Why you don't want to have an exorcism in school

School started this week, and I am happy to not have to look for creative ways of killing time now in my tiny village of 145 people. It also means less drinking during the day, which has vastly increased my productivity (read: I answer emails on time now).

The first day of school was the cluskerf@$k you'd imagine it to be. the director introduced me which was nice, and I got to see the new students (1st graders) stand in a row to be gawked at by everyone else at the school and then have to suffer the humiliation of reciting a poem in front of everyone. As you might anticipate, one boy started crying, and then tried to hide his shame by crouching behind his friend. It was more funny than it should have been.

I'm supposed to be observing for the first two weeks, but with my tiny village and small school, that doesn't make much sense since I already know what teachers I'm going to work with, and what classes I'm teaching. For the most part the classes are going well. When students act up or talk while someone else is talking, I make them stand in front of the class and repeat what the last person said, and then make them form the statement into a question. Social shame is powerful motivator in any country it turns out.

The best time I've had so far was in my 9th grade class when the students were talking about exercises, but they kept saying the word exorcise instead. So I had to stop the class and explain that exercises are things we do in class or a gym, and an exorcise is something that you do when the priest comes to your house to remove demons. Given the highly religious and superstitious society I live in now, you might imagine the look of horror they had on their face when they grasped the meaning of their error.

probably not what my students meant to say when talking about their school day 

Last weekend I went to Prometheus cave near Kutaisi, and it was really neat. they had recently renovated it and they had really cool lights along with classical music playing through the entire ordeal, ending with a boat ride out of the cave at its end. My friends host father knew the guide, and so a tour that was supposed to cost 10 GEL ended up being free, as I saw no money changing hands at all. The following morning I was awoken by 2 hours of constant bells ringing as part of a political rally for the elections coming up on October 1st. That could prove to be an interesting time for anyone who's been paying attention to the news.

A rock in the shape of monkey

Me and the gang in the caves

This weekend I'm going to Batumi to have drinks with the new American ambassador, so that should be fun.

How love makes the Marshutka ride bearable

Okay I know, it's odd for an unmarried 30 year old to even approach the topic of love, it's not something I have the greatest experience with. And don't worry, this isn't going to be about me as much as a reflection of what I've seen here in Georgia about the topic.

I was on a 9 hour marshutka  (this of a minivan but holding about 25-30 people crammed together) ride from my village to Tbilisi this weekend and in the seats next to me there were some Russian couples that were either newlyweds or just eloping, I couldn't tell, but they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. In fact, they spent pretty much the entire time making out and dry humping while we made the trek. During the experience I was pretty pissed because hey, when you're stuck on a ride for that long you just become angry at the world, and seeing other people happy is like eating a spoon of salt after life has kicked you in the teeth. But once I got off, and the irrational rage subsided, I reflected upon the situation and thought what a remarkable power the commitment to another person had. It seems that it can really turn a terrible situation into something that is palatable, if not fun (though honestly I can't think of a marshutka ride ever being fun)

What a marshutka looks like, minus too many people. and the smell. 

I completely understand the evolutionary purpose for love; to keep the species going. But I wonder too if perhaps it might be some sort of psychological mechanism too in order to help people deal with the stresses of an unpredictable and often harsh world. In Georgia there are many hardships; dangerous food conditions, faulty power, bad roads, extreme weather conditions, early death, etc etc. Yet I see the people who are in romantic relationships smiling and finding joy in their lives, however tough it may be. I know that people who are single tend to die earlier and to have depression and a list of other problems, and I wonder if it's simply because they aren't receiving the benefit of having someone to share their experiences with. It's a tough thing to witness something amazing/absurd and not be able to know that someone else has had the same experience. In Georgia they get married very young, like 15-20, and while I know tradition and religion have a role in this, I wonder too if it isn't perhaps a subconscious mechanism to deal with the tough living conditions that many people face. After all, if you have to eat flavorless macaroni for 9 meals strait, isn't it easier to have someone else with you doing it?

And now for something completely different.

To celebrate a recent, rare shower.