October 17, 2007

Today I traveled to Erisimedi, Georgia, which is apparently very close to Azerbijan. This is a village in the Sighnaghi district even though it is 60km away. The ride there was about a 1 ½ hrs in this old Russian style military jeep. First you should know it rained all last night and needless to say ever pothole on the road was filled with water. There was just a few potholes….It was kind of like going off-roadn’ at home. Sarah and Mason would’ve really enjoyed the ride. (Sarah I’m listening “Beer Run” right now) The ride there was definitely adventurous and full of thrills as there could have been a little more cushion in the seats. We went to Esmereti to visit the school and identify what problems they are facing. We passed out surveys and spoke with the staff and students about their difficulties in the school and in the village. So maybe, I didn’t speak; I did a lot of listening as my Georgian language is not that advanced yet! I must say it was very interesting to listen to everybody speak their minds about what they need in the school and the problems they are facing in the village.
After we left the school we had lunch at the school director’s house. At home people liked to try and marry me off, well it doesn’t compare to the people here trying to marry me off. There was one particular gentleman at this luncheon who thought we should get married, however, that just isn’t possible since he is double my age. Definitely not my type and thank goodness one of the girls I was with was trying to save me from all the crazy talk. I may not understand everything but I can get enough of a conversation to piece things together. Plus it would never work because I don’t know the language and I am sure that would cause a great strain on any relationship!
The scenery was absolutely gorgeous all the way there and on the way back. The clouds from the storm front that had been lingering added a lot of personality to the sky. We even saw a rainbow through the clouds and behind it were snow capped mountains! The view was something I had never seen before and no, Sarah I didn’t have my camera. Not to mention the trees that lined the road were full of bright autumn colors with mountains as the backdrop.
The beauty of this country is really something else. There are no words to describe the beauty and no picture could capture the true beauty of Georgia. I’m neither a writer nor a photographer so you’ll just have to do with what you get. Maybe one day I’ll put pictures on this site?