The Never-ending Story (Part 1)
The Hero of our story..my host dad Zuriko!
A typical Georgian hardware "store"
NOT OSHA approved! but OK for the soviet union.
Welding Part II, or Part I as the case may be.
Brother Giga doing his best "workers of the world unite" pose!Hey there! (written 06 September)
Well, there have been some setbacks of late as my Georgian counterpart became ill and we had to postpone our summer camp. This has freed up a bit of time for me and I have devoted most of it to sweating! Yes, still very hot here in Senaki but fear not!, as life goes on in Georgia no matter what the temperature. Now, I urge all of you to sit down and pay close attention to the tale I am about to unfold; I swear that it is 100% true (of course, back in the Navy, this would indicate a sea story of epic proportions) and will be told with no embellishment whatsoever. We shall call this tale “A dream unfulfilled”.
First, let me start by introducing the main character in this story: my host father Zuriko. Zuriko, by all accounts, is just your garden variety middle-aged man. He is quiet, with a dry sense of humor and has a love of puzzles and coffee. He looks after his family and in the short time I have known him, is rarely moved to high emotion, or low emotion for that matter. However, Zuriko has been formulating a plan for months, yes months, to get a satellite dish installed for his beloved television.
Now, in America, this would be as simple as slapping down the cash and waiting a week or so for someone to come and install it. Many folks would believe that this is the hallmark of efficiency that American society has aspired to perfect. Well, I’m here to tell you, Americans know nothing of the kind of tenacity that I have witnessed these past two days. And while it may be frustrating, it shows a glimpse into the remarkable nature of the human spirit. I mean, Shackleton had an easier time getting his men to safety than what Zuriko has had to endure for his dream.
As I said, this started months ago as the acquisition of materials began. At times things were available, at others they were back-ordered. The correct hardware needed to affix the dish remained elusive. Undaunted, Zuriko kept up the hunt, sort of a post-soviet era hardware store tomb raider. By the way, I have yet to see a hardware store “proper” in Georgia. Most of them are just storefronts, piles of stuff strewn about with no discernable organization. Slowly but surely he finally acquired all he needed, his friends were ready to help get the job done, and all was ready…..except for an available (by available, I mean free) arc welder.
Two weeks ago an arc welder (old soviet arc welders are one of the most frightening-looking pieces of equipment I have ever seen! See pic) was discovered but at this point, Zuriko’s labor force had other things to do so the job had to be postponed once again. Finally, the day arrived and this morning Zuriko was brimming with anticipation. “Joni”, he said, “tonight we will watch BBC!” (ghame vuK’ureb BBC) The crew was assembled, the behemoth welder at the ready, the power supply tapped, and then…..well, then Georgia experienced one of its famous power outages.
Unfazed (this happens all the time), Zuriko thought the prudent thing would be to keep the crew on site so he had his wife prepare a mid-morning snack of bread, tomatoes, and cheese. Now no self-respecting Georgian can have food without drink, and unbeknown to Zuriko, vodka was produced and consumed by the crew…maybe a little too much because by the time the electricity had been restored..well, let’s just say it was time for a break for the welder. Safety First! Zuriko was left fuming in the shade of the porch as he watched his crew disappear, with vague promises of a return shouted over their shoulders.
As I write this, the crew is indeed back (Georgians are people of their word) and I hear the buzz-buzz of welding above the yelling…I mean cooperation. We are 10 hours on..and scarcely closer to satellite TV than we were months ago, when this dream began. Should this ever be resolved, should this daring venture in telecommunications ever come to fruition, I will, of course, let you all know, complete with a picture of Zuriko, resplendent with remote in hand as the winter rains beat down outside. But right now, as with most things in our lives, completion remains elusive…they are now shouting at each other in Russian, not a good sign…more to come.
John
First, let me start by introducing the main character in this story: my host father Zuriko. Zuriko, by all accounts, is just your garden variety middle-aged man. He is quiet, with a dry sense of humor and has a love of puzzles and coffee. He looks after his family and in the short time I have known him, is rarely moved to high emotion, or low emotion for that matter. However, Zuriko has been formulating a plan for months, yes months, to get a satellite dish installed for his beloved television.
Now, in America, this would be as simple as slapping down the cash and waiting a week or so for someone to come and install it. Many folks would believe that this is the hallmark of efficiency that American society has aspired to perfect. Well, I’m here to tell you, Americans know nothing of the kind of tenacity that I have witnessed these past two days. And while it may be frustrating, it shows a glimpse into the remarkable nature of the human spirit. I mean, Shackleton had an easier time getting his men to safety than what Zuriko has had to endure for his dream.
As I said, this started months ago as the acquisition of materials began. At times things were available, at others they were back-ordered. The correct hardware needed to affix the dish remained elusive. Undaunted, Zuriko kept up the hunt, sort of a post-soviet era hardware store tomb raider. By the way, I have yet to see a hardware store “proper” in Georgia. Most of them are just storefronts, piles of stuff strewn about with no discernable organization. Slowly but surely he finally acquired all he needed, his friends were ready to help get the job done, and all was ready…..except for an available (by available, I mean free) arc welder.
Two weeks ago an arc welder (old soviet arc welders are one of the most frightening-looking pieces of equipment I have ever seen! See pic) was discovered but at this point, Zuriko’s labor force had other things to do so the job had to be postponed once again. Finally, the day arrived and this morning Zuriko was brimming with anticipation. “Joni”, he said, “tonight we will watch BBC!” (ghame vuK’ureb BBC) The crew was assembled, the behemoth welder at the ready, the power supply tapped, and then…..well, then Georgia experienced one of its famous power outages.
Unfazed (this happens all the time), Zuriko thought the prudent thing would be to keep the crew on site so he had his wife prepare a mid-morning snack of bread, tomatoes, and cheese. Now no self-respecting Georgian can have food without drink, and unbeknown to Zuriko, vodka was produced and consumed by the crew…maybe a little too much because by the time the electricity had been restored..well, let’s just say it was time for a break for the welder. Safety First! Zuriko was left fuming in the shade of the porch as he watched his crew disappear, with vague promises of a return shouted over their shoulders.
As I write this, the crew is indeed back (Georgians are people of their word) and I hear the buzz-buzz of welding above the yelling…I mean cooperation. We are 10 hours on..and scarcely closer to satellite TV than we were months ago, when this dream began. Should this ever be resolved, should this daring venture in telecommunications ever come to fruition, I will, of course, let you all know, complete with a picture of Zuriko, resplendent with remote in hand as the winter rains beat down outside. But right now, as with most things in our lives, completion remains elusive…they are now shouting at each other in Russian, not a good sign…more to come.
John
posted by john at 5:48 AM
1 Comments:
wow that sounds pretty freaking bad-ass. I applaud the resourcefulness and determined-ness of the georgians. And i still need the adress to send peanut butter! and jerky.
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