Moving to Georgia today.

[Liep]

Good luck!

I hope you manage to get your students into national English tournaments like I have!

Are there national foreign language tournaments anywhere else than in Korea?

[Queequeg]

Yeah.  The American Consulate helps pay for them.

[HVC]

Good luck!

I hope you manage to get your students into national English tournaments like I have!

From your wording it appears none of your students ever won... I wonder why

[Grinning_Colossus]

Are you doing this Georgian version of the Jet Program I've read about? (government ran scheme to get people to come over and teach Ingrish).


....can I visit? :p

That's exactly what it is, except modeled more on the Peace Corps than JET, since Georgia needs to do things on the cheap. TLGs are put with host families and given a more or less substance wage. Proponents say they get more of an immersive cultural experience that way--which is true, for better or worse.

Substance is insanely cheap.

I mean. Almost perversely cheap.  I'm in Ozurgeti, Guria and I just got lunch for 2 dollars between lessons.

Oops. *subsistence*

Holy shit, you're in Ozurgeti?! That's where I lived! I can actually give you a lot of advice now.

[Grinning_Colossus]

Good orgs to work with:

Guria Educational Resource Center. It's in the imperial-style building to the north of the central square/park. Natia Surguladze works there, and she's great.

USAID Center for Civic Engagement. It's across from the police station. I don't think Gigi Makharadze is there anymore, but I'm sure they have someone competent running it.

Eat:

Don't buy refrigerated food anywhere besides Moderni. They have a backup generator; the other stores don't. For produce, the indoor and outdoor bazaars are both fine.

Kalakuri is the upscale restaurant in Ozurgeti. It's on the street south of the church in the park. It's useful when your water goes out-- it has Western toilets.

PC volunteers in the area might still be hanging out at Khatchapuri House, which is on the street north of the theater, across from the police station. It doesn't have a lot else to recommend it.

Get out:

A bus leaves from the marshutka station (not the 1941-1945 station, the other one) for Tbilisi every other day, at either 8 or 9 in the morning (I think). It's more comfortable than marshutkas, but they blast Georgian variety shows at full volume on the TV.

The night train is the best way to travel to Tbilisi. You usually have to buy tickets about a week in advance if you want a berth--you can do that at the station or at some of the little electronic kiosks around town. 1st class is expensive (by which I mean like $20), but you get a 2-bed cabin to yourself. If you can find someone to go with you, it's no more expensive than a marsh.

There's regular marshutka service to Batumi, though the last marsh from Batumi to Ozurgeti leaves at 6. Miss it and you're (usually) stranded.

[Grinning_Colossus]

More advice:

1. Travel a lot, especially to Svaneti, but not until late spring.
2. Students ages 8-11 can often be kept in line by putting them into groups and having them directly compete with each other for points (there doesn't have to be a tangible reward, but stickers work well).
3. Students of all ages can be controlled using guilt, especially by telling them that they're failing to be hospitable to a guest in their country and that you're considering going home as a result. Only use in case of emergencies, tho.
4. If you want to get out of drinking, try saying that you're observing a religious holiday (it's always some saint's day). Most people won't be interested in Catholic beliefs (they'll assume that you're Catholic), but they understand fasting and observance.
5. If you want to *always* get out of drinking, tell them that you have a medical condition.
6. On cold winter nights, fill a (non-vacuum) thermos with hot tea and keep in your sleeping bag with you. When it cools down, drink it and repeat.
7. Despite what Tbilisians will tell you, it's safe to walk around Ozurgeti at night, even drunk and alone. Just don't start any fights.
8. When marshutka drivers just nod and don't explicitly say "yes" when you ask if they're going to a place, do not get into the marshutka.
9. If you end up going to supras, learn some traditional toasts. It will really improve your reputation.

[alfred russel]

It seems bizarre to use Catholicism as an excuse to get out of drinking. It is well that they are ignorant.

[Jacob]

More advice:

1. Travel a lot, especially to Svaneti, but not until late spring.
2. Students ages 8-11 can often be kept in line by putting them into groups and having them directly compete with each other for points (there doesn't have to be a tangible reward, but stickers work well).
3. Students of all ages can be controlled using guilt, especially by telling them that they're failing to be hospitable to a guest in their country and that you're considering going home as a result. Only use in case of emergencies, tho.
4. If you want to get out of drinking, try saying that you're observing a religious holiday (it's always some saint's day). Most people won't be interested in Catholic beliefs (they'll assume that you're Catholic), but they understand fasting and observance.
5. If you want to *always* get out of drinking, tell them that you have a medical condition.
6. On cold winter nights, fill a (non-vacuum) thermos with hot tea and keep in your sleeping bag with you. When it cools down, drink it and repeat.
7. Despite what Tbilisians will tell you, it's safe to walk around Ozurgeti at night, even drunk and alone. Just don't start any fights.
8. When marshutka drivers just nod and don't explicitly say "yes" when you ask if they're going to a place, do not get into the marshutka.
9. If you end up going to supras, learn some traditional toasts. It will really improve your reputation.

10. Post updates here, including pictures.

[Grinning_Colossus]

Religious diversity in Guria is extremely low. All the Jews have left. There are some Armenian Apostolics and very small Adjarian Muslim and Chinese minorities, but it's overwhelmingly Orthodox.

[The Brain]

All Jews left = no Jews left?

[CountDeMoney]

All Jews left = no Jews left?

Should be filed under "Get Out"

[Grinning_Colossus]

All Jews left = no Jews left?

Should be filed under "Get Out"

Antisemitism actually wasn't much of a thing in Georgia. The main push factors were political instability and economic collapse until the mid-2000s. There are some left in Tbilisi.

[Eddie Teach]

Good luck!

I hope you manage to get your students into national English tournaments like I have!

Are there national foreign language tournaments anywhere else than in Korea?

I remember going to some Spanish tournaments in high school.

[CountDeMoney]

Antisemitism actually wasn't much of a thing in Georgia.

I suppose not, what with all of them dead and whatnot.

[Grinning_Colossus]

Antisemitism actually wasn't much of a thing in Georgia.

I suppose not, what with all of them dead and whatnot.

Seriously though, there was very little popular antisemitism until it became Tsarist state policy in the late 1800s. Then, during the nationalist paroxysm in the late 80s and early 90s, it was linguistic minorities who were targeted rather than the Jews. I'm sure it helped that most of them were indigenous (their ancestors having been there since Achaemenid times, at least), and very heavily Kartvelized, often giving their children Georgian-Christian names like Nino. An interesting feature of Georgian nationalism is that, even though it paints Georgian identity as inextricable from Orthodoxy, it can't overplay the religious angle due to all of the Adjarian Muslims. So Georgians of all religions are considered part of the nation, while only linguistic minorities (Ossetians, Abkhazians, Armenians, Azeris) are aliens.