Rootless: Life-Work Balance Out of Whack

In his book, The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge used the analogy of a kitchen faucet to make a point about the lag time between making a change and seeing the desired results. Well, it was about more than that, but I'm going to borrow it for my own purpose.

Say you want some warm water. You turn on the hot and cold water handles, but the water remains cold. So you open up the hot water handle some more, and the water's still too cold, so you close up the cold water a little bit, and then all of a sudden the water's too hot, so you have to adjust the hot and cold handles again til you get the temp where you want it. There's always a lag time between an action and a reaction.

I wanted more EFL students so I could increase my income ... and little by little I got more. Yay!

Then came this one night when I realized that even though I'd completed my last class a few hours earlier, I was still doing related administrative work. About the same time, I was wondering, damn, what's happening to my creative life? 

You see what happened is this: I suddenly found myself with too much of a good thing! (I love teaching English online.) There wasn't much administrative work with my online teaching job, but what there was hadn't grown incrementally, it had grown exponentially, with the result that my work-personal life was completely out of whack.

But fortunately, the Universe looked kindly upon me. Because almost to the day that I realized my predicament, a hand reached out to me with an enticing invitation to consider a professional zag from my current zig. I accepted that invitation and one week from tomorrow, I will be working full time and yet have more personal time for creative, tourist-in-residence pursuits than I do now.

I'll still be in the EFL world, but not as an EFL teacher. I am wistful about not teaching, but enthusiastic about my new role. 

For now, I'm looking forward to a resumption of balance.   

Geography Lesson

My fantastic job of teaching English online has connected me to students in (so far):

• China
• Argentina
• Italy
• Germany
• Brazil
• Mexico
• Spain

It have come to realize that I don't know shit about a lot of stuff in these countries. Like these countries' states or provinces. Often, my students - all adults - know the U.S. states.

An Ethiopian friend told me that when he was a child, all the kids learned about the U.S. states. In fact, there was a common phrase for when something got lost, "Where it'd go, Arkansas?" ... (if it was believed something was stolen, the question was, "it must have gone to Baghdad.") 

So I'm undertaking a project to learn the provinces of my students' countries.

China

Here's China in a reader-friendly visual:

Credit: SACU

Once I found a provincial map of China, my mind turned to land mass as compared to the U.S. Below is a nice graphic - note that it shows the comparison and also minds the latitudinal information. Note also that neither Hawaii nor Alaska appear.

Credit: Flora of China

One of my students told me that the area around Chengdu is particularly beautiful. Home of the pandas, too. And the five-color lakes.  It's in Sichuan province. Famous for its cuisine.


Argentina

Argentina has several states known for their regional wines.

Credit: La Vida Es Hermosa

If I compare China's size to the U.S., I guess I should do the same for Argentina.

Credit: Rand McNally

Mexico

Since I'll relocating to Mexico next year, I definitely need to get a handle on its states. Do you see the state of Michoacán? Yeah, that's where I was thinking of going, but maybe I've got to rethink that.

And the comparison between Mexico and U.S. land area:

Credit: Rand McNally

Below is a graph of expats who live in Mexico. I'm surprised the Canadian number is so low. Where do they go?
 

Place	Country	2010	2000	1990
1	United States	738,103	343,591	194,619
2	Guatemala	35,322	23,597	46,005
3	Spain	18,873	21,024	24,783
4	Colombia	13,922	6,465	4,635
5	Argentina	13,696	6,215	4,964
6	Cuba	12,108	5,537	5,217
7	Honduras	10,991	3,722	1,997
8	Venezuela	10,063	2,823	1,533
9	El Salvador	8,088	6,647	2,979
10	Canada	7,943	5,768	3,011
11	France	7,163	5,723	4,195
12	China	6,655	2,100	1,161
13	Germany	6,214	5,595	4,499
14	Peru	5,886	3,749	1,633
15	Chile	5,267	3,848	2,501
16	Italy	4,964	3,904	2,397
17	Brazil	4,532	2,320	1,293
18	South Korea	3,960	2,079	1,161
19	Nicaragua	3,572	2,522	1,521
	Other countries	43,799	37,126	32,487
TOTAL		961,121	492,617	340,246
Source: INEGI (2000),[20] CONAPO (1990)[21][22] and INEGI (2010)[23]

Italy

Back in the day, the first words that would come to my mind about Italy would be beautiful scenery, wine, good eating, rich history, and a people with a joie-de-vivre world view. Based on reports from recent travelers, the images that stick out most for me about Italy are crowds, heat, and high prices.

If you agree, then may I recommend a fine country for you to visit - Caucasus Georgia.

I'm kind of bored with the size comparison thing, so I'm going to stop on that.


Germany

One of my former (Caucausus) Georgian students is visiting Germany right now with a friend - they look to be having a fantastic time!

German provinces. Credit: Maps of Germany.

Do you see that pointy area in France below Saarland and to the left of Baden-Wirttemberg? That's Alsace-Lorraine.

Alsace-Lorraine. Credit: Travels in Europe With a VW Camper

My matrilineal and patrilineal ancestors passed through this area in centuries past, the maternal line being French Catholic, and the other Swiss Mennonite, aka Anabaptist (German-speaking), before their descendants, in different immigrant streams, in different centuries, ended up in North America. 

My maternal grandfather saw battle in Alsace-Lorraine during World War I.

Gee, what a detour I made.

So back to Germany. Because of my economic stratum, I tend not to think much about Western Europe as a travel destination - I can't afford to go, so it's just not on my radar.




Spain

Spain. Credit: Property net.

Jeez louise, the time it took to find a decent provincial map that also showed the almost-adjoining countries of Morocco and Algeria to the south of Spain (in English). Oh, you see they aren't there. Right. So anyway, see that land with the little airplane on it, south of Cadiz, practically touching? That's Morocco. If you look to the right along Morocco's coastline til you see the other little airplane? And then the yellow squiggly line? To the right of the squiggly line is Algeria.

The economic crisis in Spain right now is crushing. Recently, a British man bought an entire Spanish village (abandoned) for 60k euros. (There are villages like this in Caucasus Georgia, too.)


Brazil

Brazil provinces. Credit: emaps world

I always think of Brazil as being very big. Let's compare it with the U.S.

Brazil - US size comparison. Credit: Rand McNally

 Woo, yeah, it's big.
 
Although Brazil can boast tremendous advances in many areas economically, technologically, etc. it's also  suffering now in many areas. People don't feel safe. The government is perceived to be corrupt and ineffectual. There are some who believe the public school system is in awful shape, as there is no investment in bringing along new teachers for the public system, i.e. low pay and miserable working conditions. (Sounds like Caucasus Georgia, although there is ongoing reform.)

According to the World Atlas, Brazil's Sao Paolo is the ninth most populous city in the world at 20 million (just under NYC's 21.4 million and just over Mexico City's 19.4 million).


 

China: White Wine

Sound of car coming to a screeching halt. China????

Yes, this is way off my blog topic - at least for now - considering I've never been to China and am not contemplating a trip to China in the near future.

Credit: Vinn Distillery

But with my online EFL job, I have some Chinese students. Awhile back, one of them mentioned enjoying some white wine. I asked which white wine he favors, and he noted it was Chinese wine. I was unfamiliar with Chinese wine, and made a mental note to study up on it later. Then another student mentioned white wine, and while we chatted, I did some simultaneous online research and discovered a fun fact.

Chinese "white wine" - also known as the "white devil" - isn't wine at all. It's baijiu, a very, very, very strong distilled liquor made from sorghum, rice, or another grain. Contains between 40-60% alcohol.

Many Chinese consider baijiu to be the national drink.


Prompts fond memories of Georgian chacha.

Teach and Learn in Georgia: Back in Business

A supra in Kardanakhi, Georgia

 
After a hiatus during "regime change," Teach and Learn in Georgia (TLG) is back in business.

Tamar making borshi

Go here for a list of (or links to) blogs by current and past TLGers, packing items, and cultural notes.

Nely holding up her farmlet's green grapes, Kardanakhi, Georgia

Go here for the official TLG page.

Making churchkhela, Georgia

On my right sidebar is a link to a current TLGer - one who started under the old regime and continued under the new, so he may have a unique perspective to offer you.

Tia serving Kinkhali in Rustavi, Georgia

My second favorite Georgian dance video:

And my favorite, Xorumi or Khorumi, performed by Erisioni. Doesn't matter which gender you are, it gets the blood a-movin'.

 


 Ah, what a place.

Rootless Freedom: A New Job!

I just received good news!

I've been accepted as an online English teacher for a company based in Europe, which has adult learners all over the world.

All of my experiences thus far with this company, which I'll call Artemis, have been professional, positive, and respectful of both its clients and prospective teachers. Good teaching materials. Decent income for this online-teaching newbie. (Not giddy-good, but decent.)

I've got the usual new-job jitters, of course. I will try to remember these life lessons. And to have fun. 

This new job gives me freedom to live anywhere in the world that has a high-speed internet connection.

Combined with another modest source of income I have, my compensation from Artemis will serve most of my financial needs.

This feels really good.

Don't Throw Out the малыш With the Bath Water

The common wisdom is that Georgia intends for English to be the new second language, replacing Russian.

I've been asked if I've noticed that more Georgians are speaking English since I arrived here.  No, I haven't.

Not because there aren't more Georgians speaking English. It's just that I've only been in Georgia since July 2011. So I don't have enough time here to have observed such a change.

I have observed, with great appreciation, a notable increase in English signage in Tbilisi's metro stations and at businesses. I also love that the bus stop LED boards in Tbilisi show both Georgian and English information.

I asked the Georgians around me this question: "Do more Georgians speak more English now than a year ago"?

The unanimous answer was yes.


"Why"? I asked.

To which all replied, "Because there are more people coming to Georgia who speak English, so we have more opportunities to practice it."

And 100% of my respondents (approximately 25 men and women of various ages, professions, and interests) agreed: "And we should continue to learn Russian."

"Why"?

"Because Russia is our neighbor. Because Russia is an enemy. And because our former brothers and sisters in the old Soviet Union also speak Russian, thus it is a common language."

I heard proverbs:

• You live a new life for every new language you speak.
• One who speaks only one language is one person, but one who speaks two languages is two people.

There's another dimension to the language issue. 

In the schools, it's a difficult time for language teachers. English teachers are in demand; Russian teachers are expendable.  Old teachers are disdained; the young are admired. There are too many part-time Russian teachers fighting for too few class hours and too few lari.

In the abstract, the painful flux of organizational change in Georgia's education system is necessary. There are so many needed reforms, and not just related to foreign language. 

But as with all progress, there is collateral damage. My hostess, for one. She has a university degree in education, and she's taught at her public school for more than 40 years. She's fluent in Georgian, Russian, and English, and has conversational competence in other languages. She's a skilled and dedicated teacher. She welcomes innovation. But she's an older woman, so there is a presumption of obsolescence and incompetence. Out onto the ice floe she'll go.

There aren't many Georgians in the world. There are fewer Georgians in Georgia than there are people in my home state of Missouri. Georgia has millennia of experience being invaded by enemies.

I agree that English as Georgia's second language is a good strategic choice, in both the security and economic arenas. But I'm a believer in diversifying one's portfolio to mitigate risk.

As such, I agree with my focus group members that Russian should remain an important secondary language.

Don't throw out the малыш with the bath water.

Letters from Matt #8: Haramachi, Japan: Tea and Toes

 Letters From Matt are letters from my brother, Matt, from various of his domestic and international travels. The letters span decades, and I share them on Living Rootless at intervals, in no particular order. 

11 March, 1993

Haramachi (now part of Minamisoma), Japan

Dear Family,

This morning I went to my last tea ceremony for the next couple of years. One of my students, a 67-year old man, had one of his kimonos altered to fit me and today he presented it to me. He and several others wore kimonos and the ladies helped me get dressed into mine.

The tea ceremony takes place in a very clean, simple room with paper and wood sliding doors, tightly woven straw mats, and a small brazier with hot charcoal and a tea pot sunk into the floor. We sit on our feet like we don’t notice there isn’t any blood getting to our feet. We wait silently while tea – not black tea but a green pasty solution is served to us one at a time. When the person next to me receives his tea he bows to me before drinking it. When I am served mine, I bow to the person on my left. Before slurping the tea down in three (not four) noisy slurps, I must rotate the tea bowl three one-quarter turns. After my slurps, I rotate the bowl again back the way it was.

I then put the bowl back on the floor and inspect it as if it were a wondrous piece of art and not just a very plain looking bowl.

After we’re all finished, I can sit on my side for awhile allowing blood to rush into my feet. I’m invited to stand up and move to the next room, but I decline and say, “I just want to sit for awhile” (at least until I can feel my toes). At another time someone told me that at that moment after the tea ceremony, some people are injured with sprained ankles.

You probably would never have thought that going to a tea ceremony was flirting with danger. Fortunately, I escaped the event with no damage.

Checking Out Mexico

Ok, so I'm in Georgia til June 15 or 20ish, then to Istanbul for three weeks, then back to Georgia mid-July, and then off to the U.S. for a couple of months.

And then .....

I'm thinking Mexico to teach English.

Have started brushing up on my Spanish here.

My Mexican location wish list:   

• Mild temps
• Population less than 500,000 
• Relatively low cost of living
• Easy to get to from the U.S. via plane or plane + reasonable bus ride
• Job opportunities at livable wages
• Location with some natural or cultural charm

Over at Dave's ESL Cafe, I've begun some research and have gleaned some ideas to start with:

• Cuernavaca
• Zacatecas
• Toluca
• San Cristobal
• Oaxaca
• Queretaro

It'll be fun to consider the merits of each city in the coming months.
 

Georgia: Teacher Talking Time

I was invited to give a presentation at a conference in Tbilisi. The conference is this Sunday, March 4. The organization is CETE (Center for Excellence in Teaching English), which is affiliated with TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), and of which I am an individual member. 

I cast about for presentation topics and settled on reducing teacher talking time (TTT). Too much TTT was a particular challenge for me in my CELTA training, and it is a decided challenge for Georgian instructors in general. As I prepare for my presentation, I'm really glad I chose it because it's refreshing my knowledge about TTT and how I can continue to reduce mine. 

... and speaking of teaching in Georgia, classroom management is always in the top 5 of the hot topics. So I loved Phil in the Blank's crooked-book strategy for same (reference Phil's #1). Phil used to be a middle-school teacher so he knows whereof he speaks. 

 

Letters from Matt #4: Haramachi, Japan: Fear in My Eyes

Letters From Matt are letters from my brother, Matt, from various of his domestic and international travels. The letters span decades, and I share them on Living Rootless at intervals, in no particular order. 

8 July 1990

Haramachi (now part of Minamisoma), Japan

Dear family,

… Today was a beautiful day. I went to the beach with about a half a dozen students and friends. The people here are so nice to me. (But I have to be careful – last night at a party, some girls asked me what my blood type was.)

We went swimming in the ocean. I got sunburned on my face and legs. I can feel the heat now, especially on my legs, as I lay on my futon writing this letter. The waves were enormous, frothy, and crashing down on me – filling my nose and mouth with salty water. After getting out, my skin was sticky with salt. Many Japanese were surfing today. One of our friends brought two surfboards. He offered for me to try, but I had already swallowed enough ocean for the day. Maybe next time.

One of the girls made lunch. It’s amazing how carefully prepared Japanese food is. She made egg salad sandwiches with white bread - sounds simple, but she sliced the crust away from each sandwich and arranged them neatly and tightly; packed in a box as if they were made for astronauts.

She also made fried chicken drumsticks. The skin and meat from the smaller end of the drumstick were peeled upward so as to leave bare bone on one side that could be used like a handle for eating without getting your fingers greasy. It was like a popsicle sort of. The end of the bare bone was wrapped in foil to be sure no grease touched your hand.

After a nice long day at the beach, we went out to a restaurant. While we ate, they taught me some Japanese phrases like – Anata wan han sai des? means how old are you? and biru kudasai means I’ll have a beer, please. The latter phrase could be quite useful, so in gratitude, I taught them a couple expressions such as I drank like a fish and I’m going to sleep like a log. 

Oh yeah, at the beach I started to build a sand castle. The girls were very curious of my strange, child-like behavior I guess, but they started to bring me water to help make the sand wet for me. Then a couple of guys built a wall around it. When finished, it was about a meter tall (we’ve gone metric in Japan; so sorry) with towers and flags, a moat with a drawbridge. When we left, the tide had just begun to slosh water through the gates and into the moat. It was cool.

Last night, at my suggestion, all the adult students (mostly female between the ages of 18 and 28) joined in a party to celebrate Independence Day, a farewell to a student leaving for Australia, a birthday, my one-month anniversary of Japan life, and Tanabata.

Tanabata is a Japanese holiday that has something to do with some sort of stellar convergence that happens once a year on about July 7th. Anyway, part of the tradition is to have a tanabata tree, a leafy top section of a bamboo (which grows abundantly in these parts). The tree is decorated almost like a Christmas tree with little pieces of colored paper folded into many different shapes. Then everybody writes a wish on a piece of colored paper and attaches it to the tree. This ritual, along with the stellar convergence, is supposed to make all of your dreams come true.

Well, anyway, one of the girls brought a Tanabata tree to the party, along with lots of little pieces of colored paper. She showed me how to fold the paper into a paper balloon and I and others made a wish to place on the tree. It was fun.

The party, at my suggestion, was held on the roof of the school, one of the tallest buildings in town. The moon was full. You could see the shadows of mountains in the distance, a few kilometers away. (So sorry, metric again neh. Eeeeee. I think I’m turning Japanese neh.)

G*, a girl who I’ve got a crush on, brought a big plate of sushi. She fixed a big plate for me. Oh no!!!!!! The raw fish kind of sushi is no problem. I even like it kind of. But she honored me with the more expensive delicacy of raw salmon eggs wrapped in seaweed. 

Salmon eggs --> Human delicacy. Photo credit: Randy Johnson

Because of the way it is here, you are supposed to put the whole thing in your mouth all at once. Somebody sensed the fear in my eyes so they rushed the video camera and spotlight over to me. The whole group watched the barbarian almost gag on what they consider heaven. All I could think of was, yeah, I’ve seen this stuff before in jars in the sporting goods department at Sears – used as FISH BAIT! 

Salmon eggs --> Fish bait. Credit: OLX.

I almost threw up, but didn’t. My honor was left intact and I soon recovered after a few beers. …

Sayanara,

Matt

Books, Books, Books

I hit the motherlode of children's books at the Jefferson City Salvation Army Thrift Store today. I'll add these to my more modest stash from Goodwill that I bought last week. They're for "my" public school in Rustavi, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia.

The school library, meager by any measure, has a tiny collection of English-language books. I'm hoping I'll be bringing enough so entire classes can have individual reading time or small-group reading time. My focus is on elementary-level English.

But speaking of books, and thinking also about English Alive Academy in Nazret, Ethiopia, it's possible to buy a gift certificate for the Ethiopian school at Better World Books. This company will email you the gift certificate, which you can then email to Stephanie and Dawit at English Alive Academy here. (Email address on right sidebar of the EAA blog.) They'll be able to select the books and related materials they need most ... and shipping is free!

Georgia: Students

One of the things I like about the Georgian students is that they don't hold a grudge.

It doesn't matter how much I step on their toes discipline-wise.

I get a cheerful, enthusiastic "good morning!" before class begins and a cheerful, enthusiastic "good-bye!" when class ends.

Rustavi: First Day of School

 

Final Exams

The final exams for my police students are complete.

I concurred with several of my students when they said, upon completion of the written portion of the exam: Oh my God.

It was a difficult exam for various reasons, which I will not enumerate here. But I will include them in My Final Report.

The police were engaging, charming people to work with. 

I'm hopeful we'll get an English conversation group off the ground here. Two or three, ideally. One for more advanced police; a second for beginners, and the third for the women in my old, New Rustavi hood.

Georgia: Teach and Learn With Georgia - 2010-2011 Annual Report

A number of us volunteer teachers attended Teach and Learn with Georgia's presentation of its first annual report at one of the hotels in Tbilisi.

Georgia's Minister of Education was there, along with the TLG staff, teacher volunteers who work in or near Tbilisi, and, I think, some staff from various embassies. (By the way, TLG also brings native Italian and German speakers to Georgia to teach.)

There was quite a flurry of media in attendance.

 
I'm sure the Minister of Education felt disappointed that he had to depart so soon after the media left, with the consequence that he could not be with all of us as the TLG administrator presented the annual report.

After the report, we enjoyed Georgian wine, fresh juice, and some hors d'oevres. I met some really interesting TLGers at the reception. 'Course, I find most TLGers really interesting, in diverse ways, such as being well-read or well-traveled or with Louis L'Amourish serial work histories or who possess a sharp wit or who practice serenity in the face of challenge ... "interesting" is a long line of possibilities.

By the way, TLG has an offer that if an individual (i.e., me) refers someone to the program, and the new volunteer enters the program via TGL (and NOT through one of the recruiting agents), then the reference (as in --> me) will receive a bonus. Should anyone join up and use me as a reference while I'm still in Georgia, I will donate half of my bonus to the English Alive Academy in Ethiopia. Contact me for additional details.

Rustavi: My Commute to Work

I take a bus or marshrutka to work.

Here is the ride:

Music selections courtesy of the marshrutka driver.

Rustavi - Meeting the Boss, New Friends, and Looking Into the Eyes of the Dog

This morning, I reviewed my materials for tomorrow's first lesson at the police station. ... only to discover in the evening, when I met my new boss, that the group I'll be working with is on Module 10 instead of 1. And I don't know what module the group in the second location is on. (Second location? What second location?)

Fortunately, recruits are told to bring their flexibility and their go-with-the-flowness, so I'm OK with this new information. Plus, my new boss will get me from points a to b to c. No problem. (Or in Georgian, "Ara problema.")


My hostess, Nino, took me to visit with friends in a different apartment building. E. speaks English, and she translated quite wonderfully for me, Nino, N., and N.'s son O.

N. plays piano (she plays by ear) and her son, O., sings. They gave us a lovely performance, singing some Georgian folk songs, plus Besame Mucho, Santa Lucia, and another love song. O. demonstrated several regional dances. It was all very charming, all the more so when one looked out the window to another gray Rustavi apartment building. It was hot. At various intervals, we sweated in place. A big grasshopper flew into the window. Quickly dispensed with.

N. served a nice coffee, some home-made cake, and the slender pretzel sticks Nino had picked up in a market on our way.

So we three women talked about the usual stuff - comparing notes on men at home and abroad, jobs, relationships. I mentioned to E. about we women recruits being told not to look Georgian men too long directly in the eyes, as it sends an unintended message that will likely result in undesired attention. At which E. smilingly agreed, saying, "Yes, you never look a dog in the eyes." I roared with laughter.

We walked home pretty late this evening, which all three women assured me is entirely safe in Rustavi. The crime situation is quite different now than in the past - when things were run by criminals, one never knew what would have been stolen whenever one left the house, even if only to walk down to the corner store. The police presence now has evidently made a huge difference.

I should note, too, that everyday life is vastly different now than even a year or so ago, when electric power and regular access to water was very unreliable. While power and water still shut down pretty regularly, it is nothing like before.

I don't remember who, but someone today told me that Rustavi isn't much to look at, but its people make it a beautiful place. 

Nino and I stopped at the Princess supermarket (across the street from the Prince supermarket) on the way home, where I loved finding an icy cold Pepsi Maxx.

First Day in Rustavi

Credit: Magnus Hoffman

To protect privacy, I'm not going into much detail, but I'm now in my new home in Rustavi.

First, Rustavi itself. The first impression of Rustavi is the stereotype of what one thinks of a "traditional" Soviet city. Flat ground. Row after row of what some call in Tbilisi the "commie flats." Apartment houses. And that's it. A few pockets of trees. Some laundry fluttering from windows. It's a little disorienting, frankly.

Credit: Panoromio

Host family - friendly, gracious, accommodating, interested.

My host - who I'll call Giorgi, the Georgian version of John Smith - turned me on to the three kick-ass Georgian police videos below. In the last decade, the Georgian police has undergone a massive upheaval from old-school badness (i.e., corruption, impotence in the face of mafia-style criminals, complete mistrust by the populace, etc.) to an astonishing new world order of modernization, training, and accountability.

The police videos below reflect a systematic effort to change how police are perceived in Georgia. Whoever created them must be a master of persuasion. They touch all the buttons.

Every new police stations (and, if I'm not mistaken, every town has a new police station) are made of glass. This is to reassure the citizens that the police are transparent in their operations and behaviors.

Police officers receive very good pay. It's so good, and the reputation of police is now so high, that the work draws attorneys and other professions who didn't traditionally consider police work as a career option.









By the way, I loved our lunch and dinner today at my new digs:

• Grilled eggplant with cilantro
• Fresh tomato
• Fresh watermelon
• Bitingly salty and vivid cheese
• Two shots of cognac, with a taste of cinnamon, made by "Nino," the woman of the house
• Grilled potatoes
• Bread
• Water

Assignment: Rustavi

I learned yesterday that my first Georgian EFL gig will be in Rustavi, Georgia.

I'll be teaching English to police officers there for about 12 weeks.

The third largest city in Georgia, with a population of ~ 160,000, Rustavi is in a good location. It's only about 40 kilometers from Tbilisi and is close to both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Rustavi is an industrial city, and it has its problems with unemployment, crime, and poverty. Centuries ago, the original Rustavi was wiped out by the Mongol ruler Tamerlane in mid-13th century. 

There doesn't seem to be too much information on Rustavi. I look forward to exploring it.

The very famous Rustavi song and dance troupe had its origins in Rustavi:

I'll be teaching three days per week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So I'm thinking on my weekdays off, taking a Georgian language class and also seeing about getting some trees planted in Rustavi. Apparently, some call it a "desert," as it allegedly has no trees, and is hotter than nearby Tbilisi as a result. There is a precedent to tree-planting projects in Rustavi here.

Georgia (Republic of) - Orientation: The Hotel

During orientation, our newbie group of 13 is staying at the Bazaleti Palace Hotel in Tbilisi.

Bazaleti Palace Hotel, Tbilisi

View from hotel's front entrance.

The hotel exterior is Butler Building-ish, but the interior is nicely appointed with pretty rugs, immense lamps, and grand hallways.

There are spacious sleeping rooms with twin beds (we share rooms), a desk, a mini fridge, nice bathroom, closet, and vestibule. The air conditioning is adequate, augmented by helpful fans that make the room quite comfortable. Meeting rooms large and light. All meals provided to us via the hotel.

With the exception of a Sunday walking tour in the old part of Tbilis, I've pretty much been contained within the confines of the hotel. The orientation days are long, starting at 9:00 a.m. and letting out at about 7:00 p.m. or so.

I can venture out if I choose; so far, though, I enjoy the brief quiet time after the end of the day to simply relax in my room. I know that I'll have plenty of time after orientation to explore the city and country.

It is hot and humid outside.

Behind the hotel is a small pasture occupied by two cows.

In front of the hotel is a bus station, which is convenient. Adjacent is a restaurant that we'll check out on Thursday night, the last night of our orientation.