Just where in the hell are you going again???

Hey all, since I'm leaving soon, people have begun asking questions...too many questions :) about where I'm going, what I'll be doing etc. So in an attempt to enlighten those inquisitive types with out repeating myself ad nauseum in individual emails, here is a very brief primer on the Republic of Georgia (a.k.a. "Sakartvelo") :

Where is Georgia? Georgia is located in the transcontinental region known as the Caucuses. (see map above). To the north lies Russia, to the West, the Black Sea, to the south Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan (south and east).It is a small country, about the size of West "by god" Virginia with a population of about 5 million people.

What's the weather like? Well, it depends on where you are. For a small country, Georgia has many different climates ranging from sub-tropical in the southwest, to alpine in the mountains, to high desert in the east. Regardless of the climate, Georgia is a beautiful country (see 1st and 3rd pics). In some ways it is alot like Oregon as far as diiversity of landscapes go.

What will you be doing there? I'll be teaching english to secondary school students.

Where will you be teaching? Unknown at this time...we don't get permanent site placements until training is almost over.

Do you speak Georgian? No, not yet but I will go through lots of language training before I arrive at my teaching site. Georgian is a "unique language that continues to fascinate linguists to this very day".....so it should be a piece of cake :)

What's Georgia known for? Well, for we history geeks, Georgia is the bitrthplace of Joe Stalin. Georgia is also the ancient land of Colchis, where Jason went to retrieve the Golden Fleece in Greek Mythology. Georgia is the 2nd country to adopt christianity (see 4th pic) as its official religion in 327 AD (bonus points for those that know the first). Georgia's climate is great for growing grapes and there are more than 500 types of wines produced there (take that France!). Some claim that Georgian were the first to start making wine.

I hope this whets your appetites for future Georgian info. I really must get back to my report cards now. All the Best

John