Hi folks, since it is such a packed week, I'll send another update. We arrived in Tbilisi to a crowd of about 30 people - volunteers and staff - that came to welcome us... at 3AM LOCAL TIME! Then we took a bus to our training center about 1 hour outside the capitol for a week of orientation before we move to our training clusters about an hour west where we live for the next 3 months of language/culture/security/health and business training. Tbilisi looked fabulous by moonlight and look forward to getting back there. We haven't seen much of the country yet; they care keeping us very busy. But here is that link again of some nice overview material on Georgia. If it doesn't work, cut and paste into your browser. And a few summer pictures... 16,000ft mountain peaks, but also borders the Black Sea, so really beautiful settings.
http://www.gotravelyourway.com/2013/11/12/8-reasons-to-travel-to-georgia-and-tbilisi/#.U2KBZaKKIg8
Georgian Language: we are expected to be intermediate-low in the next three months. This expectation is based on the goal of fully integrating into our communities, communicating best we can, and for safety and security. So...
The GOOD:
- Each letter is pronounced
- No articles
- No capital works
- No letter combinations
- The accent is always on the first syllable
The BAD: (OK you German Band people, quit laughing at me!)
- Completely unique language, not associated with ANY other type of language in the world
- Can have 4-5 consonant clusters
- Post positions instead of prepositions
- 8 cases
- mama mean father, and dada means mother - honest!
It's only been two days, and I'll keep plugging.
OH YES, and THE UGLY?
... shots start today: Hep A, Hep B, Typhoid, Rabies, Polio, Tdp, Oh My!
Next up, our visit with the Georgian Ambassador! Thanks for listening, Kim
Mandatory Discalaimer: The contents of this Website are mine personally and do not reflect any positoin of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.
