Daily Life

Living in a country is much different than traveling.  The country becomes your home, at least for a temporary period.  You live as people do in that country.  I think that the most important part of living in a new country is getting a good place to live.

I have found a nice place in the center of Tblisi near shops and public transportation. Small, but has heat.. which is good because living without heat is no fun.. as I found when first living in Istanbul.

My apartment building is typical of Soviet era apartment buildings which is very bland and decrepit on the outside.  The buttons on the elevator has many that do not work. In some apartment buildings, you have to put in a minor amount to use the elevator.  The stairs are sometimes broken and the lights are peculiar when they will turn on. However, this is normal for all apartments in the center.  Some are worse. However, my apartment inside is modern and nice.

Outside my window, I face a busy street where cars and taxis are racing up and down the street. Traffic and drivers can be irratic in Georgia.. But, I have not seen an accident on my street.

Learning the Georgian language

The Georgian language is not an easy one. For one thing, the Georgia alphabet is not in Roman script.  So, I am learning the alphabet very slowly.  I look at the letters and try to figure them out.  I feel as I am one of the cast  in Sesame Street.. except I am doing it in Georgian.

I know just a few words.  I have a bad habit of confusing thank you (madlobat) with hello (garmajobat.)
So often I have said for thank-you, hello.  About a couple of days ago at the local grocery, I  said several times, garmajobat, garmajobat--hello, hello--instead of thank-you (madlobat) after receiving my change at the check out counter.   The look from the young woman clerk was a puzzling one.  But.. I am getting better.

Regardless,  this is the way you learn.. When I was living in Turkey, I was constantly getting words wrong.. but eventually I have acquired a somewhat working knowledge of Turkish.

My favorite story, which my friends love.. was one time a taxi driver asked my name.. I told him and then he said his name was Garip.. I thought he said he had grip (flu) and said "getmis olsun (may it pass quickly)  He was kind of shocked, but I corrected my mistake soon.

I am not afraid to make mistakes and often I crack myself up.  You have to take things lightly sometimes and have fun.

An Introduction

This is a blog for documenting my life in Tbilisi for those interested in one person's experience in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi and in Georgia.  I have been here for just one month so I am just getting used to the city and the country.