When life changes, confusion arrives 🇬🇪
It’s the perfect Sunday — I’m smelling freshness, listening to the rain as it drops, it’s not too hot or too cold it’s just right. This weather calls for three things 1. reading, 2 writing or 3.Netflix but because I love the sound of rain Netflix will distract me from the rain I will probably however end up reading later on. Hence here I am writing this as the rain falls outside.
This much is clear to me in life — change is constant and confusion is in abundance.
Let’s start at some of my confusions 🤷♀️
I’m drinking this green drink but it smells like liquorice, looks like cream soda and taste like minty bubblegum. Not one of my senses can put the puzzle pieces together on this one. Well yes, it’s not a major confusion so let's look at the more practical confusions.
Why do we place the dishwasher and washing machine in the same room or area? Sure both will be cleaning something like dishes or clothes but that doesn't automatically mean they need to be in the same place. Just like we don’t have wine and cool drinks on the same shelves at the grocery shop. Why one is alcohol and the other isn’t.
Usually, this spot is either in or behind your kitchen which makes total sense for your dishwasher but your washing machine? Think about it where do your clothes go before they head off to the washing machine? Yes, your laundry bin and where’s that — your bathroom. Why because you get undressed there — so I don’t know why not have your washing machine in there? Wait you might ask but there’s no electric plug which brings me to my second confusion — why the hell not? You know what’s been super convenient in Tbilisi both those things. A washing machine in the bathroom and an electric plug for a hairdryer so that my wet hair don’t have to drip all the way to the bedroom.
I’ve realised Georgians loves to clean — like they wipe their porches, balconies even streets every day. I’m assuming this led them to find ways to make it easier and faster. I’ll not bore you with our cleaning habits — and you might think is this what life came to for me in Georgia — cleaning? Surely there’s much more to see. Ok, you’ve got a point there but just bear with me for one more.
If you know me, yes I’m not domesticated so why am I even on about this. We’ll if you have a hubby that constantly reminds me that I shed hair like a dog which in all honesty I do. Which you can see clearly on the white tile floors in the bathroom. It’s ok cleaning that floor is the easiest ever. They designed the bathroom to have an outlet just like your shower in the middle of the floor. Simply spray your floor and you’re done that’s it floor cleaned, baby 5 seconds max.
Yeah, I’m done just talking about cleaning makes me feel too domesticated. Talking about water I’m back at swimming again — but like with everything, it’s always an event in itself.
So I took the plunge 💦
This day I decided it’s time. I feel I need to get back into the pool. I took the metro to the last stop on the route — the Akhmeteli stop and then Googled my way to the swimming pool complex. On my way there I’ve walked past 2 women and a child. Suddenly I heard loud Georgian voices from behind me as I turned around I saw that the child fell. Now I’m assuming they thought I bumped the child or something. Then someone walked past me and gave me the “look” you know that how dare you. Up to this point, I have no idea what I did or didn’t do?
After that strange interaction, I’ve arrived at the swimming pool complex. To my ignorance, this pool was only for children. It took a while for them to communicate that to me so that I could understand. It then came out that there are two swimming complexes. This one called the “Black Sea Sports complex” and another one for adults called the “Black Sea 2 Sports Complex”. I went to the “Black Sea 2 Sports Complex” to be specific cause you might end up at the wrong one.
I did think for a moment, you know what I tried today is not the day for me to go swimming. I’m glad I picked up my backpack and headed to the “right” one, there I’ve met the friendliest staff ever. In their limited English, they asked if I can swim, if I have all the gear, how the complex works, asking me where I’m from, what I do here and being all-around friendly.
This was a relief although never not expect confusion. With body language communication they kept pointing at my shoes. First I thought I need to take it off. I mentioned before cleanliness is high on their list. You either leave your shoes at the door or put plastic bags around them when you enter. At some point, they asked if I had rubber shoes which I assumed is flip flops. I showed an image on google to confirm and they agreed but that wasn’t the end of that. They handed me the plastic bags for my shoes and then led me into another room. I had to remove my shoes and my socks and then they looked at my feet and told me that's good I can put my shoes back on.
In retrospect, Daniel suggested they probably looked for foot diseases — makes sense but at that moment not at all 😂
Finally, I got into the pool and it was pure bliss. The next time around went much smoother although I couldn’t take the metro as it was national holiday week in Georgia. For 10 days the country is on holiday which includes public transport to be closed. They take holiday seriously. They kick it off with the orthodox easter weekend.
After the plunge, I splurged 🛍
I’ve needed a few things and I met with a friend close to the mall where she lived. I took the metro transferred to another route and headed to a shopping mall. All for only 1 lari. (ZAR 4)
If you know me I don’t like shopping but this time it was pretty fun exploring the different type of shops and what they sell. There are some familiar names H&M and Zara but predominantly shops from Turkey.
So I was needing some shoes which I found but then even that became confusing. It follows the Europe sizing chart. Right not too hard just convert from SA. Uhm, wait what sizing does South Africa follow UK or USA? So I had to google that first and then convert to Europe sizing. I got my shoes and I know that SA follows the UK sizing and I’m a 38 in Europe.
I kinda forgot about time and had to rush back as we had South African friends over. Which meant that I had to venture into unknown territory. I got off at another station now I had to walk to a different station. So I took out my trusty google maps — or is it. On the app, it said the station that I’m going to is permanently closed — I went anyway. This is the last thing you want to see on your app when you in a rush. It was open and I was on my way to meet our friends.
Social SA’s & USA’s💭
It felt somewhat “normal” to have friends over enjoy good food, coffee, dessert and great conversation. It was like a pre-goodbye as they are heading off to Batumi and then out of Georgia but we will see them in Batumi. I have to be honest, by this time we thought we would meet more South Africans but we haven’t yet to our surprise. Not that we came with the idea to meet South Africans. We are here to meet locals but at the time researching on Georgia a lot of South Africans came here and it’s a small country you would think.
There is however international ex-pats. We’ve spent some time in the park having a picnic with two American ladies. We ate, played monopoly deal, relaxed in the sun and shade on our Romanian blanket. (Yes there’s a story behind that well-travelled blanket) We’ve met these two ladies a few weeks back. They reached out as one of the ladies wanted to meet South Africans because her grandmother is from South Africa and she wanted to know about SA. So naturally, we reached out.
Fine, it’s not a magical blanked like from Alladin but it sure did travel a bit already. We’ve met our dear Romanian friends in SA. Their parents brought this blanket from Romania to SA. When our friends left for the States they gifted us with the blanket which we used many times and we decided to take it with us. Now it’s literally across from the black see where it came from — almost full circle back.
Change, confusion and a whole lot more
Even if you are here just for the quotes I don’t mind I love them too! There’s nothing wrong with not wanting life to change but make sure you don’t miss out on what you could become. You can complete life from birth to death but that doesn’t mean you completed or lived it 100%. Take those side missions you never know where that leads.
“Change is the essence of life; be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” Reinhold Niebuhr
Live life!
Anina & Daniel (fine more me this time around — Daniel was too busy complaining about my hair on the floor)
