Last weekend we heard about our permanent sites. We all met at the Peace Corps hub in Gori and we stood around a large map of Georgia drawn in chalk on the basketball court. As our names and destinations were called out, we moved to our sites on the map (see picture). It was actually quite emotional.

After having received our postings, we left for the mountains for a conference with our future principals. This was particularly interesting as our Georgian can be exhausted in about 10 minutes and our principals’ English is likewise limited. However, the PC had devised a lot of games and activities to oil the wheels and we managed pretty well. The conference site was in Gudauri, one of the major ski resorts in Georgia. There was a helicopter pad for extreme skiing and, apparently the hotel can cost as much as 500 Lari per night ($300) in the winter. However, I think the summer rates are much lower, as the Peace Corps generally tries to live low on the budget. To us it was all luxury. We had good rooms, hot showers, a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi and a sauna! Gill went swimming with her principal to be. Bob took a rest as his leg was not quite healed.

Re Bob’s leg: It was really quite an ordeal, but finally the leg is healed over and he can go swimming, etc. He is going to have a lovely scar, but it will be a great talking point. Not everyone can lay claim to an injury in the baths in Tbilisi where Pushkin and Lementerov relaxed.

Bob and I will be posted to Borjomi, a spa town in Georgia which was established by the Romanovs in the 19th century. It was a major destination for Russians during the Soviet era. Now, the town is trying to find other tourist opportunities. Our host family runs a B and B in the summer season – price 20 Lari (about $12) per night and 25 Lari for full board, so we hope to have many visitors. The town is in the largest nature preserve in Georgia which covers about one percent of the country. There are all levels of hiking trails and some huts where you can stay overnight in the preserve. Apparently, it is absolutely gorgeous in the Fall. We have included a picture of the former Turkish official’s house. At the moment it is occupied by refugees from Abkhazia. We thought the satellite dish was a good touch.

We spent two days with our future school principals (pictures included) and they showed us around Borjomi and introduced us to thousands of people. They seemed to know everyone. Bob and I will be in different schools. Bob will be working at a school in Borjomi itself. The school has already had two PC volunteers. They have a room full of computers donated by someone from The States. They are hoping that Bob will get them all going. Gill’s school is in a village close to Borjomi. She will be the first PC volunteer in her school. The English teachers all speak pretty well, but are rather shy about speaking. We kept on reminding them that our Georgian is absolutely terrible.

Our host family in Borjomi has two children, one 18 and one 22. Both speak English very well, but they will be leaving for Tbilisi in September to work and to go to the university. This will be good for us. The father speak Russian and so does the mother. Not that this will help very much, but might be useful. We will be dropped in at the deep end. Probably the best thing that can happen to our Georgian. During three days we were in Borjomi the family had six paying guests, all of them Israelis. Apparently, the bulk of the tourists in Borjomi are now Israeli. We asked our family about this and they said that there is absolutely no history of antisemitism in Georgia, even though the country is very orthodox. Georgians respect all religions. In fact, it is not uncommon to find mosques, synagogues and churches on the same streets in Georgian towns. So Georgia is up there with Denmark as belonging to the good guys. Israeli tourists say they have never felt more welcome than in Georgia.

Some of the mistakes Gill has made so far:

• 
  The Georgian for yellow and cheese are somewhat similar and I keep on asking for cheesy M and M’s. By the way, I have become addicted to peanut M and M’s.
• 
  The German for “just a minute” is Moment, so I tried “momentsi” as most Georgian words end in “I” and they use quite a lot of German words. However, “momentsi” in Georgian means “give me”, so I have been saying give me, give me to my Georgian family for the last four weeks.

Fortunately, they are very good natured.