You Haven't Lived Until...

Building on the joyous note of Brenden's last post, let me say that I almost wept tears of joy yesterday when I arrived in Tbilisi and realized I was actually sweating a bit. And not only that, but after sweating (which I means I wasn't cold!), I could take a shower and put on completely clean clothes. And this only 6 days after my last shower!

Also, on an anecdotal note, let me recount my marshrutka story from yesterday. I came in yesterday by myself because I had a meeting at noon, and Brenden's counterpart wanted to leave from Akhaltsikhe at 1:30. So while Brenden came later in a private car, I came early in the morning via marshrutka. There was one couple sitting on the marshrutka when I arrived, and they stared at me curiously as I boarded. They asked me a few of the usual questions--do you live here, what do you do, do you like Georgia--and then they asked me if I was Chinese. I said, "No, I'm American," but then they asked again: "Are you Chinese," and I said, "No, I'm American," and then they asked, "Are you an American or Chinese?" to which my answer, "American," finally satisfied them. I was reading The Kite Runner on my way to Tbilisi, which although a bit graphic and heart-rending, is an amazing book (so far--I haven't quite finished it). Anyway, as I mentioned, heart-rending, so I started crying at one point, and the woman next to me pulled out a piece of candy and told me it was good for my eyes.

Finally, a list of things I've experienced in Georgia that I never thought I would:
- consumed an 140+ proof alcohol out of a BonAqua bottle before noon while hiking (a hint to those coming to visit: DO NOT ASSUME it's water just because it's in a BonAqua bottle and it's clear)
- shivered and dry-heaved simultaneously while using a squatter
- dropped a flashlight down a squatter
- walked half an hour in -10 C weather and then had a conversation about how warm the weather was today
- watched music videos to “Thriller,” “YMCA,” and “Total Eclipse (of the Heart)” in 2007 on our family's regular MTV channel and it wasn't a '70s/'80s retrospective
- watched my host father dance to said “YMCA” music video
- watched my host father use a blowtorch to unfreeze the water in your indoor toilet

- Carissa

P.S. Expect a lot of blog posts this week because of fast Internet access (yay!). The next one, I'm hoping, will be a video from our trip to Bakuriani.