Blogs from Georgia, Asia

We returned to Shilda after our travels through Turkey to what was a fast and eventful three weeks. It began with a teachers’ concert in our Kvareli. The concert was a performance by teachers from the villages and towns in our area and included traditional dance, singing and poetry. The teachers did a great job, it was interesting to see how different regions have their own traditional dress and dance styles. My personal favourite was the dance routine from the Dagestan village who still speak their traditional language while living in Georgia. The crowd loved them and gave them a huge applause. The performances were held in a large theatre which was built in Soviet Union times and was true to form in that it was spectacular in size considering the small population of Kvareli but ... read more

No bunny rabbits, hot cross buns or chocolate eggs this year ...instead we celebrated Easter in the Georgian spirit. Like everything else in Georgia, Easter is celebrated in a uniquely Georgian way. When explaining to our family, teachers and classes how Easter is celebrated in Australia the conversation almost always ended in strange looks. A bunny rabbit, chocolate eggs, egg hunts; I guess it does all sound a bit ridiculous. The festivities kicked off on Thursday with Chiakokonoba. Families gathered wood in the street, started fires and jumped over it (or through it) three times. According to the legend, this action purifies the soul of evil spirit. Our village really got into the celebrations with fires being lit down the main street and through the winding passages. We all took turns at running through the fire ... read more

"Odyssey Overland" in Georgia... read more

Gareja... read more

After teaching in Australia for three years I decided to jump on a plane and try my hand at teaching English in a foreign country dragging Aaron along with me. (He did actually want to come, but not being a teacher the prospect did seem a little more daunting). We thought it was a perfect opportunity which combined our desire to travel as well as an opportunity to be immersed in a new culture. What is an average school day...? I am teaching English at a small school in our village with around 150 students from grades 1-12 while Aaron teaches at the larger school with about 380 students also from grades 1-12. Both of our schools are large concrete buildings which have not been maintained for many years. There is no running electricity in the ... read more