My Favorite parts of Georgian Cultural

My time in peace corps is coming to a close. I am preparing for the next chapter of my life, moving to Tbilisi, finding a job and preparing to reintegrate into the same country but from a new perspective. No longer will I be living with Georgians and working at a small village school. Had I worked a regular job, rather than as a volunteer, I think I would have missed a lot of things about the culture that I really love. With this in mind, I began thinking about all my favorite parts of Georgian culture. While there are so many bits that are entertaining, enjoyable and fun, a few have really stuck out to me. So with my impending close of service, I wanted to share with you my 4 favorite bits of Georgia that I experienced living in my village. 

1. I really love how Georgians celebrate. No matter what they are celebrating, you can always count on one thing. Food. Whether it’s a birthday, wedding, holiday, new baby, or just to thank someone for coming over to help you finish a job, there is always food. A-L-W-A-Y-S. I think it might actually be a sin to have a party without food. Not just one kind of food either. No, prepare yourself for a full feast with meats, breads, salads, stews, vegetables, fruits, chocolate, wine, and coffee. A Georgian party is basically a huge family meal. Everyone sits together, drinks, toasts and makes well wishes, usually for several hours. It really is a lovely way to spend the day, surrounded by people who are cheery and excited to have you with them.

2. Speaking of food… while there are some Georgian dishes that I don’t particularly love, there is one thing they have mastered without a doubt. That is the combination of mtsvadi and red wine. Mtsvadi is pork (or any other meat) cooked on a skewer over a flame or coals. The fat all burns off, the meat gets perfectly crispy and its served with raw onions. Alone, it’s a magical meal, but throw some Georgian red wine in there and it’s a meal from the heavens. Of course, you can get this at restaurants all over Georgia but the best is always from a neighbor or friend's house, drinking homemade wine.

3. I say homemade wine and I mean it. Everyone in Georgia is a brewmaster. Almost every home has a cellar or room designed for making wine, every yard has at least a small vineyard and although drinking is common, purchasing alcohol is not (except for beer). I have had many different kinds of homemade wine or chacha (moonshine) while in this country. Some are stronger than others, some are better than others, and occasionally some have turned sour, but all are accepted graciously with an “mmm how delicious” after every glass. It is impossible to tell someone here their wine is bad because it is always offered with a happy heart in the hopes of making you happy. I have tried black wine, green wine and everything in between. While they are all different, one thing is always the same. How happy the host is to share their homebrew stash with a guest.

4. The Georgian adoption. I don’t mean a literal adoption of course. In the village, I have one official host family that I live with. My bebia (Georgian grandma) feeds me, helps me practice my language and more. Every day she tells me she loves me and when I am gone for the weekend she is always happy, greeting me with a cheerful “I missed you”. As far as she is concerned, I am her granddaughter. The only people who would contest that are my host family from training, because I am their daughter, and my counterpart because I am her sister and the multitude of neighbors who have claimed me. Georgians take family very seriously, and if you stay for more than a week, you are now a part of that family. Prepare to have a family in every region demanding you come back for a visit so they can make your favorite food and have a supra. It really is a lovely feeling