostly about unpacking, trying to get over jet lag, and making lists of things to do to settle in to home. We never left our house except for one trip to the grocery store. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by our house. It's large, but not uncomfortably large, and it is pretty modern with large bathtubs. This is important. Our street is a story for another post.
I would like to give a huge shout out to Delsa. I spent some serious time crying to her the first couple days thinking that after all the work she had to do to help me unpack, after her all-nighters with Cora, and her unforced house arrest, that she would never want to come back and see us again. That she would tell everyone that Georgia sucked and then no one else would come either.
I know I would never want to come back if my decision was based on my first 10 days here.
But then we were saved. A neighbor invited us to leave the house and go with her to a little town called Mtskheta and we learned that this country actually had charm, personality and most importantly delicious food. Oh, and things we wanted to buy. Always important to be able to shop.
Here are some pictures of our trip to Jvari Monastery and Mtskheta:
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| Jvari Monastery |
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| Our new friend and tour guide Lauren. |
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| Cora loves everything. Such a happy child. |
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| What's not fun about a place that let's you dress up in far and play a musical instrument? |
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| And what's not to love about a place that let's you borrow a skirt and scarf to go in their church so you can feed your child? The best part is that a tourist with rough English came up to us and asked if she could take our picture. I guess we look native. Or just really odd. "Hey Martha - check out this photo...hilarious, right?" |
I think I might be able to love Georgia after all. If I can convince Delsa to stay and be my friend for 2 years.
Ah, I'd like Delsa to by my friend for 2 years too. :)
ReplyDeleteEveryone should have a Delsa.
ReplyDelete