In one week I will be in Georgia! Now that time is getting closer, I am having a hard time believing that I am really going half way around the world for several months! Sunday morning my flight leaves Sacramento at 6:15! I have two layovers -- Chicago and Amsterdam -- before landing in Tbilisi, Georgia at 6 p.m. (Georgian time) on Monday. That is going to be a long trip! I am praying that the weather is good in Chicago on Sunday! My layover in Chicago is a few hours, so I will probably do some writing then to entertain myself while waiting! I wish my layover in Amsterdam was long enough to see some of the city, but it is only an hour long! Here's a question: if I am only in the airport, can I add the Netherlands to the places that I have been? :)
Today while I was running, I was thinking about Georgia -- actually I was thinking about Georgian -- the numbers were going through my mind. I have 1-8 down, but I couldn't remember 9 or 10! Then I skip to the twenties. Oh dear, I have studying to do.... When I got back to my bro's house, the kids were doing their homework, and of course Auntie Steffi had to help! My 5-year-old nephew was working at his homework: writing the letter "F" in capital and lower case over, and over, and over..... That is exactly how I feel trying to learn Georgian -- like I'm back in kindergarden, struggling to form the symbols and attach to them a sound. Then I have to combine those sounds to make a word. Reading a word takes me several seconds, and then I'm not really sure that I am pronouncing the word correctly! The words tend to have a 5:1 consonant:vowel ratio! How exactly does one pronounce "tskhrv-"?
The other thing I thought about on my run was this blog. I do not want it to be merely a daily diary of what I did, what I ate, and where I went. I want to have substance to what I share. I would like to share things that have relevance to everyone's life regardless of where one might be. There are several themes that I am sure will come up in my experiences on a regular basis: the need for flexibility, social groups and "norms," language, and the evolving self. I will, of course share my experiences, but I hope to do it in light of a greater truth about the human condition. If anyone has any suggestions of themes, please let me know!
Now, what do I pack??!!
What do you pack? Everything! I remember 3 months on semester at sea i hardly packed any clothes and I got so sick of wearing the same pair of jeans for 3 months. lol.
ReplyDeleteStef, I'm so looking forward to reading your blog and reading your experiences. Honestly, I do hope you include daily experiences, what you ate, what you did as well as adding some depth-- i think daily experiences will give us a connection to you and your culture, and teach us what your life is like over there...
As far as you wanting to share things that are relevant to readers' lives- they will be, because your readers love you, care about you, and we all have personal connections to you, so different things will speak to each one of us at some point. Advice: let the themes happen organically and use this blog as a way to also allow yourself to gain insight and to process your experiences and your thoughts. I love you!!