Supra!

First off I need to start this blog post off by thanking the weather Gods. It has been hot and sunny all week here with plans to continue on like this all week. I'll take it! Now this weekend I decided to stay in Abasha with my fellow village folk and it turned out to be a great time!

Saturday, Daryl and I met up in Abasha and took a marshukta to the neighboring towns (yes actual towns- as in more than one road) of Senaki and Samtredia. In Senaki, which was only about 20 mins away, we had a delicious lunch at a restaurant that Daryl recommended. Great kinkhali! Then we meandered around for a bit before catching a marshukta heading back east through Abasha to Samtredia, a town 20 minutes away on the other side of Abasha.  I somehow managed to get Daryl to tell me his whole love life story without revealing anything of my own. Great success!! It seems like almost every foreigner I meet has a Georgian hubby in some way or another, I think maybe it's time I also jumped on that bandwagon. Hahaha. In Samtredia, we visited the bazar, a giant Georgian outdoor marketplace. I didn't need to buy anything, but it was fun to see all the shops out. It seriously looked like something straight out of slumdog millionaire-- with all the shop stands set up next to each other with tin roofs and little passageways between them all. You could get lost in the bazar, it is like a small maze of fruits and shoes and clothes and trinkets. While walking one of these small passageways a pigeon got stuck on Daryl's foot and he (there is no other way to say this) literally kicked the pigeon in the face, sending it flying off. I laughed so hard... I guess you had to be there.

Sunday I spent lounging around the house hanging with my host siblings. Meri and I watched music videos on the TV and I painted my nails. I went for a 3 mile run later in the afternoon. I have found the perfect running path. It is so beautiful, I would stop and take pictures but unfortunately if I stop while running there is no chance in hell I will start back up again. I don't see a lot of people here running or exercising for that matter. Abasha doesn't have a fitness center, Nino, my colleague, tells me that (and I quote) "we are too lazy for that." I don't know how they do it though because all the young people here are in great physical condition, especially considering the amount of starches consumed on a daily diet. Sunday night I met up with Davit, my Georgian friend, best friend really since we hang out pretty much every day. A few of his friends were leaving for the Georgian army, shipping off to Afghanistan, and so we went out in a goodbye celebration. There were four guys, but I can only remember one name: Lasha. They were all super nice and we toasted over and over again to health and happiness. Needless to say we all got pretty drunk. We stayed out feasting and drinking until really late and then Davit and I saw them off on their train to Tbilisi-- I wish them a safe voyage and a safe return home!

Monday, was a holiday so we had school off! Yay. Lord knows I needed it, the vodka consumed at Sunday night's goodbye celebration had gone straight to my head. I spent a fair amount of the day in my bed watching Gladiator, which is the best film ever. As a Classics major I can't agree that all historical facts portrayed were accurate... in fact that everything portrayed was accurate. But, I will let that slide because Russell Crowe looks great in a suit of armor. Anyways, Monday night I was invited to my first supra!!

A supra is like a Georgian feast/party and DANG can Georgians party.  Along with my host parents and my school director, Jilda, we drove to a small village just outside of Abasha.  I thought Abasha was country but this village was real country.  It was absolutely beautiful. We arrived right after the sun had gone down and the sky was all different colors and the mountains were looming in the distance. The hosts of this supra had an amazing yard with a great view. In the yard was a large tent with beautiful lights dangling from the ceiling. Under the tent were four long tables, set up beautifully with china and cake plates and fruit platters and napkins specially folded into interesting shapes. There was a bonfire just outside of the tent and a DJ booth. The whole set up looked magical. Then we feasted. The food, I swear there were at least 13 courses. There was so much food being brought out constantly that at times there were full plates of food stacked on top of other full plates of food-- sometimes four or five plates high. There was meat, at least 4 different kinds, kabob, porridge, kachapuri, kinkhali, bread, eggplant, various sauces, pig liver and intestines (no thank you very much), fried egg rolls, etc. SO yummy. The supra was in honor of the host's son returning home from war in Afghanistan. All of his friends were there and they toasted to him over and over again. In Georgian fashion, the men all got wasted and began dancing traditional Georgian dance. Everyone else clapped along and continued to feast. My school director was sitting right next to me and she kept trying to refill my wine glass-- and it was a school night!! Oh Georgia. Late night after the wine jugs had been refilled a number of times, the music turned to American club music and Georgians danced to Gangnam style and Danza Kuduro, it was hilarious.  By 10:30 I was totally knocked out-- just super tired and super full. But the Georgians weren't even slowing down.  It was so embarrassing, here my 55 year old school director was not only out drinking me but also out lasting me at the party. Shameful and I call myself a college grad. Thankfully my host parents brought little Giorgi and when he fell asleep we left the party. We said goodbye to the hosts, which of course turned into me kissing and hugging almost half the guests (oh it was a BIG party there were at least 45- 50 people there).  The best part of the whole night, however, was after my 15 course meal at the supra my host family came home and tried to feed me. So typical.  I am looking forward to going to many many more Supra's in the future!!

Please excuse my lack of pictures! I forgot to bring my camera to both my visit to Senaki and Samtredia and to the supra.