Back in the USSR

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Today we began the morning by heading into the city to get our medicals done. We were a little nervous about where we were going and the kind of health standards that we were going to subject to ourselves to.

After a short drive we pulled up outside an old soviet block building which did not improve my nerves, those who know me well know that I hate needles and am a bit of sook. Inside was actually quite modern, the doctor was nice and had visited Sydney before. He said that he thought Australia was a very pretty country. Our nerves were quickly set aside when nature started calling - having drunk a lot of water under Aaron's guidance I was more than ready to pee for our urine test. People were actually jumping at the chance to be first for their medicals while the rest of us crossed our legs waiting. After our medicals were complete we returned to the hotel and had our first meeting with the whole TLG group.

After our introductory meeting we wrapped ourselves up in warm clothing for a walking tour of the old city with the guidance of our training coordinator Tamara. Tamara explained the history and details of different districts as well as how to buy credit on our phones (there are touch screen machines everywhere along the streets which you use to add credit to your phone). We walked through back streets and crumbled areas, it was very interesting to get a closer look at the housing. As we were a large group of foreiners walking around we drew much attention from the curious locals, who came out of their shops and homes to stare at us and ask who we were. The asumption here is that all English speaking foreigners are American - On our first that into the city a Georgian lady called me a stupid American, I may be stupid but please don't call me an American!

We walked to the top of a hill where a fortress and church sat, the view was amazing especially as it was night time and the city was lit up. Finally we walked through the tourist strip and into the underpass where music was being played and items like socks were being sold to get to Freedom Square. The night grew colder and we were very lucky to be driven home by one of the TLG drivers, in true Gerogian style we all piled into the TLG van like sardines. I have mentioned before that Gerogians are crazy drivers, however wearing a seat belt is offensive to the driver, to add to the potential danger most vans and buses are piled high with people, personal space has no meaning in Gerogia nor to road rules. We have heard stories that buses are not only piled high with people but in villages goats and chickens often share the ride.

Tomorrow we begin our first offical traning which begins at 9am and finnishes at 7pm and involves Gerogian lessons and cultural sensitivity training. Looking forward to a long day.

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