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January, 2025 Update: Tbilisi, Georgia
Hello and Happy New Year!
I started the year with an international assortment of travelers in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. I was fortunate to find a lovely guesthouse where the owner welcomed me by name when I returned from an outing. Tbilisi is about a 4 hour flight from Almaty, Kazakhstan. There are no direct flights from Bishkek, so I first took a bus to Almaty. Tbilisi is a beautiful hilly city, with many churches. They celebrate Christmas on January 7 (Orthodox Christmas). I did not experience any Christmas celebrations, despite being there that day. People here speak Russian and Georgian. My limited Kyrgyz was no help at all, and English is spoken by some, a minority, I'd say. I took a tour to the snowy, northern part of the country (Kazbegi) to visit a monastery. I also took a marshutka to another beautiful city, Sighnaghi. Traveling in a marshutka without being able to communicate with the driver is a bit scary. The driver made eye-contact with me in the rear-view mirror, indicating that we had arrived at my stop. There is a plaque of George W. Bush on one of the intersections, as they believe President Bush helped them in their 2008 war with Russia. He visited this country in 2005. Georgia is known for its wine--they serve wine in pitchers, like juice. Honey is also big here.
I met up with my friend Amrita in Tbilisi. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan, and is now serving in Tbilisi.
I also spent a lovely day birding with an ornithologist. He took me to an ancient monastery, David Gareja, from the sixth century. This was very interesting, built into a cave. It was in-the-middle of nowhere, near the border with Azerbaijan.
Back in Bishkek, I went birding with my Kyrgyz friend, Adinai. I am discovering that my new hobby of birding is a great way to meet people!
Back in the village, my teaching is going well, especially my Nature Journaling English clubs. On a very windy day we looked out the window for signs of the wind, such as branches swaying and flags extended. Then we went outside to feel the wind on our face. On a snowy day, we looked at snowflakes with magnifying glasses I ordered from home--very cool (pun intended).
I started the year with an international assortment of travelers in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. I was fortunate to find a lovely guesthouse where the owner welcomed me by name when I returned from an outing. Tbilisi is about a 4 hour flight from Almaty, Kazakhstan. There are no direct flights from Bishkek, so I first took a bus to Almaty. Tbilisi is a beautiful hilly city, with many churches. They celebrate Christmas on January 7 (Orthodox Christmas). I did not experience any Christmas celebrations, despite being there that day. People here speak Russian and Georgian. My limited Kyrgyz was no help at all, and English is spoken by some, a minority, I'd say. I took a tour to the snowy, northern part of the country (Kazbegi) to visit a monastery. I also took a marshutka to another beautiful city, Sighnaghi. Traveling in a marshutka without being able to communicate with the driver is a bit scary. The driver made eye-contact with me in the rear-view mirror, indicating that we had arrived at my stop. There is a plaque of George W. Bush on one of the intersections, as they believe President Bush helped them in their 2008 war with Russia. He visited this country in 2005. Georgia is known for its wine--they serve wine in pitchers, like juice. Honey is also big here.
I met up with my friend Amrita in Tbilisi. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan, and is now serving in Tbilisi.
I also spent a lovely day birding with an ornithologist. He took me to an ancient monastery, David Gareja, from the sixth century. This was very interesting, built into a cave. It was in-the-middle of nowhere, near the border with Azerbaijan.
Back in Bishkek, I went birding with my Kyrgyz friend, Adinai. I am discovering that my new hobby of birding is a great way to meet people!
Back in the village, my teaching is going well, especially my Nature Journaling English clubs. On a very windy day we looked out the window for signs of the wind, such as branches swaying and flags extended. Then we went outside to feel the wind on our face. On a snowy day, we looked at snowflakes with magnifying glasses I ordered from home--very cool (pun intended).