Hello again everyone,
Well we’ve officially reached the point in my journey where
the final departure is creeping upon us.
The countdown has begun until I depart from the good ole' US of A to teach English in Georgia (the country, not the state--see my previous blog post)! I’m
officially leaving on August 13th with a pit-stop in
Chicago and a 12 hour layover in Warsaw, Poland before finally arriving in the capital of T’bilisi early in the morning on the 15th—meaning
I’ll be spending my 22nd birthday in Georgia (what up August 16th!).
I’m definitely becoming more excited as the day draws near,
I mean, this plan to teach English abroad has been something I’ve been planning for almost a year!
Amidst these feelings of excitement, I would be lying if I didn’t say I
am also terrified out of my mind about this upcoming adventure. I’ve never spent an extended time outside the
country by myself, I have to learn a completely new language in order to
successfully communicate (check out what Georgian looks like here) and I must attempt to teach Georgian children about this language.
In a word, what have I gotten myself into?!
Despite my anxiety about the upcoming months, I’m really
eager to immerse myself in this new culture and way of life. I’ve
taken time to personally reflect, read a plethora of different blogs and
practiced my Georgian alphabet and I’ve devised a list of several things I wish
to accomplish in the coming months:
- Successfully have a conversation in Georgian: Hands down this is the biggest anxiety I have prior to leaving—just how am I going to successfully tell people what’s on my mind or ask a simple question? I expect charades to be a new way of communicating for a while, but I really want to become a speaker of Georgian.
- Go to a traditional Georgian wedding and/or funeral: These ceremonies are an integral part to any culture. Georgian traditions are something I really look forward to witnessing and partaking in, and judging by the various blog posts that I've read a Georgian wedding is quite a party!
- Attend an Orthodox Christian church service: Georgia was one of the first countries in the world to declare Christianity as their official religion (all the way back in AD 337!). Religion is an important aspect of understanding Georgian culture, and I want to experience it firsthand.
- Travel throughout the country of Georgia (including treks to Turkey and Armenia): Spending a significant amount of time in a new place means that there’s always an opportunity for travel and travelling in this part of the world is relatively cheap and easy! If you just Google some images of Georgia you’ll get a small glimpse of what a beautiful country I get to explore!
- Stay up to date on this blog: I want to keep you all informed on what’s going on in my Georgian life! For the majority of my family and friends I'll be the only person they will ever know to travel to Georgia and I want to do my best to describe this country to those who don't have any idea what Georgia is all about. Additionally, I want this blog to serve as a resource for those who will go onto Georgia after me (to teach English or for travel) because I certainly have learned so much from the blogs I've read.
Love,
Kelsey
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