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My itinerary for the summer included: hiking, camping, horse trek, swimming in an alpine lake located in the mountain ranges of the Tien-Shan, visiting the largest bazaar in Central Asia. The instructions I got for packing included everything from waterproof, insulated snow pants to summer clothes for 110 degree heat. It is hard to know what to expect. But I am excited at the idea of staying with a Kyrgyz host family. I hope to form great relationships with my host family and become more than a tourist or guest. I want to try authentic Kyrgyz and Russian dishes and learn about the interests of local young adults. I want to learn about their beliefs on life and how they want to live their lives. What movements and changes they are passionate about. I also want to try their favorite spots to eat, hang out, and meet new people.

I hope that my experience in a completely new culture will help expand my horizons. As a Korean American, Western and East Asian culture has coexisted in my everyday life for as long as I can remember. As a student of Russian Language and Culture, I have learned a lot about Russian and Slavic culture. While the official language of Kyrgyzstan is Russian and it is a post-soviet country, it is a central Asian country with a nomadic heritage. Thus, I expect it to be quite different from Slavic culture. I hope that my time in Kyrgyzstan will help to expand my cultural fluency and understanding of Central Asian and predominantly Islamic communities through personal experience.

As the weeks go by, I gain more and more confidence in the use of the language and can express more complex ideas. It becomes easy to restate the context and repeat the usual formula such as sitting down in a restaurant for dinner or going to the grocery store to buy some fruit. But everything changes when somebody asks you a personal question and you have to combine emotional aspects with linguistic ones.

It seems that the heat wave in Europe, and particularly in Italy, is nothing like the previous ones. People say that June is too early to be between 34°C and 36°C with no change and they express some concern over some regions where there has been no rain for weeks. And then they ask me what it is like in my country, what people do in summer and finally, if I don’t miss home. These questions are more difficult to answer because every time I think of different things, I try to say them in Italian, or speak while thinking.

On the other hand, these days I have been reflecting a lot on how people are never indifferent to the culture of other countries. Is it possible not to compare, not to express an opinion, not to evaluate or qualify other cultural aspects? I believe that doing so is inevitable and yet I also believe that we do not dwell enough on the similarities, which are much greater than the particularities.

I still can’t get over the amazement I had when I visited the Parco Archeologico Pompeii in southern Italy. Ever since I saw an exhibition at the Moesgard Museum in Denmark a few years ago I fantasized about visiting it. Luckily, in Italy, it is very easy to access from Napoli or even from Roma with the “treno veloce” thanks to which you can go and come back in a day. In the year 79 a nearby volcano, Vesuvius, flooded the city with lava and ashes, preserving it for the next 2,000 years. It is one of the most famous and spectacular archaeological sites in the world.

Pompeii was a city where many wealthy Romans built their homes, enjoying the climate on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The only drawback of the area was the volcano, but its inhabitants had never seen it erupt. Although there were some earth tremors in the years leading up to the catastrophe, the people of Pompeii ignored them and went on with their lives. After the explosion, the city was buried in ashes and lava. Once these volcanic remains solidified, they sealed the city, which was buried and then forgotten, until other people found its remains in the future.

Today, about three-quarters of the city has been unearthed and a visit can give you an idea of what daily life was like in Pompeii. The buildings have been restored, with reconstructed roofs, and scientists have identified and preserved seeds of many plants and replanted the gardens enjoyed by the Pompeians. It is a unique place to discover how many similarities we have with the Romans from 2000 years ago.

The crosswalks so as not to sink one’s feet where the water used to flow are almost identical to our current pedestrian paths. The artistic decorations of the houses, the beautiful fountains in the inner courtyards, the paintings on the street walls with the name of the political candidate, the taverns where people socialized, and the temples to venerate deities. All signs that the former practices are essentially the same as those of today, there and here.

I think that was the most surprising point for me. I expected to discover different ways of life in a distant city, but I ended up recognizing my own. The visit to Pompeii is a summary of a feeling that accompanied me for a good part of my trip to Italy and with which I want to stay.

While in Georgia, I encountered several home remedies and health practices that I had never found in the United States. I purchased some natural honey while on a weekend trip to Mtirala, a national park in Georgia. When I brought it home, my host sister Tamuna told me about two of the health practices associated with honey. First, eating one spoonful of honey in the morning, during the day, and in the evening is said to maintain good health. Similarly, before bed it is good to put a spoonful of honey into a glass of water and let it sit overnight. In the morning you should drink it to stay healthy. These practices remind me of the times I have drank tea with honey when sick in the United States. It is great for soothing a sore throat, which may be where the practice originated in Georgia.

The honey stand in Mtirala National Park where my friends and I purchased honey.

The next health practice has to do with wet hair. On my first day of classes, I woke up and took a shower before school. As I was about to step out of the apartment my host mom Marina asked me if I wanted to use a blow dryer to dry my hair. She was very surprised that I would go out with wet hair as this is very unusual in Georgia because it is believed that you will get sick from this. I recall my mom telling me something similar when I was very little and have encountered this belief elsewhere in America. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, wet hair does not increase your chances of getting sick. It seems that this widespread belief is a common misconception around the world.

Borjomi soda water. This soda water is extremely popular in Georgia and is what Vazha was putting into the pot of hot water.

Finally, when Georgians are sick they use soda water and boiling water to relieve their symptoms. I walked into the living room one day to see my host father Vazha sitting on the couch in front of a bottle of soda water and a big teapot. He said he was sick and then explained that he was pouring the soda water into a pot of steaming water. Breathing in the steam that rises from this combination helps when you are sick. Again, I have done similar things in the United States when sick. If my nose is very stuffy and I have a cup of tea, breathing in the steam clears my nose. This is most likely similar, although I do not know how the soda water would affect it. 

I really enjoyed learning about Georgian home remedies and comparing them to home remedies I have encountered in the United States!

Chacha is a very strong distilled drink made from grapes that is popular in Georgia. Most chacha that I have encountered while abroad has had a concentration of at least 50%, with the highest alcohol concentration being 81%. Despite this absurdly high alcohol content, good chacha is shockingly smooth and can be enjoyable to drink. Properly made chacha is said to have no hangover associated with it, and, according to my host father Vazha, chacha simply makes you tired while comparable drinks like vodka make you belligerent.

A shot of chacha and a slice of lemon. This was the strongest chacha I ever encountered in Georgia at 81% alcohol. However, it was prepared with honey, rosehip, and anise so the flavor was quite enjoyable. This is also why it is brown, unlike most chachas which are clear.

Chacha is offered at practically every restaurant and Georgian families commonly distill their own chacha. My first time trying chacha was with my host family. My roommate Jesse and I had just finished dinner and our host father Vazha decided to bring out a bottle of their homemade chacha. He poured a round of shots, which are each 100 g here, and (visibly) psyched himself up for the drink. He then said a toast to our meeting and we all swallowed our shots. It was very strong but the quality was good enough that the cups of компот (kompot; a type of fruit juice common in Eastern Europe and Russia) were more helpful than necessary. After a similar second round, I expected us to be done, but Vazha explained that we must drink three rounds because of the Holy Trinity. Altogether, it was a very enjoyable first experience, made safer because Vazha was there to guide us through it.

There are several basic traditions and rituals practiced when drinking chacha. First, there must be a toastmaster. The toastmaster says a toast giving thanks for friendship, health, the opportunity to be together in the moment, or something else. It is very important for there to be a reason to drink. Next, everyone must sit up straight while drinking. Good posture is part of the process most Georgians seem to go through to mentally prepare themselves before they consume such a strong drink. Finally, as the Holy Trinity is three unique persons in one God, it is proper to drink three rounds of shots in one chacha session. 

In my host family’s house, only the men would drink chacha, but there is no stigma around women drinking it. I believe the cause of this is much more likely my host mom Marina and her adult daughter Tamuna simply disliking such a strong drink. 

A bottle of chacha. At 45% alcohol, this is relatively weak. Most chachas are between 50 and 60% alcohol.

Chacha is often consumed with закуски (zakuski), a Russian word for snacks and candies that are eaten while drinking. My host family usually put out plates of fruit from their дача (dacha; countryhouse), Georgian chocolates, hard candies, and pastries. Chacha is also usually accompanied by a chaser of some sort. This may be a slice of orange or lemon or a cup of компот (kompot). While generally necessary because of the strength of chacha, high quality (and therefore smoother) chachas and flavored chachas may not require a chaser. Responsibly drinking chacha is a very fun and unique experience that I will miss in the United States!

One of the most intriguing parts of living in Georgia has been the flags that are commonly found in the country. Besides the expected Georgian and Ukrainian flags, European Union flags are extremely common despite Georgia not being a member of the E.U. Georgia does maintain close relations with the E.U., but since it’s independence it has failed to become a full member. Joining the E.U. is clearly a major goal of Georgia as a very pro-western nation located in the shadow of the Russian Caucasus.

Georgian, Ukrainian, European Union, and Ajarian flags in a courtyard at Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.

I asked three Georgians about their country’s efforts to join the E.U. First I spoke to Vazha, my host father who is around age 50 and watches some Russian news. He explained that Georgians very much want to join the European Union and have the support of some Scandinavian E.U. member states, but France, Germany, and previously the U.K. oppose their membership. He said membership is difficult because Georgia is a very small nation with many issues common in developing nations. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Georgians expected to become a great western nation, but they still have a long way to go. To put the difference between a country like the United States and Georgia into perspective, he told me that some people still starve to death in Georgia. He believes the education gap between Georgia and countries like the U.S. is the biggest challenge Georgia must overcome to start to resemble western nations and join the E.U.

I again spoke to Aleksandre and Mary to get the perspective of young adult Georgians. Aleksandre was even less interested in talking about the E.U. than he was about Ukraine and simply said “I don’t know” when asked if he believes Georgia will be allowed to join. Young people like Aleksandre may simply be uninterested in the politics around joining the E.U.

Mary, on the other hand, gave a very comprehensive answer with a unique point that I have not encountered anywhere else in Georgia. While everyone in Georgia wants to join the European Union, most people neglect to consider how Russia may respond. Ukraine’s attempts to join the E.U. (and NATO) violated Russia’s perceived sphere of influence and security, leading to the invasion. The same thing could very well happen in Georgia if their membership became imminent, but due to the extremely small military Georgia possesses compared to Russia it is extremely unlikely they could hope to fight a war similar to the one in Ukraine. She then added that Georgia also faces legal challenges to joining, such as their lack of sanctions against Russia. Therefore, she believes that joining the E.U. would be good for Georgia’s future, but only if joining would not lead to a war with Russia.

Georgians very much desire E.U. membership as they develop into a western nation. However, they face many obstacles that will take time to overcome or are out of their control entirely. Time will tell whether or not Georgia can expect to graduate from a close partner of the E.U. to a full-fledged member state.

Located several hundred miles away from Ukraine and directly bordering Russia, Georgia is on the front line of post-Soviet Russian aggression. However, this small Black Sea nation is often ignored in western media reports on the war. After living in Georgia for 6 weeks and speaking with several Georgians about the war, a complex relationship with the conflict has emerged. 

A large Ukrainian flag in Europe Square, Batumi, Georgia.

It is impossible to walk down any street in Batumi, my city of residence, without seeing a Ukrainian flag or other symbol expressing solidarity with Ukraine. In light of the Russian-Georgian War in 2008, it would appear that Georgia’s widespread anti-Russian sentiment has translated to wholehearted support for Ukraine. However, one must take into account that Georgia relies on Russian tourism and has little ability to repel an invasion. Therefore, I decided to speak to three Georgians about their perspective on the war and how the conflict has affected them.

I first spoke with my host father Vazha. He is around age 50 and watches Russian news channels. When asked what he thought about the war and how it has affected Georgia, Vazha started by stating that he believes it is very bad and opposes the war. He then elaborated that Georgian trade on the Black Sea has suffered heavy losses due to the conflict. Agricultural products like the watermelon we were enjoying during the interview are stuck sitting in ports. This aligned with an alert I received from the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi in April about drifting mines in the Black Sea. He also said that the war is very bad for tourism. I am not surprised considering the horrible exchange rates I have seen for the ruble. While 1 U.S. dollar translates to nearly 3 Georgian lari, 1 Russian ruble is about 5 Georgian tetri (the Georgian version of the cent). Finally, Vazha reminded me that there are good and bad Russians. While he opposes the war and his country suffers from it, he does not dehumanize the people of a country that less than 15 years ago invaded his own homeland. 

I also spoke to two younger Georgians, Aleksandre and Mary, both aged 20. Aleksandre is my conversation partner at the language school I am attending here. When asked about his perspective on the war, he expressed opposition to the Russian invasion, but also said that Georgia fought their war with Russia in 2008. He was also very eager to switch to another topic. Aleksandre’s perspective shows that some young Georgians want to stay out of the conflict directly, even if they support Ukraine.

Mary was more receptive to a detailed discussion of the war. She also immediately made it clear that she opposes Russia’s war. She then explained that Georgia is at risk of a similar invasion at any moment and that Russian troops already have bases in the Georgian territories they captured in 2008. She believes that Russia and Georgia will one day fight again unless Russians successfully revolt against the current regime. Finally, she noted that Georgia has not been able to sanction Russia because of the significant risk of invasion. Mary’s answer illuminated the high risks concrete support for Ukraine and opposition to Russia poses to Georgia’s security. It appears that young Georgians like Mary want to do more for Ukraine but feel that they are unable to.

I know it is not uncommon among older demographics in Georgia believe the Russian narrative on the war. These people often support Russia in the war and sometimes espouse conspiracy theories, such as American biolabs in Ukraine creating the coronavirus. Unfortunately I have not met any of these people myself so I could not interview them. 

While Georgians almost universally oppose the war and are suffering from it, they also must balance the constant risk of invasion, their dependence on Russian tourism, and access to the Black Sea with support for Ukraine.

(June 18, 2022)

My four-week immersion program at the Institute de Touraine has come to an end this week. I mentioned some intra-France travel I was able to do in my first two weeks in a previous post.

The Institute de Touraine has bi-weekly excursions so I was able to also visit the town La Rochelle, and some famous Châteaus in the Val de Loire: Château d’Azay, Château Villandry and Château Chenonceau. Here are a couple images:

I struggled to fully understand the content of some of the first history-filled tours. Throughout my time here, I have progressed in my listening comprehension. One tip for anyone interested in partaking in this program is to do your research before you step foot in these Châteaus! Towards the end of my time at the Institut de Touraine, I would read up (in French) on the background of the Château-of-the-week so that I was a little more prepared before our tour commenced.

For anyone interested in applying for the SLA Grant, I would encourage you to do so. However, from my perspective, I think it is important to also save up some personal funds so that you can discover the local culture, food, history and politics, as this enriches the experience greatly!

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Reflecting on my overall SLA experience… I am filled with gratitude! With the support of the CSLC, coupled with additional support from the Keough School for Global Affairs and the Kroc Institute, I can confidently say that my French language skills have improved significantly. In addition to moving on to higher-level language courses, I am most proud of being able to communicate more clearly and effectively in another language. There was a point during my last week in Tours when I did not feel it was necessary to have my phone out on the Google Translate app. I think the ability to go out into the world (not relying on technology) and accomplish what you need to do that day in a non-native language is one of the best feelings of achievement.

– Emma Jackson, Master Student in Global Affairs and International Peace Studies

(June 10, 2022) Tours France with day trips to St. Malo, Mont St. Michel

Now that I have been in Tours for two weeks, I have already noticed an improvement in my ability to engage with locals. I have been able to go to grocery stores, cafes and restaurants and speak in French. It reminds me of desensitization theory in psychology: with more exposure, there is less of an emotional response. So it has become part of my everyday life now to speak French (it is becoming less intimidating)!

Here is a delicious lunch I ordered: including local greens and the famous aged goat cheese from the region (Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine). We have a long lunch break, so I decided to practice the French lunch culture, rather than eating a quick baguette sandwich like I normally do!

In addition to our regular course work, my French Professor asked us to watch a few French shows on Netflix and share synopsis’ in class. This exercise has encouraged me to continue doing so throughout my time here. I think language learning becomes immersive once you commit yourself to using the language in your everyday life, especially in your free time. Some days this was not possible, as speaking (and starting to think) in French the entire day during intensive classes gets quite exhausting. However, I noticed that if I sat down at the end of the day and turned on an easy-to-follow French series, I could enjoy it as much as I would an English series.

These last two weeks have also been spent exploring other areas of France. What is great about the Institut de Touraine is that they have plenty of excursions that allow you to learn more about the specific regions in France.

On May 28, we visited the Bretagne region for a day-trip: stopping in St. Malo. During the same day, we also went to Le Mont St. Michel, a commune in Normandy, just outside of Bretagne. In Mont St. Michel, a picturesque 11th Century Romanesque Abbey Church is perched at the top of the mount. Leading up to it, you walked through a packed crowd of tourists (seen below also capturing the moment), passing through various shops and restaurants.

In St. Malo, we spent more time exploring the town. The Bretagne is region is known for crêpes, gallettes (savory crêpes), seafood, and caramels au beurre sale and Kouign-amann – all very rich foods, using lots of the famous butter from Bretagne. I enjoyed some of this regional cuisine and spent the rest of the day walking around St. Malo and learning about the region’s history. It is a walled town with a long history of piracy and is now a popular vacation destination for French citizens. Here I am near the Fort National (a 17th-century granite fortress) that I was able to walk to at low tide.

– Emma Jackson, Master Student in Global Affairs and International Peace Studies

(May 27, 2022) Tours, France

In my pre-departure blog, I mentioned some of the activities and learning opportunities I am looking forward to in and around Tours, France. My first week in Tours was spent settling in my apartment, and the city. I chose to live in an apartment alone as I had already had the opportunity to live with a French family during a previous language-learning trip to Vichy. Below is an image of the view from my apartment. It was a simple studio apartment, conveniently connected to the cinema. While I haven’t visited the cinema yet, I think it will be yet another fantastic opportunity to improve my French listening skills.

I took some time after classes this week to walk around Tours and grab some pictures of the tourist attractions. On this list of things to do was to spend time in Place Plumereau (image below). It is at the centre of the Old (Vieux) Tours and was a flower marketplace in the 13th century. Now, both locals and tourists enjoy this area as it is close to the university, so locals often go here for an after-work or after-class aperitif. The beautiful old timber-framed houses (now restaurants) were built in the Middle Ages!

The first time I visited this square, it was more bustling than the image above, so it took some courage to speak to the waiter in French and ask for a table for dinner. Naturally, he noticed I was English-speaking right away and started speaking in English. From my previous travels, I know that this would be my biggest challenge– having the opportunity to speak in French (without someone switching to English). I have been trying to speak in French with locals, but in their view, I am sure they view switching to English as a friendly/kind thing to do. I hope, with time, I will be able to carry on conversations (or at least be able to speak in French with servers and staff throughout the meal)!

During my first week, I made it a priority to go on after-class walks around Tours. Here is a picture I took, just before sunset, of the Basilique Saint-Martin de Tours. It is a Neo-Byzantine church, built in the 19th & 20th centuries and located 2 minutes (walking) from the Institut de Touraine!

In terms of my French classes, I had some logistical difficulties the first couple of days. I was placed in a lower-level French class than I expected, and it took a lot of coordination with the office to make sure I could move up to a more challenging level. This was frustrating at first, but once I was able to change classes on the Friday of the first week, I was very happy with my instructor and the creative pedagogy that was used in the new class.

– Emma Jackson, Master Student in Global Affairs and International Peace Studies