Tchanieti village is just 5 minutes outside of Ozurgeti and is where Cajun has been teaching all semester. I was invited to stay because he was having a goodbye supra to celebrate his time teaching. The school is much different from Shroma in many ways. It’s about as large as mine, but there aren’t nearly as many students, and most of the classes only have 4 or 5 students each! Cajun also had only 2 co-teachers and the school has a basketball court! In between classes the boys will go outside and play basketball while the girls watch or do their own thing. There isn’t as much crazy running around or play-fighting like in Shroma. And I didn’t hear any fireworks going off inside the school as a practical joke either!
I also got to meet Cajun’s host family that consists of a Father, Mother, Grandmother, and an adult Son with his newly wed wife. Plus, the neighbor’s child, Giorgi, spends everyday in their house with Grandma while his family works. His host mother cooks the most amazing Georgian style pizza with potatoes on it!
Another thing I’d have to say about Tchanieti is that it’s a LOT colder here! Most houses in Georgia are heated by the one iron stove in the kitchen/living room…so when you get in your own room at bed time it’s absolutely frigid. The window in his room didn’t even close entirely and on our last evening there we woke up to snow on the ground. Brrrrrr…
Cajun backed all his stuff and his host family drove us down to the train station in the evening. We waited there for about an hour before we said our goodbyes, I grabbed some snacks at a nearby shop, and we hopped into our carriage. On our way to T’bilisi to see Cajun off on his flight home to South Africa!
We have arrived!
The beautiful entrance to the village and school.
Cajun being silly with 3 of his younger classes combined. (My smallest class has 12 kids!)
It was 2 against 5, still not fair when Cajun’s on your team though.
All the Tchanieti boys
Goodbye Supra. Hello good times.
The man on the left was scratching his face when I took this picture…I swear.
Cajun, his 2 co-teachrs, and Mr. Katchapuri (aka: Mr. Cheesebread) in the background
Cajun and his Host Mother
Cajun and his Host Dad being goofs.
Little baby Giorgi, the neighbors kid, all bundled up for the walk home.
