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Small Expectations | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| librarian Newbie United Kingdom Joined 5078 days ago 9 posts - 9 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 241 of 431 13 May 2011 at 4:31am | IP Logged | ||
? Seriously though, I hope you have an awesome experience! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5472 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes  Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 242 of 431 13 May 2011 at 4:38am | IP Logged | ||
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[QUOTE=librarian] [QUOTE=TixhiiDon] I'm like an 8-year old on December 23rd.
Haha. But don't you remember the 23rd? Christmas was close but still seemed so far away it was almost painful. That's what I was trying to get across. Anyway, just as Santa always did come, I managed to get myself to Georgia. Weird to think that if I hadn't found this site I would be at work in Japan right now. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| librarian Newbie United Kingdom Joined 5078 days ago 9 posts - 9 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 243 of 431 13 May 2011 at 4:44am | IP Logged | ||
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I guessed you were getting at something like that... Thanks a lot to replying to the messages of a deranged lunatic Phil, it was like Santa coming for me when you took an interest in my wild goose chase and gave me advice and encouraged me. Have a great time in საქართველო. Edited by librarian on 13 May 2011 at 4:54am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5472 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 244 of 431 13 May 2011 at 10:25am | IP Logged | ||
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Just a few hours later and I'm back in my hotel room, tired, sunburnt, and a bit overwhelmed. Tbilisi is a
crazy kind of town. Already I've been invited to a wine festival tomorrow, had my photo taken with a guy from Batumi, and discussed world politics with the same guy, half in English and half in Georgian, while standing on the brand new bridge over the Mtkvari (the guy's opinion on world politics, by the way, was that British people are great, Americans and Turks are not so great (I won't repeat what he actually said, but his English swearing was pretty impressive), and that Saakashvili has done good things for Georgia but who knows what's going to happen tomorrow). Can't decide whether to go to the wine festival. Could be a great cultural experience, could be a bit scary. Another thing I have discovered is that the lack of concern and sense of adventure I had 15 years ago is much diminished. When I lived in Russia in the mid-nineties, I used to walk the streets day or night, alone or in a group, drunk or sober, without a care, but now I must admit to feeling a bit wary and nervous. I always try not to look like a tourist as I think it reduces the chnces of getting mugged or ripped off, and anyway it's just not very cool to wander around in shorts and hiking boots with a backpack, a camera in one hand, and a Lonely Planet guide in the other, but still i feel like I'm sticking out like a sore thumb. Anyway, time for a bit of a siesta, then back into the breach. Edited by TixhiiDon on 13 May 2011 at 10:26am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5472 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 245 of 431 14 May 2011 at 6:26pm | IP Logged | ||
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I chickened out of the wine festival in the end. It was being held in a park several kilometers outside of the
city centre and I figured being that far away with people I don't know in a country whose language I don't speak very well, and drinking lots of wine, could lead to all sorts of unpleasantness. So now I have to scuttle past the wine shop where I was invited so the guy doesn't see me. My feeling of sticking out like a sore thumb may not have been unjustified. This evening I was walking back to my hotel when three young guys came up to me and told me they had seen me around! I also had a chat with a guy who was half-Russian, half-Armenian and seemed to want to practice English. Rustaveli Avenue was packed with people strolling this evening. There was a really nice atmosphere. Just hope I'm not being stalked! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Mooby Senior Member Scotland Joined 6113 days ago 707 posts - 1220 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Polish | Message 246 of 431 14 May 2011 at 8:52pm | IP Logged | ||
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Well, glad to hear you're surviving so far!
I got a few questions, sorry, not meant to be an interoggation :)... Are you managing to get any decent Georgian conversational practice? What are people's reactions to your speech? How have your studies prepared you for this visit? Feeling overwhelmed? Pleasantly surprised? From a language point of view, what new things are you noticing so far? All the best, and hoping you're reaping the benefits of your many months of study. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5472 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 247 of 431 15 May 2011 at 5:36am | IP Logged | ||
Thanks for the interest Mooby. I'm getting some good conversational practice, yes, although a bit less so yesterday than the day before. Of course being just a regular old tourist with no personal contacts in the country most of it is just asking for beer, coffee, menus, and bills, but that is all good practical stuff too. People are sometimes surprised that I am speaking Georgian and at other times completely nonchalant about it. So far no-one has been negative or looked irritated though. Oh, come to think of it the woman in the book shop was a bit brusque, but in comparison with Russia it's all sweetness and light. My studies prepared me well, I think. It took me a long time to be able to speak, but in the last couple of months I seemed to have a bit of a breakthrough so I haven't really been stumbling over sentences. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5472 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 248 of 431 15 May 2011 at 5:51am | IP Logged | ||
Had to split my reply into two as my iPad went a bit weird. Overwhelmed is a good word to describe it! Georgian people seem to be, on the whole, quite in-your-face and have no qualms about stopping you for a chat or to ask for a cigarette. I've had good experiences so far but I can't help feeling a little wary. I suppose this is my rich Westerner complex coming to the fore. I tend to be all positive and enthusiastic in the mornings and slump back exhausted by it all in the evenings. Linguistically, the main thing I've noticed is that there is a whole load of Russian going on. In many cases I can't tell whether I'm eavesdropping on Russian native speakers or it's just that they are peppering their Georgian with massive amounts of Russian. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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