Browsing All Posts filed under »Life in the City«

First impressions – Abanotubani?

March 4, 2013 by

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“Abanotubani?” I had hastily scrawled the word in my notebook, and now fished it out so that I could ask where the baths were. They pointed towards these brick domes protruding from the ground. I headed that way, jumping from one dome to the other. Asking around, it seemed like they only had private baths, […]

Parallel Worlds

January 2, 2013 by

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I fell in love with Georgia during my first semester teaching. I got lucky with a great training group, a loving host-family, and a welcoming school. I went to supras, I clumsily danced, I trimmed grape leaves, and I taught a batch of second graders the difference between their head, shoulders, knees, and toes. Some […]

Just me being sentimental, all the time.

December 13, 2012 by

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The words of Henry David Thourea have been rattling around in my head the last few days. As I watch the calendar pages fly and the time to leave draw nearer and ever nearer. He said, “… I wanted to live deep and suck the marrow out of life, and not when I came to […]

Saturday in Never-Never Land

December 1, 2012 by

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It was Saturday. I was sitting in my pajamas, in the lounge when a troupe of musicians waltzed through the door, looking for somewhere to rest their heads that night. A matching set of Irish TLGers and a British one. I was sad to tell them that we had no space. They took the news […]

How to Read a Book: Use the TLG Blogger Reading List!

November 8, 2012 by

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To Our Dearly Beloved Readers, Here at Making a Difference, we are a very literary bunch!  As a crew of bloggers, it sort of comes with the territory.  Furthermore, when you live in Georgia in a host family where you are surrounded by the Georgian language day in and day out, a good book can be your […]

Mkurnali

November 6, 2012 by

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Earlier than I am used to, I was out and about on a Tuesday. Ready to do my first interview with someone from an NGO for a blog post with a bit of a difference. I was going to visit an NGO called Mkurnali in Tbilisi. This doesn’t really have much to do with teaching […]

Town & Country Digest With a Touch of Irony

November 3, 2012 by

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On Sunday afternoons, I know that there is one thing I am guaranteed to hear in the hostel in Tbilisi: “I don’t want to go back to my village. I want to stay here in the city. Stay here with my friends. Maybe I will wait just another hour.” I know this feeling well, I […]

Banging on about Batumi (and Adjara)

October 28, 2012 by

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Everyday I think myself lucky that I am in Batumi. Before flying out to co-teach in Georgia, I had packed my suitcase trying to second-guess where I would be stationed and I fully expected the worst placement possible. In my mind that equated to being holed up on the side of a mountain with only […]

There’s this kid in my class…. and other things that came to mind.

October 3, 2012 by

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She is a perfectly beautiful child with the sweetest smile that never quite reaches her eyes. Sometimes she comes to class with her legs in braces. Her dad often waits outside her class for her, to carry her bag, and walk her home. He looks tired, but ever so kind. She comes out the classroom […]

My Spoiled Life

September 28, 2012 by

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In training week we are presented with a lot of worst-case scenario situations and, of course, how to handle it. By the time we were waiting to meet our host families, I was preparing myself for the worst, girding myself for battle, as it were. I arrive at my school to find they had a […]

New Uses for Old Things

September 20, 2012 by

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In the past seven months, I have been confused by many occurrences. Interestingly enough, cultural differences are typically not the main culprit. Sure, I’ve had my share of surprises in terms of what I’m eating, where I’m going, and how I’m getting there, but overall, I’ve kept up. It’s in the comfort of my own […]

Expectations, Family and Acceptance

June 11, 2012 by

1

Walking down Telavi’s high street to the main bazaar with my friend, just so that we can get a particular brand of ice-cream, knowing what type of ice-creams are sold in many of Telavi’s shops, and then bumping into people that I know, makes me feel as if Telavi has become like another home. I […]

Medical Woes and “Woahs!”

May 18, 2012 by

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Having spent a lot of time in Georgia, I considered myself to be rather lucky that I have never had to enter a doctors office for any reason. Not solely because I am in Georgia and dealing with things related to your own health and well-being in a second language scares the pants off of me, but […]

When milking a cow isn’t enough

May 11, 2012 by

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In my relief and joy at arriving in Giorgeti after a difficult marshrutka ride, I stepped out of the vehicle, noticed the idle group of people sitting along the road, and hugged my friend; the marshrutka started to drive off. But then it stopped and reversed towards us. I wondered why? I think every single […]

On Sunflower Seeds

May 10, 2012 by

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Rustavi, Georgia. It’s a windy city. The wind blows often and it blows hard. The wind brings with it earaches, dust, and a strong desire to stay indoors. This wind has many voices. When I’m inside, it’s a high-pitch howling as it tries to bypass the windows. It’s the flap and snap of half-dry laundry. […]

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