An Unexpected Tour

Good evening my dears! As some of you know, I've been in the Republic of Georgia for about a month now (I've been awful about blogging, that will be remedied). I've been living in Tbilisi, but mostly cooking for myself and just going to school.

Given the domestic nature of my life, I was alarmed when my parents decided to come and visit me last weekend. I've barely started exploring the city, much less acquired enough knowledge to give tours to someone else! So, when they got here, I did what any sensible person would do- I told them they needed a tour guide.

After my boyfriend and I negotiated a tour of the city, my family and I were picked up the next day by a smiling chain-smoking man by the name of Dato, and a lovely English and Russian speaking tour guide named Tamara. We then embarked on an epic 4 hour tour of the city, visiting places that I'd never heard of, alarmed churchgoers (it was Sunday), and even spotting the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church!

 This is a picture of my parents in their palatial hotel on Rustaveli Ave. Notice the chandeliers...and the marble.

This is a view of Tbilisi from one of the many churches on the mountains here. You can see the old fortress on the mountainside, as well as the older buildings in Old Tbilisi. 

 Oh no, another church on a hill :) But really, it's a Georgian tradition! This is the famous church that overlooks Tbilisi.

 My parents conveniently arrived the weekend of Tbilisoba, which is Tbilisi's Days. There was a carnival in the streets, and horses everywhere. The smell of kebab filled the air!

 This is the Trinity Church, the most important church in the Georgian Orthodox Church. Every Sunday the Patriarch sits there on his throne and ministers to his followers. As you can see, it's massive, and covered in ornate decorations. The inside is cavernous as well, and filled with beautiful paintings of saints.

Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading :)

Mia

"You're leaving the country again?"

Well, holy moly, am I bad at writing! You should see the journal Roy got me last Christmas- it has three entries. Obviously, I'm not the most prolific author, but I think that by having one of this blogs that I'm honor-bound to post in them every once in a while, especially when something major happens in my life.

The important thing actually happened about a month ago. Better late than never, right? 28 days ago, I finished my degree at UW Madison and FINALLY commissioned as an officer in the US Air Force. Don't get too excited, because that commission doesn't mean anything until I'm on active duty, which will be happening on ___. I had a date of 1 Oct, but I got it pushed back because of two other things that have recently transpired- 1) I'm going to Georgia (the republic) to teach English in August, and 2) One of my best friends, Julie, is getting married in December! Although it will be difficult to reconcile these two events, it's going to be a lot easier now that I won't be in Intel School in Texas.

Don't get me wrong, I've wanted to actually do something useful in the military for years, but you have to take advantage of the opportunities that you find in life, and this teaching job (1st-6th graders!) is absolutely amazing. Not to mention the fact that Roy is coming as well! We'll hopefully be living in the same apartment, and teaching in the same town. Depending on when I EAD, we may have time to (finally) go to St Petersburg, and at the time of year I've always wanted to go during!

I'll also be doing something a bit strange by coming to Julie's wedding in early December...and then flying back to Georgia to finish teaching. I have my reasons, the Georgian government officials in the Department of Education are contract sticklers. But make no mistake about it, she's worth every penny!

As for what I'm doing right now, I currently maintain a building and its nighttime financial transactions, as well as doing quality assurance, a.k.a. I work the night shift at the 7/11 in Madison. Not too exciting, but it's money, and the people are friendly. I think if the third shift were more exciting, I'd be less happy about working it...

On a side note, today is Daddy Day. Thanks for all you've done for me Mel, I know we haven't always gotten along, but you always tried your best to give me a better life. Most people don't know that I had to be talked into going to college instead of the military, and then talked into taking the Air Force scholarship I received and not the Marine Corps one. Part of me will always wonder what would have happened had I taken a different path..but then I stop being crazy, and realize that this was definitely the best path for me. Thanks for everything, Dad.

Mia