Georgia, and the village of Akhuti continue to provide interesting times day after day. Last week my family was preparing for winter, so they were chopping wood and moving the wood stove inside. After the heavy wood stove was moved inside we soon saw that there was no where for the smoke pipe to be vented. Never fear, Georgians always have a creative, albeit not the smartest solutions to any problem. My host dad and proceeded to pound a hole in the stone chimney until the pipe could fit in. Now the fireplace is going to be ineffective, but at least we have the wood stove. Since it was raining and there was no outdoor work to be done it was time to feed everyone who came over to help with the process. This meant the usual of lots of food and wine, what better to do than drink on a rainy day.
In the days after we cut logs into lengths that would fit in our newly relocated wood stove. For this they pulled out a 30 to 40 year old table saw that did not have a plug. It had to be hardwired into the houses electricity, and all the lights would dim dramatically when the saw was turned on. The blade was clearly dull, but that did not stop my host brother and I from continuing to force logs on it. We would work for hours each day chopping wood, and in reality we are still not done with it. Like everything there is no hurry, and we will work on GMT (Georgian maybe time).
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| Our recently relocated wood stove |
Now to the weekend. We spent the entire weekend making cha cha. Cha Cha is a Georgian liquor made from what is left over from making wine. All the grapes, seeds and stems are put in the still and the alcohol is boiled off of it. So on Saturday morning out came the still, and it would run almost constantly until Sunday afternoon (we stopped late Saturday night). With all the Georgian practicality, my host dad set up up under the overhang to the main floor of the house. So, there was no ventilation for the smoke, and it billowed around the entire house. Not the best planning, but it had clearly been done before. On Saturday I tended the fire, and did simple tasks like changing the jar when they got filled. I pulled out my computer and we listened to 80's jams while making the drinks. Let me say, Georgians are really getting hooked on classic 80's music. By Sunday my host family went off to do other things, and left me in charge of the Cha Cha making. Needless to say I made a pretty mean Cha Cha and we have plenty of it. All the liquer we made was enough to fill a 55 gallon drum. But hey, Georgians love to drink and I'm sure that it will be put to good use.
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| Heres the cha cha still at work |
Sunday night my host brother (gym teacher) said that a group of people from the village were going to church in Kutaisi. They said that it was a religious holiday, and I did not have to go to school on Monday. With that in mind I went along for the ride. It was a minor Georgian saints day, and many people were doing pilgrimages to see his reliquary. The church was small and up in the mountains near Kutaisi. It was packed with Georgians, as well as news crews and reporters. It was great to see the religious side of Georgia, and their religious practices. There are no pews in orthodox churches so everyone stood as the priests were chanting their prayers. When I returned to school it turns out that we did have school on Monday, and we were just skipping out. Oh well, the teachers didn't mind at all and were actually interested in my views on the church. Today after school my village is going to another village to play in a soccer game. I will tag along and see how high school sports work in Georgia.
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| The church and monastery we went to |
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