An open letter

If I could tell you anything, I would tell you not to accept what your culture has laid in front of you.

I would tell you not to settle.

I would tell you that you should keep going, no matter what. 

Don't marry the first man who comes your way. 

Don't give up for the sake of simplicity and societal norms. 

Keep learning. 

Find a way to achieve your goals. 

See more of the world than you ever though you would see.  

Ignore the negativity you will inevitably meet. Don't let the difficulties stand in your way. Don't let anyone tell you you aren't good enough. 

Don't let your mother, or your grandmother, or you great grandmother's choices affect the person you will become. 

Find the light in your life and follow it. 

Don't let any man be your soul source of happiness, because you will be disappointed. 

When someone enters your life, love them, even if they are unpleasant. 

Never take anyone or anything for granted. You have been given more than some people will ever know. 

You are smart, even if you don't think you are. 

You are beautiful, even when you feel ugly. 

Be someone that other would like to know. Don't let your bad days bring anyone else down. 

Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. 

If everything else fails, don't fail yourself. 

Never look back on your life wishing you had done things you didn't do because you were afraid. 

Don't be afraid. You can achieve so much; I know it. 

And if no one else thinks you can make it: I do.

dating, sex, blah blah blah

And now, since it's a hot topic in the blog-world, I'll write about dating, sex, tlg, blah blah blah in Georgia. My entry isn't the most serious of blog entries, but I'm not the most serious person. Just thought I'd give a different perspective on a topic that seems to be debated sometimes. I mean, doesn't EVERYONE considering coming to Georgia worry about getting laid alllll the time? Ha.

Here are some things I have heard about sex/gender/dating/etc.:
*Georgian guys are sleazy

This can be true. But saying every Georgian guy is sleazy is stupid. I mean, we all get annoyed when guys hit on us like crazy, but this happens in the US or Canada or England or where-ever else as well. Georgian guys can be forward. Sometimes they will ask for you number a million times and will not accept "no" for an answer. Sometimes you will give a normal-seeming guy your number and he will call you eight times in a row from multiple phone numbers when you don't answer. But really, have you never been to a bar and gotten a creeper bothering you? If you haven't, you don't go out enough. In a way, I think the persistence of a Georgian man almost deserves some respect. He sees something he likes and he goes for it. Better than some wimpy whiny kid who will write a song about never being able to be with you after seeing you on a subway once (p.s. you'll probably get hit on while riding the metro).

--prime example--

There are a million normal Georgian guys. My friend C gets guys driving her home all the time. I don't particularly recommend getting in a car with a strange man who pulls over next to you and says "I see you walking a lot. I want to meet you," but if you are daring, may as well try it. C has made some pretty nice friends this way! And gotten free rides! And so far they haven't done anything creepier than this. Well, one of them professed his lover for her and bought her roses, but he took it like a man when she explained that she had a boyfriend back home. They are still friends. Not sleazy. And definitely not a date-rapist.

Of course, I say all this, but there are some sleazy guys here. I have had one bad experience so far, but the guy was actually from Azerbaijan. He got me on a balcony and was trying to kiss me and wouldn't let go. It was scary but I escaped. Take note, though, this could happen anywhere. I have friends in my hometown that have been assaulted and/or raped, and we live in a relatively safe place. Be careful girls, no matter where in the world you are.

*Georgian guys suck in bed

This is something I have no personal experience with. Sorry, I haven't slept with a Georgian, or really anyone  here for that matter. I have made out with one Georgian guy. It wasn't the worst thing in the world; it wasn't the best thing in the world. I have friends who have slept with Georgian guys. I know people who have Georgian boyfriends. If the sex was THAT terrible, I doubt they would stay together too long. Maybe that's shallow of me to say, but... if you're only in the country for a short period of time, wouldn't you want a boyfriend who at least was good in bed? Good reasoning, right? As for the one night stands I've heard about, seems like they haven't been the best. But then again, it's drunk random one-time sex, if the guy isn't paying all that much attention to what the girl wants he could just be being selfish--after all, he'll probably never see her again; who cares what she wants? I mean, that's rude of the guy. Guys should always care about what the girl wants! But you know, some times a girl doesn't want to give a guy a blow job either! It's your prerogative  And keep in mind, if you suck too bad--word will get out and you may never get sex again! That's my advice to guys who don't try to make the girl happy while they are hooking up. Guys around the world!!! Not only Georgians. 

*Georgian girls won't have sex with you

Even if they won't have sex with you, I won't either, and I'm an American.
But yeah, because girls are a bit more repressed in society here than they are in more Westernized countries, it's generally frowned upon for girls to be sexually active before marriage. I don't think this means every girl is necessarily against hooking up with someone they are into, but don't expect it to be like going to Sweden or something where sex is pretty acceptable. If you do date a girl, if she isn't into having sex with you, don't push the idea. There's nothing worse than a douche who tries to persuade you to do him when you just don't want to! Deal breaker for sure! But I see so many girls and guys making out in parks that I can tell there's some action to be had at least, maybe not "home run" status, but it's something, if you're really worried about it. And if you are REALLY worried about it, get a prostitute (see following bullet points). It's less effort and might even be cheaper in the long run-- no wining and dining. 

*Georgian girls suck in bed
If two people both suck in bed and don't know it, do they still think the other person sucks in bed? If all Georgian guys suck in bed, and all Georgian girls suck in bed, then wouldn't it not even matter? Until they try to get with a person who claims to not suck in bed. And what if you suck in bed and just don't know it?
Anyway, I've never had sex with a Georgian girl, so who knows. But I'm sure there is not an entire country full of people (of any gender) that just innately sucks at having sex. Maybe they don't get as much practice as some people in more promiscuous countries, but I'm sure 16 year olds who are having sex in the US aren't very good in bed either. If you want to have sex with a Georgian girl, from what I've heard, it's probably going to take a bit of wooing on your part anyway, so if you're willing to put in the effort to get that far into the relationship, you should probably be nice enough to not judge her abilities in bed anyway, unless you're an asshole... which maybe you are if you are dating someone JUST because you want to have sex with them.

*All Georgian men sleep with hookers

During orientation we were told that Georgian men all sleep with prostitutes because the Georgian girls were expected to be virgins until marriage. And after marriage it is still acceptable for the men to sleep with other women besides their wives. I really am not sure if this is true. I haven't asked enough men to know and in this case I think I might be better off not knowing. I did have one friend, though whose host-brother took him to a brothel somewhere in Tbilisi and the whole experience seemed incredibly awkward. This is reasoning enough to know that some Georgians go to hookers, but I can't really believe that everyone of them does. As for hookers, I heard a rumor that a lot of them are Ukrainian or Russian. But then again... (see next bullet)

*Some TLGs sleep with hookers

The same friend who went to the brothel with his host-brother slept with a Georgian girl. Of course, he told me that he "met a Georgian girl" and slept with her. We were a little surprised because from everything we've heard, Georgian girls don't usually sleep with guys they just met. Come to find out (through the grapevine), he indeed picked a prostitute from the brothel and slept with her. I have also heard (through more grapevines) about other guys who like to sleep with prostitutes every so often in Georgia. It doesn't seem totally outlandish. My advice--if you're going to do it, don't tell anyone, because everyone in TLG will find out. Unless of course you are proud of the fact that you have to pay for sex. Then by all means, tell people. As a side-note, this "grapevine" analogy makes perfect sense to me today for the first time. After a trip to Kakheti to pick grapes, I see how easy it could be to whisper interesting tid-bits through the vines to people also picking grapes on the other side!

*Guys and girls can't be friends with each other
Maybe a guy wants more from a girl, but if she friend-zones him, what can you do? And the other way around. One of my Georgian friends told me once (while he was wasted, after threatening to bride-nap me to Batumi) that you can't be friends with the opposite gender unless you want to do them, at least a little bit. I have other (American, girl) friends who have many Georgian male-friends. The guys basically are in love with her, but she's made it clear it's just not gonna happen, and they are still friends. Maybe they will every once in a while send some awkward texts about how she's so amazing, but that's flattering and easy to ignore for the sake of keeping someone as a friend. I'm still friends with the dude who threatened to bride-nap me, and I don't want to kiss him these days (it was a long time ago!), but we're still on good terms. He helped me find my apartment. I ran into him the other day at the store and we had a nice chat. Then he sent me an awkward text about how gorgeous I looked, but it was flattering. Still friends. I'll just ignore the weird parts. I have friends like that at home too. My last boyfriend was always saying he thought most of my male friends wanted to hook up with me secretly; I don't believe it, but you never know I guess. I mean, I have male friends who I secretly think are hot too. But we are just friends, and neither one of us care enough to do anything about it, so we can just be friends. That's how it works.

*In TLG everyone hooks up with each other

TLG is so incestuous it's disgusting. You are in a random country with a lot of people who speak minimal amounts of English. When you get with others who speak English fluently, who understand weird slang and innuendo, it feels like complete freedom! And of course, our get-togethers usually involve alcohol. Things happen. People you may never have spoken to while at home are suddenly your best friends. You rely on these people a lot. When you have a bad day, you call them. When you get lost, you call them. When you are annoyed at a particular student, you call them. When you miss home, you call them. You get close quickly. And in the same way you become friends, it's easy for other things to happen. You're annoyed at a Georgian guy who called you 8 times in one day? You drink some vodka and kiss a TLG boy instead. You are feeling repressed by the village gossip? You go to Tbilisi where no-one knows you and drink some vodka and kiss a TLG boy. Yeah, it happens. Sometimes people make out on the dance floor. Sometimes people go hook-up in parks or unfortunately in the hostel dorm-room you are trying to sleep in.  Sometimes people fall in love. In my group last semester, a guy from England and a girl from Oklahoma met during orientation and we all watched and waited as the two love-birds slowly started a relationship (we could all see from a mile away), and it was adorable. Still it's pretty adorable, if you like that nauseating boyfriend/girlfriend stuff! Of course, that doesn't happen quite as often as the random encounters.

*Everyone hooks up in parks

The young'ns seem to like this tactic. Parents don't like their kids to do things under their roof. I don't think parents particularly like that anywhere. It must be traumatic for a parent to walk in on their teenage kids doing inappropriate things. In Georgia, the young people go make-out in parks. Chances are, if you go to a park, you'll see some very interesting happenings. It's sort of like watching a car-wreck. You just can't look away. Yesterday there were a couple teenagers making out on top of a big rock in a park in central Tbilisi. And by making out on a rock I mean the girl was on top of the guy and his back was arched in a very uncomfortable looking way over the rock. And then the policeman patrolling the park got mad at my friend for having his shoe on the bench, but said nothing about the make-out kids. I guess he must remember what it was like when he was a Georgian 16 year olds trying to get his kicks somewhere.
As for TLGs, I have also heard of people making out in parks. Most TLGs live with host families, which I suppose makes having sex awkward. I can't imagine anything weirder than trying to bring home a guy/girl while living a room away from a family you don't know very well and maybe don't even speak the same language as. So, TLGs get creative. Sometimes it just ends up that they go to a hostel for a night, which sucks, because usually there are other people in the hostel room and it sucks for those people who are sleeping innocently and wake up to see someone's naked butt and awkward sound affects from the next bunk over (I know this sucks because I've been the sleeping person woken up by not-so-quiet couples multiple times). Other times, they go to parks. Or make out on balconies. Or benches. Or bathrooms. Pretty much anywhere except at home. But watch-out. I heard a rumor that one person was doing some inappropriate things where there were biting ants around and she had an allergic reaction to them and had to go to the hospital. Pretty gnarly. 

*You will be bride napped

You will not be bride napped.

Ukraine

After being away from home for four or more months, traveling seems a bit anti-climactic. Everything was already weird. And now another place is weird. Who would have thought. But then at the same time, all the things that would have seemed really strange if you were coming straight from home seem kind of... normal. Because everything is weird now. There is not really any normal.
This being said, Kiev wasn't that weird.
OK. Parts were weird when compared directly with Georgia.
For example:
The Ukranian mullet There are a shit ton of mullets. Like... more mullets than I've ever seen in my life. Everywhere. And there are varying types of mullets. Some are really crazy like Billy Ray Cyrus before Miley. Some are mild. But damn, there were a TON. I tried to count one day and lost track completely after like 20 minutes.
The hot girls There are a lot of pretty girls in Georgia, and in the US and all around the world. Maybe I'm generous with the hottie title, who knows, but in Ukraine it's really undisputed. Before I left, my 11th grade students were telling me how beautiful the Ukrainian girls were and how they were the most beautiful in the world. I assumed they were just sixteen and stupid and knew that Ukrainians are "easy" and most of the prostitutes in Georgia are apparently Ukrainian... but they actually are really pretty! And blonde! Of course there are all types of hair colors, but the blonde really sticks out after being in a country where almost everyone has dark here.
The shitty weather When we left Georgia the weather was pretty good. Hot and sunny. Except for the freak thunderstorms almost every afternoon. In Ukraine, it rained like every day we were there. Everyone said it was weird for that time of year, so we just got unlucky I guess.
The small clothes The girls dress like hoes.
The terrible transportation system Well, maybe the system wasn't that bad. But it was nearly impossible for us to figure out anything without knowing Ukrainian or Russian. Luckily we met people who were incredibly helpful in our hostel and we stayed with other helpful people while couch surfing (that's another tangent I will go on). If it weren't for them, we would probably still be stuck in Kiev right now. In Georgia, the transportation system is really crazy, but there are always people who will try REALLY hard to help even if they speak no English and you speak no Georgian. The Ukrainians were actually not very helpful overall at all.
Unfriendliness We met some really nice and helpful Ukrainians of course, but some were really rude. I guess that's not surprising because I haven't really heard really positive things about Slavic attitudes, but I like to go into things with an open mind so I try to ignore that. Anyway, it was hard to find people who would do easy things like take a picture of us or give directions. Except for the one really creepy man in a track suit who I'm pretty sure tried to abduct us because he took us in a really wrong direction and kept trying to get us to go on the bus with him and then tried to get into the cab with us when we tried to get away. Either that or he was just OVERLY helpful combined with stupid.

So those are some random things I noticed.
Now for the couchsurfing tangent.
So, for those of you who don't know, there is a website www.couchsurfing.org. This website has a bunch of people on it who like traveling and other people who travel and they are like "oh hey, I have a couch, random people if you need to stay somewhere in my town ____ just hit me up and come on over for free! just be nice and not creepy." And then you sign up and you are like "I'm broke but want to go to Odessa, Ukraine, can my three friends and I sleep on your couch?" And if they think you seem cool and not like a sketchy weirdo, they accept your request and give you their address and phone number.
I've heard nothing but good things about this website, so we figured we might as well give it a shot.
And boy was it interesting!
In Odessa we stayed with a gay Ecuadorian (is that a word?) and his roommate/bedmate from Alabama who claims to be straight (and I guess I should believe it for the most part because we hit it off pretty well and so on). Anyway, they were quite friendly and met us by the opera house. Along with the other three people who were also staying there that night (we weren't told how many people would be there). So there were SEVEN of us staying there that night. We assumed that meant big house. Negative. Small flat. With one bedroom for us (seven of us couch surfers and Ecuadorian and Alabama-an) in to stay in. There was another room, but their stripper roommate (with neon orange hair and appropriately named nastia-- "nasty-uh") lived in there and it was off limits. Ecuador and Alabama were quite the drinkers and had a party the first night we were there. I had an excellent time. Drank vodka, stayed up until dawn, hiked around in an abandoned building, kept my friends awake until 5am with my overly loud talking in the living room (oops). Second night, still no sleep. Ecuador broke his hand by accidentally punching through a glass window pane... it was another night with not much sleep. And the lack of sleep combined with the weather sucking made us decide to leave Odessa a day early.
Then in Chisinau, Moldova we stayed with a pleasant 35 year old computer programmer who loved TV and Sci Fi. Talk about polar opposite from the Odessa experience! He also loved tea and Japan and made us "Japanese omeletes" in the morning and bought us tea at an Uzbeki tea-house. And a massive plate of desserts. And gave us Turkish Delights he brought back from his trip to Turkey a few days before. Oh yeah, and there were two bedrooms JUST for us. Complete with pull out beds. And he had is own room. He helped us get train tickets and we stayed up late while he showed us TV shows he liked such as True Blood (which I'd never seen) and The Game of Thrones. We also watched a Tarantino movie. And we go to sleep in. It was like heaven.
So, that is the variety you can get while couchsurfing. I recommend you try it out some time. Not only is it free, but you can meet some really interesting people! And if you have more time and less people there is a lot of selection with who you stay with and if you send some messages back and forth before staying with people you can probably get a better idea of where you are staying (I didn't really do this because a, there were four of us and beggars can't be choosers and b, it was kind of last minute).

That's that. I don't know what else to say!

Gender/Math

This topic stems from a conversation in my 11th grade class yesterday. After reading passages about Einstein and Marie Curie, the textbook offered the following question for classroom discussion. "Agree or disagree: boys are better at math than girls." I laughed to myself because obviously by now we all know that "boys and girls are equally as good at math, but boys have just been historically pointed towards the subject of math and science in school." Oh wait, I'm in Georgia. Oh wait, only the boys in this class know English. G, who is always kind, sort of stepped back on this topic even though he usually has a lot to say. This may have been because when M and L stated that they definitely agreed, I gave them the "are you crazy?" look. L's reasoning behind the agreement was that boys are just naturally smarter and more genius (it's especially good if you could hear the way he was pronouncing genius "gene-you-us"), and sometimes girls seem better but that is only because the boys are being lazy, but innately boys are better. And the girls who are smart at math just had to work really hard to memorize everything, and it took much more effort because they are not naturally as good. He goes on to use Einstein as an example, because Einstein was very bad in school but he was naturally a genius. Then M comes into the conversation and says that even if we look at their class, all the boys are smarter than the girls. And most famous scientists and mathematicians were men. This is when G, who I think notices that I feel uncomfortable, comes into the conversation and starts saying that maybe it doesn't matter who is smarter because technology is advancing so quickly maybe someday no one will have to remember anything anymore. We will all have computers to remember everything for us.
So, I am basically in shock here, trying to decide how I will formulate a good solid response that is not only incredibly intelligent (because I'm a female so now I have to really defend females everywhere), but in simple enough English that they will be able to understand. So I'm coming up with my answer when my co-teacher, N, steps in. "I agree with you, I think boys are better than girls at maths usually." This is when in my haed, I am thinking "WHAT!"
And I shake my head and said "I really disagree." And the second I open my mouth to continue on, the bell rings.
As we walk out, N is still bickering a bit with M and L, saying that she was very good at math growing up, better than most of the boys in her class. I tell N that it's just no true, and she says "well, in their class it is true." And then the conversation ends.
But what I wanted to say all along, was that of course this seems true. Of course it seems as though men are better than women at math and science, when growing up boys are tracked into the scientific and mathematical areas of school, more because of gender roles than because of actual intelligence. And historically, of course more men were scientists and mathematicians because women weren't even allowed into higher education until fairly recently. The famous women scientists were aberrations not because "wow, it's so crazy this lady is actually smart!" but because they were the few who could step beyond the baby-making dinner-cooking gender roles expected of them. And living in Georgia, I suppose I should not be surprised by this mindset, because many of the women here are in the role of housewife. When I am frequently told about girls who drop out of school because they are getting married and having babies (in high school), it's easier to understand why the boys don't think they are intelligent. Because maybe the girls are the smartest in the class when they are young, but then they give up education for a simple life of diaper changing and dish washing, and although that is a role that is necessary in the world, it won't win a Nobel Prize...
All this talk just makes me want to go do a crazy science experiment and show my students what's up!!!

kargi gogo

Yesterday I was invited to "the wood" (I don't know if this is British English or what; I would say "the woods," not wood. But they always just say wood) with my 9th graders because apparently lessons were canceled (no one thought to tell me, ugh). So the 9th grade class was going to the woods nearby to have a picnic. They convinced me to go and were SO excited. There was a lot of shrieking when I finally accepted the invitation. they had a mound of groceries ready to go. Most of the class was walking, but I wanted to change my shoes (I was wearing some flimsy flats), so one 9th grader and I walked to my house where I changed and then a man in a car with 3 of the 9th grade boys and all the food pulled up and picked us up. It was strange being sandwiched in the backseat between a bunch of 9th graders.
At the picnic there was sausage, chicken, soda, beer, bread, cookies, tomatoes, cucumbers... all sorts of things and it was all very delicious. They made quite a fuss about making sure I had a bit of everything and kept putting more and more on my dish and filling my beer cup quite often. It was strange drinking with a bunch of students, but no one drank too much.
After we ate the girls convinced me to go into the forest with them and they all picked me flowers until I had quite a bouquet. Then we ran in the field and I rode one of the boys' bikes that was much to big for me. It was a really nice time and I had a lot of fun. I think they were all very happy I came. They kept asking to take pictures with me and were holding my hands and telling me they love me.
One thing I did notice about this event, however, was how separated the boys and girls were. At the table all of the girls sat at one end and all the boys on the other. They didn't really even talk much. And after we ate all the girls and I went out to the field while the boys loitered around the fire they had built. It was really strange by American standards. Because 14/15 year olds in the US are always flirting and joking around with each other.
Also, a bit away from us was a group of three people also picnicking. It was one female and two males. My student, Mari, who was sitting next to to me kept exclaiming and pointing at them and saying "bad girl! two boys! one girl! bad girl!!" and she thought it was incredibly hilarious. Also, at one point one of the boys and the girl, who I could tell were a couple, kissed and this was CRAZY to them. Mari- "Kiss! On lip! Bad girl!" and then we all looked over and everyone started giggling and remarking about the bad girl.
I was told that things would be different here in that regard, but it was really strange anyway. Especially because I've always been the type of girl who hangs out with a lot of boys. It made me wonder if they would really tell me I was a good girl all the time if they knew how I usually am at home. Because a lot of times I'll just be hanging out with just guys, and it's not at all weird. Also, when I have a boyfriend there is definitely a bit of PDA. Not even a lot (at least not a lot by American standards), but I have been known to get a kiss here and there from a boyfriend while in a public place...
I guess it's things like that that make you really realize you are in a distant place..... that and how much the young people drink.

Morning of Love Day

I've been having a rough few days. I guess I've just been feeling really irritated for no apparent reason. I guess maybe it's because we just hit the two month mark of being here... many of us in my same TLG group have been feeling this way as well.
Earlier in the week I agreed to go to my 7th grade student, Nazi's house. She is the same girl who started texting me and giving me letters a few weeks ago. I was pretty nervous about this because her English isn't the best, but I figured it would be fine and I ended up having a really good time. She lives with her mother and her brother who must be in 2nd or 3rd grade. Her father lives in Russia where he works. This is a common situation here. Many of my students have one or more parent living in another country because it is very difficult for them to find jobs in Georgia. Nazi's family was really welcoming and fun and I had a great time. They took me to two nearby monasteries that I hadn't seen before, and also to a park in Telavi that I didn't even realize existed. They didn't really know much English, but I had my phrasebook and that helped us a ton.
After we went out, we went back to their house and ate and drank beer. I think Nazi had a bit too much to drink and she was a bit clumsy and hilarious. They put on music like Ke$ha and Britney Spears and Eminem and were trying to get me to dance, but I really didn't have enough to drink to feel up to dancing in the living room with two of my students. It's so funny, because in the US this would not be acceptable. Not only because these kids are so young they couldn't be drinking anyway, but also because I'm their teacher and that would be inappropriate.
After dancing for a while, the neighbors invited us over. I already knew them because they are friends with my host family and god parents of Tiko. So we went over there and I showed them pictures on my facebook (they don't have FB) and we ate ice cream. Also, I thought for some stupid reason I knew how to play dominoes so I agreed to play with the neighbor man, Gia. But as it turns out I really had no idea how to play except for the part where you have to put down a domino with the same number of dots on it. So everyone had to help me because I was like an idiot, but I ended up totally winning.
After this we went back to the house and I watched part of a really strange movie (i just googled and it is called Twin Sitters http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122768 ) dubbed over in Georgian. Then we went to sleep.
This morning they really didn't want me to leave. This seems to be a recurring problem here. When I go somewhere people don't want me to leave and try to convince me to stay longer. I guess I didn't really have a good reason for wanting to leave, like I'm not busy until almost 2pm today, but I really wanted to go home and get ready and change my clothes before my classes. They seemed pretty disappointed and I felt a little bad, but I did tell them I wanted to leave this morning around 11.
Nazi gave me a gift for Love Day, which was a little bunny stuffed animal and a card she made. She's such a sweet girl. Also, yesterday her and her friends gave me another card they had made me. And she gave me like three pairs of earrings for no apparent reason. I guess they were from her mother as well. I felt so weird about taking them, but they insisted. I just feel so bad taking gifts because I know most people don't have a lot of money and I really don't NEED more earrings. It's very sweet though. I love the people in Georgia so much for the most part. They will do just about anything for you and to show you that they care about you. I guess in general they just seem so generous; it's unbelievable.
So Love Day is off to a good start. Soon I will go to my lesson. We will see how it goes because it's pretty hit or miss sometimes. But then it's the weekend! And I was invited to a birthday party tomorrow night (the man I was playing dominoes with), and on Sunday morning TLG is taking a bunch of us to Gori to see the Stalin Museum and then go to a cave city or something..... and then, Wednesday night we go to Tbilisi and Thursday morning we go to ARMENIA!!! YAYY!

Club Day and Nazi

It's Friday, which means I don't have to be at school until 1:45 to do my "club." Fridays are awesome because I get to sleep in and then only be at school for 30-45 minutes doing whatever I want. And best of all, THE ELECTRICITY IS ON RIGHT NOW! When I wake up and the electricity is on, it makes me instantly in a better mood. It's funny, because back home I never had to wake up and lay in bed trying to decide if I should even check the lightswitch and be disappointed when it isn't on, or just assume it is off and go about my day. Anyway, it is on and I am happy.
I woke up at 10:20 this morning to a knock on my door. Host mother had to leave and was bringing me breakfast. She had a good laugh when it was VERY apparent that I had just woken up and hopped out of bed to let her in. I couldn't even open my eyes because the sunlight was so bright. And when I looked in the mirror... my hair was ridiculous. That's because I actually got to take a shower last night and slept with wet hair. Oh well!
And now, the real meat of this post:
A couple of days ago I started getting texts from a random number saying it was someone named Nazi who is 12 years old and lives in Vardisubani. Of course, I thought this was Lydia or Cort messing with me because they had just the day before been joking around about kids named Swastika and Nazi in their classes. So, I ignored the texts. I was pretty impressed by Lydia/Cort's ability to recreate terrible vocabulary use and sentence structure like a true English Language Learner.
Yesterday, however, I was walking out of the school to go home after the 7th grade lesson, when a group of four comes up behind me. One girl said "my gift for you" and handed me a pink card she had made. It said "I <3 You" on the front. I smiled and said thank you and she kept following me. I opened up the card.
Inside it read "HII.. My names is Nazi. I am 12 yeard old. I'm dancer. I love dance this is hobby. I am Georgian, my teleph number is _______! I love you very much. What your names? Where are you from? What your telephon number? Can you was my friend? What your hobby? you are very good girl. I love you BaBy"
So, as it turns out, Nazi is real. I'm not quite sure why she doesn't know my name... unless she just thinks that is how you start talking to someone. Later in the evening, I received more texts from Nazi. Because I'm incredibly curious, I responded and thanked her for the card and asked how she got my number. Apparently Tiko gave it to her. Now I am left wondering who else in the school has my phone number. Also, Nazi is relentless with the texts. I get about 3 in a row every time she sends one. She always calls me "bay-bay." Where do they come up with this stuff?

 Not to be outdone, after seeing the card Nazi gave me, Tiko made me a card as well.

I'm glad it's just about the weekend. Tomorrow Shay is coming from her village to Telavi, and the usual Telavi area gang (Shannon, Cort, Phil, Andrea and I) are going to meet up with her. We are going to try to visit the castle in the day andShay and I are planning to either stay the night in Shannon's village or in a hotel in Telavi. Should be excellent. Then next weeken-- Tbilisi trip and possible football (soccer) game at the stadium. Hooray!