“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.”
~ Rollo May

All I did today was sleep and eat.  Oh, and I also began reading my Beginner’s Georgian book, which promises that, upon completion, I should be able to speak and understand Georgian as well as if I had taken three to four semesters of the language in college.  But, before I can get into the lessons, I have to learn the alphabet…this should be fun!

Georgian alphabet

My Georgian textbook

Because I am currently an illiterate, I’ve started keeping a notebook of words and phrases that could come in handy.  But, things get confusing, because my host is Uzbek and speaks Uzbek, Tajik, Russian, English, and a little Georgian.  Her husband is Georgian who doesn’t speak Georgian, but speaks Russian and a little bit of English.  So, when I’m learning a new word, I have to ask if I’m learning Russian or Georgian!

Georgian and Russian pronunciations aren’t difficult for me, as the sounds are similar to Spanish (which I used to speak nearly fluently), Polish (I only know a few words, but I’ve been told my pronunciation of those few words is impeccable), French (I can speak rudimentary French with a passable accent), and, interestingly enough, Persian (I know how to say some of the foods I like!).

Some handy phrases I’ve learned so far:
(Please note that all spellings are of my own phonetic making.)

Ni nada: Russian for “I don’t want.”  Used frequently, as I cover the top of my wine glass, indicating that, no, I do not, in fact, want another top off.  Lord, help me!  I had read about the Georgian propensity for drinking, and thought I could just say no.  Not so much…Instead, I keep my glass in my left hand, and don’t leave it unattended, for fear that it will be again topped off, and I will have no idea how much I have had to drink.  (For reference, I’m a one-glass-of-wine kind of girl.  Anything more, and my eyeballs refuse to focus…)

Moshna chai: Russian for “Can I have tea?”  Used frequently as I’m drinking cup after cup of green tea as an alternative to the wine.  Also, from what I’m gathering, people seem to not drink much water here.  That is just a first impression, and I’m definitely not certain of anything.  But, what I do know is that I’m drinking massive amounts of green tea as a water substitute.  In fact, when I asked for water, I was given a coffee pot filled with boiled water, and flavored with green tea!  I’m good with that.

Madloba: Georgian for “thank you.”  As in, “Madloba, lovely hosts, for treating me with such kindness.”

Araperse: Georgian for “you are welcome.”

Gamarjobat: Georgian for “hello.” Well, sort of.  It really means something like “victory.” As my host explained it, because there has been so much fighting and warfare in Georgia (by the Persians, Arabs, Turks, Russians, etc.), Georgians will greet one another with the phrase to indicate that they are still in existence, and they are still Georgian.

Stay tuned for more feisty language lessons!