A quick update

Just a brief update…

I had food poisoning from Thursday to Saturday. As an aside, food poisoning is not a good thing. And its worse when your panicky host-mother is desperately trying to figure out if she was the one who got you sick (and I don’t think she did) and is trying to communicate with her guest, who normally speaks relatively poor Georgian, but topped with fever and other ‘symptoms’ doesn’t really feel like talking. I have discovered that in the face of vicious dehydration etc I sleep. A lot. The Georgians expect people to eat, which is the exact opposite of what I actually want to happen. Hence, culture clashes right when you’d really rather it not.

It does, however, make me ever-so-appreciative of our ‘posh corps’ experience indoor toilet. Those of you living in America may not truly understand, but there is an enormous difference between being sick with an indoor toilet and being sick with a hole in the yard. I’m still a bit nauseous but should be back to normal in a few days. And, on the upside, no cipro this time! Just a lot of sleep, oral rehydration salts (if anyone is sending a package, please, please, please tuck a few Gatorade powder packets inside – our medical kits use a Russian solution that’s basically straight salt, and it is disgusting beyond belief), and water. Phew!

On a more upbeat note, the weather is definitely turning to fall here. This morning at 8am it was a brisk 6 degrees (42 Fahrenheit), but my coworkers all assure me it will be mid November before it goes below zero. All the same, my walk to work is actually pretty pleasant – it’s nice to be able to wear sweaters again.

I’m not sure how much you all have heard about the recent political events in Georgia, but here’s my rundown: Opposition politician / ex-defense minister says that the current president ordered him to have a businessman killed. President says ‘um, no’. Opposition leader suddenly finds himself imprisoned on corruption and bribery charges. President says ‘no, there’s no connection.’ Opposition freaks out. Watching Georgian television is a little more advanced than our Georgian is able to handle right now.  There’ve been some protests and rallies in the capital, but the good news is that pretty much nothing ever happens where we live – we’re a ways from Tbilisi, and we have no intentions of going. Like everything else here, this’ll blow over and everyone will calm down…