გამარჯობა!
Hello!
I am writing from the Dubai airport (about to depart for Tbilisi), considering what the next six weeks have in store for me.
In high school, I participated in an immersive summer language program for Spanish in Spain, so I feel at least a little prepared for the culture shock of living with a family in a different country, but I know that adjusting to life in Georgia will likely present its own unique challenges. I am very excited for the opportunity to take language classes taught in Russian and to practice Russian outside the classroom. I have a long way to go in pronunciation and speaking in general, but, in my experience, nothing compares to being forced to practice in daily life.
That said, I also know that Russian is not the primary language of Georgia, so while I will practice Russian, I am also excited to be exposed to the Georgian language, and I am interested to learn about when, where, and how often each language is spoken. I have heard nothing but glowing reviews of the food in Georgia, so I am looking forward to trying as much as I can (and maybe learning to cook some dishes myself). Finally, especially now, I am interested in the culture and political atmosphere of Georgia.
Bye for now,
Bridget
