Annoying year-end letter--NO WAY--that's not how I roll!

The "must have" gift of the season....poseable Peace Corps figures (college degree and surly disposition not included)




















Dan the man (he's from Illinois but claims "Cali")
Baby Seth, Jess, and Jen are excited about judging an English competition
David and Nativia getting the Xmas on in Batumi






Well, it's only a week until you losers in the west celebrate Christmas, whereas I and my bretheren here in Orthodox-land still have 3 weeks of holiday shopping left. I'll bet the major retailers in the US and Europe wish that Pope Gregory had never changed the calander. What better way to celebrate the season than by bying more stuff Blech!:(
OK, now that my anti-materialism rant is out of the way, let me bring you up to speed. My college was basically shut down by the government, the "Three R's" in this case being Revolution, Reform, and Reassessment, leaving me without any eager young Georgians to teach. After some time, the Peace Corps found me another school in Senaki and I'm very happy there. I am known as "Mr. Jonni", which I must say, has a VERY cool ring to it. I traveled down to Batumi for a weekend and just this past weekend went to the town of Lanchkhuti, where I was an honored judge in an English competition. (it's not that big of an honor...there were 12 of us). I was very impressed with the students and of course, the Supra we had afterwards.
I have been making a DVD that has a bunch of pictures and music on it, and it is about halfway done. I hope to get that out to all the good girls and boys in the next month or so. It will be late for the holidays, hell it may even be late for tax day, but my creative genius can not be rushed! Speaking of gifts...the winner of the Stalin T-Shirt contest was John Shaw, a former student of mine at PCCS. (Pilar...I am so disappointed in you). For those who did get the right answer (Sam and Curtis), if you want a shirt, I'll pick one up for you the next time I go to Gori. I am thinking alot aboutPortland and PCCS of late...the KKKKK will be happening on Friday and I will miss the various shenanagins that the holiday season in Portland always brings (Zoolights, Peacock Lane, Tuba Christmas, etc). Still, life here in Georgia is good and in a few days it will be 2008. A new year with new adventures and friends! Til next time, Merry Christmas and Happy Chanakuh!
All the Best,
John

A winter's day in Senaki

When it's raining sideways and 40 degrees in Samegrelo, we light a fire, drink some wine....
Play nardi with Zuriko while Shorena tries to distract him...
Roast a just plucked and dressed chicken in the fireplace...it's free range!
Johanna enjoyed the day getting her hair dried...that's hospitality!







Hey everybody. (written December 5th) I hope all is well in the world although I have heard some troubling things of late. There has been some pretty wicked weather out in the Pacific NW and my Cleveland Browns continue to find ways to lose. I have come to realize that no news truly is good news, as the only time I find out things is when they are disastrous enough to make the BBC world report….like President Bush’s recent news conference! Blech! Sometimes I’m very glad not to have to teach government during a presidential election cycle.
Winter has come to Senaki and the weather has been very cold and rainy. My friend Johanna came down to spend a weekend that basically consisted of us hanging by the fire, eating and drinking and watching movies. Very relaxing and good for both our souls…enjoy the pics!
I don’t have anything specific to write about, so I thought I would give you all chapter two of “Fun Georgian Cultural Curiosities”. If you remember, the first edition came out during the summer and I’ve experienced a lot more of life here since then, so let’s celebrate diversity and remember…it’s not bad, just different!
1. Georgians love cacti. Though there are no deserts here, you see the humble cactus everywhere. It is particularly ubiquitous near computers. I made an inquiry and found out that cacti (any species) are great at soaking up the harmful radiation that emanates from cathode ray tubes. All these years working as a science teacher and I had no clue! Who’d of thunk it! So the next time you get a dental x-ray, opt for the cactus instead of the lead vest. Tell the technician it’s science! (Are you listening Bill?)
2. Ladies, if you have decided not to have children, sit on a slab of cold concrete for a spell and your ovaries will fall out. Where they fall to is beyond my knowledge. Men, whose reproductive organs are in closer proximity to said cold concrete, are in no danger whatsoever. Hmmm….must be due to shrinkage.
3. Mayonnaise DOES NOT belong on pizza! Being of partial Italian descent, I gently told this to brother Giga. He said they are just keeping in traditional. He correctly told me this story of how the queen of Naples had a chef prepare this dish. The patriotic chef decided to represent the colors of Italy’s flag by using basil for green, tomatoes for red, and mayo (Gack!) for the white. I said, “Easy big fella”! It’s not mayo but mozzarella cheese that is used for the white. Samegrelo makes a wonderful white cheese very similar in taste. I think I’ll start a movement.
4. A cup of tea is not a cup of tea in Georgia. Here, a cup of tea means tea, bread, butter, jam, sweets, m'chadi (a Samegrelo- type cornbread which I love), and just about anything else edible that is lying around. When you come to Georgia and are a guest at someone’s house, just ask for tea. It keeps you going all day long!
5. People only run when they are being chased or playing soccer. All other forms of running for extended periods of time are suspect. (this one does NOT affect me, although I get some strange looks while hiking)
6. Eating utensils are optional for most Georgian foods. I really like this one. In the event of something that requires a fork, like beans, Georgians invented lobiani, which is said beans baked in bread--no fork required. For one food, the khinkali, a spiced meat dumpling, using a fork will land you in the 5th level of hell. Sure they are hot and slippery, but that’s part of the challenge. (You get the hang of it after awhile).
7. Borsch is way overrated! This has nothing to do with Georgian culture, just my personal preference.
So, there’s the latest installment. I wish everyone happy holidays this coming month. I’ll be celebrating Christmas on the 7th of January this year (and next for that matter) and I must say the only things I miss about Christmas overseas is my family, my friends, and the Portland Holiday Beer Festival.
Till next time,
John