Monday 30 June 2014

Family night


Family selfie.


It started out as an evening at the park,


but led to higher aspirations,


and ended with a trip on the funicular to the mountaintop.


Up here the view of Tbilisi can't be beat.


Nor can the creme-filled ponchiki they serve there (hubby's fav).


The girls culminated the night with gelato. 


Friday 27 June 2014

A typical morning

I brought my camera along for a morning drive. The images are taken from a moving vehicle (not great), but they give an idea of typical sights around town.



First off the Georgian flag, also known as the "Five Cross Flag," is a recent Georgian addition, officially adopted in 2004 under President Saakashvili following the Rose Revolution. They had a different flag under Soviet rule, and a number of other flags before that. This flag draws on designs from antiquity that reference their long Christian history.



This man taking a leap off the riverbank is my favorite example of graffiti around town. Every so often you find fine examples which approach a higher form of art.



Street cleaners. Early every morning there is an army of workers, usually dressed in black (including women in skirts, as pictured), sporting neon orange vests. They are armed with rustic brooms made of dried grasses or branches and they sweep up the daily remains of the public. A thankless job, no doubt.



And the gypsies. They are always at this particular intersection. It's a long wait so they walk up to every car and knock on the window. I am told that the Georgian government provides funding for them to send their children to school, but without success. They allegedly drug their infants so they appear sick or sleeping, which must bring in more money. Usually the babies are passed out on their mothers' shoulders. But today this one was awake.



Gas stations in Georgia are all full service. I've gone a year now without filling up my own tank, it's kind of nice. The attendants always wear a uniform that matches their station's color scheme. Unleaded gas doesn't exist here, which means the air quality suffers.



And this guy, with the papakha. These sheep's wool hats are a traditional Caucasian style which are mostly worn in the mountainous regions of Georgia, but you always run into a few die-hards who sport them in the city throughout the summer.



Another glutton for punishment. They must breath really well.



The melons. Some streets seem to attract a plethora of vendors that all cluster together, such as you see here. In any case the melons are delicious, they sell them by the kilo, but these guys always overcharge the likes of me.



And, finally, here's a peek at the American Embassy from outside the wall. They have the only sprawling green lawns I've seen in Georgia. Feels like home.

Friday 20 June 2014

In review

We can't pass through this month without making mention of what has consumed the majority of our collective family time: school. Despite a fluctuating interest, I've managed to work part time throughout the entire year. It's been intense and rewarding, but also completely consuming and exhausting. I decided I won't resume teaching next year because I want to find a better family life balance. Here are a few pictures I captured on my ipad this year.

Recess


La gallette des Rois. Sadly, no winners in our fam.


Picking up trash around the school grounds.


Probably their favorite activity of the year.


La Cross Solidaire, a race our school hosted for the benefit of a school for the blind.


All ages, from preschool to adults, had the chance to run.


My oldest level class--fairly mature girls and ape-like boys (whose ridiculous picture I will not post).


On a field trip to see a play.


Another one of my lovely classes, such sweet kids!


My youngest class. It was so fun to see their progress.


Watching end of the year school swimming races.

It has been an eventful year, but we can hardly wait for school to be over and summer to begin. We are looking forward with great anticipation to our trip back to the States. In fact, we're counting the days . . .

Saturday 7 June 2014

Lopota

We joined with a few families to visit Lopota, a lakeside resort about 2 hours from Tbilisi, not far from Telavi. It is isolated within a beautiful valley, immaculately maintained, and definitely felt a world apart from the rest of Georgia (in a sort of disconcerting 1% kind of way).
(photo by NN)


The meals are included for the duration of your stay. We ate on a big open veranda that overlooked the lake.


But mostly the kids just wanted to swim in the frigid pool.


We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast,



with captivating live entertainment.


Then fully indulged in all the amenities, including bike riding,

sunbathing, babywatching,
(photo by NN)


nature appreciation,
(photo by HG)

and of course more eating.
(photo by NN)


The kids finished things off in grand strawberry style.


We stopped for a chilly photo op at the top of the mountain between Telavi and Tbilisi. All in all a charming trip.

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