Sunday morning

Gino Paradise

In an attempt to beat the late winter blues, we tried out the newly opened waterpark just outside Tbilisi, Gino Paradise. The facility is top-rate. The indoor portion is now open, but come summer there will be an outdoor area and a lakeside beach attraction (on the Tbilisi Sea).

Since we were there in their first week of operation, they had a photographer taking promotional shots and the kids managed to capture a few frames. Nice day off for me.

Birthday boy

We rounded up the usual suspects in celebration of two wonderful years with our sweet little one. He is first and foremost a source of great joy to every member of the family; but with that said, Trouble is his middle name.

We are racing into the terrible twos: it's a roller coaster of laughter, power struggles, shattered ceramicware, impish grins, spilled everything, sticky fingerstains, midnight escapes, newfound bravado, inside jokes, cuddling games, sweet dreams, exploding vocabulary, truck fetishes, and so so much more. He's growing up so fast we can hardly believe our eyes, but we are ever grateful for the precious gift of his membership in our family.

International Women's Day

Exactly 100 years ago International Women's Day was held on March 8, and it has been observed on that day ever since. It is a notable official holiday in much of Europe and Russia that acts something like a hybrid of Mother's Day and Valentine's day--although for some reason it never really caught on in the US (maybe because we already have two similar days). Our Tbilisi Branch of church held a special tribute to the women, and we were there. With flair.

A very sweet spread.

Helpers.

A full house.

Live music.

Two pieces of cake are clearly not enough.

Bakuriani

With an eclectic combination of modern guesthouses, crumbling Soviet-era resorts, and humble failing village construction that predates them both, Bakuriani is a family-friendly ski town, Georgian style. If you don't expect to be impressed, you might just get lucky. 

It has it's fair share of what has become a ubiquitous sight around Georgia: partially deconstructed shells of old cement buildings--somewhere along the way the funding ran out and the disassembly was abandoned. Literal skeletons of the Soviet past.

We were surprised to see men on horses galloping (!) through the streets of town. The children were, in fact, impressed. We think perhaps they were advertising?

But Bakuriani is nothing if not affordable, and we came to SKI. We found a nice old van parked at a muddy intersection, and they rented skiing/snowboarding implements to the entire family for the entire day for 45 GEL (that's a whopping $26), complete with mismatched ski poles (of which I was rather embarrassed until I remarked that I was not the only one). The lift tickets were literally pocket change, so you see we were able to accomplish what I thought was an impossible dream (of hubby's) on a serious budget. "Yay Georgia" moment.

The Veteran

The Freewheeler

The Trooper

The Comeback Kid

And the moral support.

Our little guy waited for us at the guest house with the nanny. He spent the day playing in the snow, watching horses run by, and napping. Not bad.

Dream big

On an unexpected stop at a petrol station, this little guy found his bliss.

The truck driver was very accommodating.

"Wawa! Beh wawa!"

(translation: Truck! Big truck!)

Everything was going fine until it was time to go. Nobody wants to get between a boy and his wawa.

Istanbul

The splendor of the Blue Mosque

Dear friends and family, if you're thinking about visiting Istanbul and you'd like to meet up with me, the answer is Yes. I'll be there.

Our friends from the States passed through for a few glorious child-free days (and lucky for me it's a cheap direct flight from Tbilisi).

Istanbul is really impressive. It's an intense city and a fascinating display of East meets West.

Blue Mosque interior

This tilework was in the Sultan's Harem, but it's similar to what you'd find in the Blue Mosque.

Hagia Sofia was built by order of Justinian in the 6th century. After nearly 1000 years of functioning as the center of Eastern Orthodoxy it was overtaken by the Ottoman Turks who converted it to a mosque. Since 1935 it has been preserved as a museum (to be honest, I'm not sure how else they could afford to maintain it. It requires constant renovations).

Hagia Sofia does not disappoint; the juxtaposition of Christian and Muslim symbols is significant.

Even with decaying panels, the colors were brilliant.

Stunning mosaics, unintentionally protected by a plaster layer applied when it functioned as a mosque, were revealed in renovations.

Friends in foreign lands. So great to reconnect.

Looking out over the Sea of Marmara

Geographically, Istanbul is unique because it's the only naturally occurring transcontinental city; it's located in both Europe and Asia. The two halves are separated by the Bosporus Strait which leads to the Black Sea. There are commuter boats running back and forth continuously, so it's easy to visit both parts.

I had a great visit, I was particularly impressed by Turkish hospitality, salesmanship, all things spice/tea/dried fruit/nut-related, and of course, the shopping.

Toothy aspirations

Teeth are sort of a big deal at our house right now. Someone's always losing one or getting a new one. Exhibit A.

Exhibit B.

Exhibit C with a fine new set of choppers.

So now everyone can get in on the action,

of preparing those pearly whites to generate income.

Success! If only the tooth fairy could keep up.

thoughts

I bought this little gem by Zviad Gogolauri at Drybridge Market last fall

Here's something: thoughts about our time in Georgia. When asked how I feel about things I invariably respond that it is fairly easy to live here, although compared to what I'm not sure. It's hard to know, hard to remember how I used to feel because everything about my life here is so completely different from my previous life, and now that life feels like a dream. And since Georgia is not my permanent destination, my present also has a dreamlike quality. I'm always returning to this notion, Life is but a dream.

I wonder if the ups and downs we experience here would be the same no matter where we live, or if they are amplified by our locale? I'm inclined to believe the latter. Sometimes I find myself wondering how I could have ever willfully left behind a life that took so much effort to build and that I loved. (I have an answer, of course, and it has to do with security, but it's not always comforting enough.)

I'm searching for the balance between acknowledging disappointments and keeping my chin up. I fear sounding ungrateful, but I have to admit that sometimes this life we chose is just, hard. The time difference alone is a great divider; the cultural differences and language barriers are not things to be taken lightly; and missing out on living life with our loved ones is an ever present ache.

But since I must end this post on a high note, I'll say that I'm grateful to have lived long enough to understand that life comes in seasons. Whether easy or hard, simple or complicated, happy or aching, all seasons of life pass on and new ones begin. And that's something to keep your chin up.

Snowy days