Getting vaccinated in Georgia

Covid-19 vaccination started in Georgia on March 15, and as a medical worker, my brother-in-law was vaccinated that very day. My in-laws also got vaccinated quickly and easily as they were in the high-priority age group. The vaccine roll-out here has had some highly publicized ups and downs. The news sites have covered them extensively, and EurasiaNet has a regional vaccine tracker for those interested in the more general view of vaccines in Georgia. I’ll focus on my own experience in this post.

Given high rates of vaccine hesitancy in Georgia that increased after a preventable tragedy, Georgia’s vaccine policy has been fairly open to any who want a vaccine. The most popular vaccine, Pfizer, has just become available to the general population as of today. Individuals can choose which vaccine they want when they are eligible, though there have been different eligibility criteria for each vaccine at different times. Being able to choose which vaccine we received was…strange. While I believe the best vaccine is the one in your arm, being able to choose also made me think maybe I should wait for a vaccine with higher efficacy or that is authorized in the US. G and I decided that we would take the first WHO (emergency)-approved vaccine we were able to. (We decided to wait for WHO approval because we do want to be considered vaccinated for future travel, though now it turns out not all countries are sticking to the WHO decision, but it’s a positive step, anyway). The SinoPharm vaccine was made available to G and I relatively early, but since it wasn’t yet WHO-approved when appointment sign-ups began, we waited to register. I thought given how much vaccine hesitancy there was and how few people chose that vaccine in the survey that we’d still be able to get appointments later on. That strategy didn’t pan out. SinoPharm received WHO approval just a few days later, but the only appointments still available were mid-week in Svaneti, which just wasn’t an option given our work schedules.

I wised up by the time SinoVac appointments were offered. It still wasn’t WHO approved at the time, but the approval was expected soon. It did take me a few hours to realize that I could sign up for an appointment in the future, and cancel it if it wasn’t approved by that time. In those few hours, though, most of the appointments in Tbilisi had been booked up, though there were plenty of appointments throughout the country. We wanted something further in the future to give the WHO time to make their decision, two appointments together so G could do the talking for me if necessary, and if we were leaving Tbilisi we needed a weekend appointment. That did limit the appointments available to us, but we found a perfect slot in Ozurgeti. It’s a relatively accessible town and we’d never been, so we decided to book and make a vaccination vacation of it. Since I had some time before my appointment, I did consult with my doctors about my vaccine options, and they were both enthusiastically in favor of getting SinoVac sooner rather than waiting for something else.

I wasn’t 100% sure if I would be able to get vaccinated at all, as evidence was mixed. Early on, the authorities were notably quiet on the official policy. The US Embassy claimed that vaccination was available only for permanent residents, not temporary, though I knew some temporary residents who had successfully gotten vaccinated. The media always used the word “citizens”, but not “Georgian citizens” (I have an official document that refers to me as “Citizen Em”, though I am not a Georgian citizen). Some friends with legal residence (I’m not sure if temporary or permanent) had trouble registering, though the exact reason wasn’t clear. Some of them may have been trying to register for vaccines their age wasn’t eligible for, and many people had trouble entering the correct Georgian version of their name. I was able to register via the online portal quite easily, so at least that hurdle was cleared. (tip for others registering: your name has to be in Georgian characters spelled exactly the same as on your ID, with middle name, etc. Either permanent or temporary residence seems to work.). A few days before our appointments, the head of the CDC mentioned vaccinating residents in a press conference, so that was positive news, though I still wasn’t positive I’d be able to get it until it was in my arm, as there was presumably some amount of discretion reserved to the doctors administering the vaccine.

Dose 1:
The day we were scheduled, we got calls from the clinic inviting us to come earlier if it was convenient for us. The clinic was very easy to find (on a hillside visible from the town center with a big sign), even though we weren’t too familiar with Ozurgeti. It wasn’t very busy, but we were far from the only ones there. We were, however, the youngest by a good few decades. We didn’t have to wait long, and the clinical registration process was fairly fast and simple, just making sure they had the correct personal information and that we were healthy enough to be vaccinated. The staff were all friendly and efficient. The registration was so easy and pleasant that having worried about being turned away seemed silly.

After filling out the form, they sent us to the doctor who took our blood pressure and gave us the vaccine. Again, she was friendly and efficient. They used such a tiny needle that if I hadn’t watched her prepare it (and G hadn’t taken a photo), I wouldn’t have been sure that she had even administered it.

We were then moved to another section of the room to wait to make sure we didn’t have any post-vaccine reactions. (They are being very cautious now). I have a habit of waving my arm around and exercising it after injections, as I’ve heard this can help keep your arm from being sore after. (I don’t know if this is just the placebo effect and I don’t know how sore my arm might have been otherwise, but I have a pretty good track record with this technique). When she saw me flailing my arm about, another of the doctors rushed over to make sure I was OK, so we were definitely being well monitored. Every so often, a staff member would call out checking to make sure everyone was still feeling OK. One benefit of choosing this clinic, which I’d had no idea of in advance, was that the view from the windows was really beautiful. It was certainly nice to be able to see the beautiful Gurian mountain scenery while waiting. We were given our paper certificates during this time, and after the monitoring time was done, we were released.

After a few hours, my arm did get slightly sore (less so than from my recent tetanus booster, but it lasted longer). I couldn’t fall asleep on that arm when I went to bed, but I woke up in the morning sleeping on that side without any issues. The next few days I felt a little sleepy during the day and slept like a log, but that could also have been from the travel, the fact that it was the first really hot days of the year, or because I was no longer worrying about being able to get vaccinated. I hadn’t slept so well for two nights in a row in a long time, so I’m quite pleased with this result.

First dose

Dose 2:

Our recommended date for the second dose was the beginning of July, though we’re allowed to take it in a 2-week window from 2-4 weeks after the first dose. After our first dose, the month of July wasn’t on the booking system at all, so we had to keep checking until July appointments appeared. At one point I got a little nervous and messaged the vaccine-coordinating body on Facebook, and they replied quickly, helpfully and in English letting me know that July appointments indeed hadn’t been released yet, and that I didn’t need to worry.

On June 28, there were rumors that the vaccine was available to everyone regardless of immigration status that day (they were false, but spurred by the fact that the English version of the booking site had been released a few days before). There were also news stories that the new, large shipments of SinoVac and SinoPharm were set to arrive at the end of the week. I was (unsuccessfully) helping some friends register, so I was actively checking the site regularly that day, which did happen to be when July appointments started popping up. Since we saw them immediately, we were able to book our appointments together on our preferred day (as long an interval between doses as allowed, as that seems to increase efficacy) at the clinic around the corner from our house. A few days later they re-opened booking for first doses of SinoPharm, and the booking site was the victim of a cyberattack. Fortunately it didn’t affect previous bookings, so we didn’t personally experience any issues with it. Partially in response to that event, it is now also possible to register with (some) clinics directly for vaccine appointments by phone. For those trying to register now, if you have a flexible schedule I recommend missing out on the first-day booking rush and periodically scouting for cancelled appointments. While looking for appointments for others and waiting for July to be added, I noticed that I could have gotten a much more convenient appointment that way.

When we arrived for our second dose, the clinic was quite busy but the vaccine administration was quite well-organized. This clinic was much slicker than the one we went to in Ozurgeti–everything was bright and shiny, and they had branded banners to get their logo into vaccine photos. Again, the staff were all friendly and professional. The doctor doing the intake survey asked if I’d prefer to speak English, and his English was excellent–a nice bonus. I think they used a bigger needle this time, because I definitely felt the injection this time. After our jabs, we were brought into a nice, modern auditorium to be monitored for side effects while they processed our paperwork. One thing that this clinic did that I thought was smart was in addition to the doctor doing the monitoring and the people handling the paperwork, they had an administrator (who I believe was also an MD, though I’m not sure) in the room to answer patients’ questions. She congratulated everyone for being vaccinated, and emphasized that people with just one dose of vaccine needed to be even more careful now than they had been before. She said that while there wasn’t an official policy on boosters for SinoVac and SinoPharm yet, it looked likely that a booster with Pfizer (or another Western vaccine) would be recommended in the future and would be made available to everyone who had received those vaccines. There were some heated discussions about the lack of European recognition of the Chinese-made vaccines, but she handled the situation well, even though it was obviously beyond her control.

In terms of side effects, my arm was slightly sore. Interestingly, it continued the trend of my recent vaccines and was less sore than from the previous, but the soreness lingered for even longer. Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep as perfectly as I did after the first dose. G did feel quite tired on the first day, but his arm wasn’t even sore.

The best vaccine is the one in your arm. Yes, it may be less effective, but something with lower side effects isn’t a bad consolation prize. Since registration for Pfizer has now been announced for all ages, just a few days after I got my second dose, I do feel a little like I’ve missed out. However, I will be fully vaccinated in time for some date-specific family gatherings, which wouldn’t have happened even if I managed to get a Pfizer appointment on the first day. Even after my vaccine is fully-developed, I’ll still be cautious (turns out, I strongly prefer eating outside) and wear my mask (allergies are much improved by wearing one) and get boosters as necessary, especially since the Delta variant is spreading and case numbers are increasing. I’d rather have some protection than none at all! I’m (unbelievably) looking forward to going to the dentist and getting my teeth cleaned!

Postcard from: Ozurgeti

This trip was a little different, as the primary motive was to get our Covid-19 vaccines. (After our second dose, I’ll post about getting vaccinated in Georgia). Our appointments were in Ozurgeti, the capital of Guria, which we chose in part because we had never been there and I had recently read Emily Lush’s post about interesting things to do in the area. I have some friends from the area and it seems to inspire great loyalty. Now that I’ve visited I can see why.

The 5ish hour drive from Tbilisi was slightly complicated at this time by the 11 PM curfew, but G was able to leave work a little early and we made it out of the house by 5, giving us enough time to get there comfortably. The highway has been improved since we last went to Western Georgia, so the drive was faster and easier. There are multiple roads from the main highway to Ozurgeti, and we took the one from Lanchkhuti. The road was in pretty good shape, but the narrow twisty mountain road after dark was giving me conniption fits. We probably should have taken a different route at that hour. I’m sure that area has beautiful scenery when it’s light out, though. We had pre-booked our stay at Komli Guesthouse, and we definitely should have called Lika for directions earlier on the drive. GoogleMaps will get you VERY close to Komli, and then it will send you driving around in circles rather than getting you the last two minutes. Honestly, if you listen to Lika and not GoogleMaps, Komli is very easy to find, even in the dark. Even though we arrived late she had a feast waiting for us, including Gurian wine, some of the best badrijani nigvzit (eggplant with walnut) I’ve ever had (and that’s my favorite, so I can judge), bamboo pickles, and the Gurian version of chakapuli made with beef and cilantro. Everything was delicious, and we quickly decided that we would add board to our room while we were there. I was a bit nervous about staying in an “historic farmhouse”, but Komli understands both Georgian hospitality and the hospitality industry, so the beautiful old room had a comfortable bed, clean modern bathroom, and wasn’t the slightest bit musty while still being full of character.

Komli

After staying up late chatting with Lika, we woke up on the late side on Saturday morning. We had a massive breakfast (featuring a huge pot of wonderful homegrown tea), and met Lika’s family, friends, and neighbors–everyone was very nice. We agreed to do the tea tour, and Lika told us about the history of tea in Georgia and Guria and her family’s history. We then went to pick some tea from her tea bushes. It’s easier than I thought, and actually quite nice (when you don’t have a quota). We then visited the area where they’re constructing an eco-friendly straw house on the property. Throwing mud at the walls seems quite fun. There’s a rivulet through the property, so Lika has constructed a little boat and you can go on a “mini cruise” which was nice and relaxing. The colors of the bamboo grove were surprisingly bright and pretty.

Picking tea

After a relaxing morning and early afternoon, we went into Ozurgeti proper to get our vaccines at the clinic. The vaccination center was on the 4th floor, so while we were being observed post-vaccine, we had a lovely view of verdant green mountains. We decided to go for a drive and see the scenery while we were out and about, so we picked a road to follow for awhile. Seeing a village with some interesting architecture, we looked on GoogleMaps and realized we were already closer to Batumi than Ozurgeti! We decided it was worth a visit to the Black Sea so we continued on to Kobuleti. We checked to see if our favorite fish farm had survived the pandemic (It has and they’re doing pretty significant renovations). Then we went to the beach and I played in the sea for a bit. We took another road back to Ozurgeti, making a loop. I knew Ozurgeti wasn’t far from the Black Sea, but I was still surprised by how close and accessible it was. If you drive (or are a marshrutka master), I would highly recommend staying in or around Ozurgeti for a beach trip that avoids the hustle of the beach towns.

Playing in the Black Sea

We had hoped to spend more of Sunday in Ozurgeti and explore on the way back, but it turned out we needed to return to Tbilisi sooner than expected, so we took the road back via Chokhatauri, which I think is the main road. Before we left Komli, we bought some of her tea to bring home and continue enjoying.

Even though there “isn’t much to do” in Ozurgeti, we didn’t do nearly everything and would be happy to visit again. Gomi Mountain, the Ozurgeti Theatre, and some Soviet mosaics still await us on our next trip to Guria!

2020 Favorites

I’d kind of stopped writing my seasonal favorites, but if there’s any time that the shining stars deserve a shout-out it’s 2020. Here are some of the cool new things and businesses that have been creative and awesome and brought bright spots to a weird year. Maybe they’ll help with your holiday gifts or celebrations!

(In alphabetical order, not playing favorites within the favorites)
Agro Meat Market Looking for lamb or mutton? Craving English-style bangers? This South African-run farm will bring them to your door. (They also now have retail locations in Tbilisi, but I haven’t visited yet). Their products are good quality and the prices are reasonable. Stocking our freezer with their products before the lockdown was one of the smartest things we did.

Bagelin.ge It’s long been a joke among ex-pats that Tbilisi would be perfect if only we could get bagels and Mexican food. Bagelin is taking care of part 1 (actually, the chef makes great Mexican food, too, but only occasionally…keep your eye out). The order in advance and pick-up/delivery model is pandemic-friendly, and the bagels are delicious. They’re just what bagels should be–both traditional and Georgian-inspired flavors. They’ve also got their own spreads and drinks from local microbreweries. Additionally, they value supporting their employees, local agriculture, and good causes like the Transcaucasian Trail. Located within Lokal, listed below.

Chveni Puri is a new bakery in our neighborhood. The brilliance of the place is that it’s a walk-up kiosk, so you don’t have to go inside to buy. Bread is the limiting factor to reducing grocery trips in our house (and I assume many Georgian homes), so it’s particularly suited to 2020. Their bread is also really good, and they sell amazing chocolate buns and whole-grain crackers.

Dighomi Forest Park is different than most of the city’s other big parks. Tbilisi parks tend to be manicured and full of amenities, which can be nice, but Dighomi Forest Park, which is basically just trees and grass with some trails and benches, is a literal breath of fresh air. It’s usually busy, but you can always find a place away from everyone else.

The Great Central Asian Bake-Off #GCABO: A social media baking contest sponsored by the Uzbekistan tourism ambassador and the cookbook writer Caroline Eden to promote her new book Red Sands had people all over the world (myself included) trying their hand at making Central Asian baked goods: non, samsa, peach cake, and bread pudding, as well as a “showstopper” of their choice. The showstoppers were really incredible! Cakes decorated like hats and bus stops and beautiful cookies. Some of my friends participated, too, and it was great fun to try new recipes and see how other people had made them. I learned a lot about Central Asia and had a lot of fun; I’d love to see other countries/cookbook authors steal this idea, and hope we have round 2 next year.

International Georgian Wine Tasting from Eat This! Tours is the best Zoom event I’ve attended. It was well-organized, which is of course key, but what made it really special was that they had wine suppliers in both the US and Georgia, so I was able to attend the event with my parents and some family friends in the US. Baia’s and Gvantsa’s Wines are delicious! Would love to do another event like this (hint,hint if you read this)

Lokal Tbilisi describes itself as a co-working and co-living space, but not just..and the “not just” is where things get interesting. They quickly became the coolest place to hang out, hosting all sorts of fun and interesting events ranging from family dinners cooked by the Bagelin guy, to beer festivals, to lectures on taxes, and everything you can imagine in between. They now host our BookSwap group (and have shelves for those who can’t attend the meetings) and offer a great place to relax and see a friendly face when the restrictions allow. They’ve become a cornerstone of the English-speaking community in Tbilisi. They are meticulous about following the Georgian CDC’s hygiene recommendations so I always felt safe going there when it was allowed, and now that they aren’t allowed to have in-person events, they are using their space to collect charitable donations; keep an eye out for potential online events. If you’re looking for a place to live or work, you should definitely check them out. If not, there’s probably an interesting event going on.

Megobrebi Brewery I discovered them last year, and in February I heard that they offered free tours of the brewery, so some friends and I arranged to visit. That turned out to be one of the last things we did in the old normal. Their beers are creative and delicious, and they’ve been creative through the pandemic, offering deliveries and online homebrewing classes. Their tarragon beer is my favorite, but I think they’re all pretty good and I’m not usually a beer drinker, so that’s quite an endorsement.

Soplidan.ge I was a customer before the pandemic, but they really took the opportunity to expand their offerings and services and make a good company even better. They saved Thanksgiving by having turkey available with no fuss, and they generally have a good assortment of hard-to-find local products (spinach, leeks) and gems from small producers. They also carry the Georgian heritage wheat flour (called lomtagora) that I love, and some very tasty nut butters and goat cheese. Also available on the Wolt Delivery App.

Travel Box (read my whole post here…such a fun and creative way of supporting the domestic tourism industry until international tourists can return)

Wine Junkies Another “box”, this time of Georgian wine and treats. I don’t think we’ve ever had a product we didn’t like in their boxes, and everything is packaged very prettily so it feels like Christmas morning once a month. It’s a great way to explore Georgian food and wine, and they’re supporting small producers making high quality products, something I think we’d all love to see more of! In addition to their regular boxes, they’ve now got a special series of boxes raising money for Dog Organization of Georgia.

Postcard from: Kyiv

Now that I’m only working one job with strict hours, I decided to use our break to travel. My cousin lives in Ukraine (no, we don’t have a family connection to the region, we independently found interesting opportunities), and I’d been meaning to visit for a while. I was surprised that ticket prices didn’t go down after the UIH 752 crash, but they still weren’t too expensive, and it seemed like a time the airline and the country could use some customers, so I booked a visit. I thought it might be a little crazy to go to Ukraine in February (cold, right?), but my cousin assured me that with the right gear it would be fine. Lucky for me, I had just bought a proper winter coat. Buying my tickets was ridiculously difficult (no longer a fan of CapitalOne), but I did manage to procure them eventually. I have nothing but good things to say about the individual customer service agents from Ukrainian Airlines, though their website could use some work.

The flight times weren’t ideal, but they were manageable. I had to get up pretty early Saturday morning, but I did manage to snooze on the plane. There was some unplanned drama on the flight when a gentleman smoked in the lavatory, but I was quite impressed with the flight attendants’ handling of it…I don’t think people who weren’t nearby even noticed. My family were pretty much ready to start the day once I got to their house, so the timing was good in that regard. Since they live there and have stuff to do, we spent time together on the weekend and I explored on my own while they were busy with work and school. They introduced me to Ukrainian food at Ostannya Barykada and Khutorets ne Dnipri, some of their favorite Ukrainian restaurants. They were very different, but I enjoyed both. Turns out borscht can be delicious!  We also went to their favorite modern Georgian restaurant, Chichiko, which was fantastic. It was interesting to see how the different food trends in Tbilisi and Kyiv have influenced the menu. Everything was undeniably Georgian food, but there were things on the menu that are not common or popular in Tbilisi–loads of turkey and lamb dishes. The tonis puri was served with an excellent Kakhetian sunflower oil and green onion dipping sauce (I’m working on duplicating it but haven’t been fully successful yet), and we loved the “khachapuri diavola” with adjika baked in.

Most of my top must-sees were museums, and I found that, unlike in many countries where all museums close on Monday, different museums in Kyiv were closed different days. On the one hand this was an advantage, because there was some museum for me to see everyday, but on the other hand it required paying attention to the schedules and planning accordingly. I wasn’t sure how I felt about going on a tour to Chernobyl, so my cousin suggested I go to the museum first and decide after that (Chernobyl tours do need to be booked a few days in advance due to security procedures). I followed his advice and went on Monday (I would recommend this strategy for others who are not sure, too). The Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum was really impressively put together, mostly with historical artifacts, but with some artistic touches mixed in. I got the audioguide and found it interesting and helpful. From there I grabbed some lunch and walked up Andriyivskyy Uzviz to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, which was also well worth the visit. It was a good-sized museum; complete but not so big as to be exhausting.  I was impressed by the attention to details in the design (curtains with traditional embroidery in the textiles room, actually comfortable chairs in front of the video exhibits, kids’ activities in most rooms).

Cabbage Dessert from 100 Years Back in Future

I decided that after an emotional day of museum viewing, I deserved to try some of Ukraine’s famous coffee and pastries. I opened GoogleMaps and was headed to the closest highly-rated coffeeshop when I noticed I was walking past 100 Years Back in Future, which had been recommended to me on Twitter. My mind was made up. I decided to go for it and order the weirdest thing on the dessert menu, a cabbage-based dessert, with my coffee. My tweeps have excellent taste, because the cabbage-based dessert was delicious. The weather was pretty nice and I had some free time, but as it was late afternoon most museums and tourist sites were starting to close, I decided to get to know the city better by walking home. It was a little far (certainly further than would be a reasonable daily commute), but it gave me a great view of the city and helped me figure out the layout.

The next day, I decided to go to Rodina Mat and Lavra Pechersk Monastery since they are near one another and the books said they were open on Tuesdays. The weather was gorgeous (actually warmer than Tbilisi that day!) and I enjoyed walking around in the sunshine and seeing the memorial. There were signs to “the museum” which seemed to be in a different place than I had thought, but I followed them anyway and wound up in the “Museum Making of Ukrainian Nation”, which is not the museum I was looking for. The ticket was also much more expensive than I had read, but I paid up and went in. It was in fact a different museum, and the reason it hadn’t come up in my research was that it had just opened last fall. This is a museum designed for people who don’t like museums (so I’m not the target audience). It had plenty of selfie opportunities, and scenes from Ukrainian history up to the present. The audioguide was generally good, but there were some exhibits that had neither audio nor text descriptions. It was a good overview of Ukrainian history, though the exhibits didn’t provide much information on their own. You could get some great Instagram shots, though.

Cossacks in “Museum Making of Ukrainian Nation”

Then I found my way to my intended museum, the  “Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War”, which was cheap and heart-wrenching and interesting. I remember in history classes in school drawing maps of WW2 battles, and drawing a big marsh between Germany and Moscow. This museum hammered home the fact that there was NOT nothing there; there were good-sized cities and many people living in this area. Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine played a major role in WW2. There was also an exhibit on the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine, so the museum wasn’t limited to WW2 alone. I was in definite need of sustenance after an emotional morning, so I made my way to the Kyiv Food Market, a conglomeration of the best restaurants from a variety of styles and cuisines. I tried three different places, enjoying my green borsht (that’s sorrel instead of beet–also good!), mors, matcha latte and a cinnamon roll. It was a good type of place to eat alone, with the shared tables and simplified service, but it would also be great with a group to share nibbles and try lots of different things. I then wandered back towards the Lavra complex, passing through the Holodomor Memorial (museum under construction) and entered the Lavra complex itself. Most of the museums there were closed on Tuesdays, but the one I was most interested in, the Museum of Historical Treasures, was open and well-worth the visit. So much historical bling that is still absolutely stunning! I found Lavra as a whole a strange place. A door with a sign that said “bookstore” demanded to see my ticket, and all but one of the churches I tried to visit were closed (the open one was nice). The caves that I got to at 3 had closed at 2, and the caves that I got to at 4:01 had closed at 4. But there were loads of shopping opportunities! The grounds were full of stores, restaurants, and kiosks (my tea and donut were really cheap). One door looked like the entry to a church, but was actually a hallway filled with vendors yelling “Girl! I’ll pray for you if you buy something! Curse you for not buying!”. I had thought about going back to Lavra the next day to see more of the museums and churches and maybe go into the caves but I found the whole place had a creepy vibe, so I decided I had seen it and didn’t need to go back.

Wednesday morning I went to Mezhyhirya, Former President Yanukovich’s former home, now billed as the “Museum of Corruption” (a national park) a little outside of Kyiv.  However, when I was there, most things were closed. The house is inaccessible (rumored to be because everything was stolen), there were a number of cafes and souvenir shops that were closed, and even an art gallery that said open but was locked. It was a nice, scenic place to walk around, though, but nothing more at the time I was there. Just when I was getting cold and hungry from walking around a few hours and had decided to head back to Kyiv, a guy started bringing out racks of bicycles available to rent, but I was ready to go so I didn’t rent one. Mezhyhirya is a particularly controversial place. The driver told me he would never go there because everything had been stolen from the Ukrainian people, but he seemed OK with driving me there. However, as a national park, it is the Ukrainian people’s again, but it seems they don’t know quite what to do with it. Turning it into a national park brings up a whiff of the forced collectivization under the Soviets, but it was ill-gotten gains in the first place. It’s unclear if the national park is meant to be a warning to other corrupt officials, a way of educating the public, or a form of retribution. There’s a lot of potential here, but when I was there, none of it was realized. In the afternoon I went to the famous Ukrainian fast food chain Puzata Hata for lunch, and strolled down Kreschatyk to do some shopping. I kind of wanted to buy a vyshyvanka, but the prettiest ones are also the most expensive, so I decided to save my money this time and plan ahead for my next visit to Ukraine. I bought lots of nice little non-souvenir souvenirs at Vsi Svoi, including a hoodie, a trivet, some soap, an English notebook, and other interesting everyday items. Vsi Svoi is a department store (two actually, one for clothes and accessories, one for homegoods) of all Ukrainian-made objects. Not necessarily souvenirs or folkarts, just regular stuff made in Ukraine. They have a great variety and prices are reasonable. If you aren’t sure what type of clothes you’ll need when visiting Ukraine, I’d recommend packing minimally and making a stop at Vsi Svoi early in your trip to get stuff that is definitely seasonally, culturally, and fashionably appropriate. I went next door to a cool coffeeshop filled with ex-pats for my afternoon coffee and a raspberry-chocolate croissant.

The next morning I decided to finish my souvenir shopping and went to Ocean Plaza mall, the second-largest in the city, for the Roshen store (one of my favorite chocolate bars is Roshen’s milk chocolate with sesame seeds, and it’s been scarce in Tbilisi lately) and to see what there was to see. I picked up a few postcards and souvenirs at the UA Made store (not as cool as Vsi Svoi, but still fun). In the afternoon I took myself on a little tour of the metro using this really helpful blog post as a guide. The Kyiv metro is really beautiful, but not as complicated as the Moscow metro. Given my familiarity with the Tbilisi metro, it was a breeze to navigate because all the signs were the same style, and the tokens looked like the ones Tbilisi used to use. It was a fun and cheap afternoon activity.  I had noticed a Ukrainian Museum of Revolution 1917-1921 in my research, and I’m interested in that time time period, but Google suggested it might or might not be open. I decided to check it out with no expectations. When I got nearby, I realized that the address was of the VERY closed-looking building I had walked past before, and indeed it was closed, though the Museum of Pedagogy in the same building seemed open. I went back to Kreschatyk to pick up a few more souvenirs, and went back to hang out with the family.

On Valentine’s Day, I went for my tour of Chernobyl with SoloEast.  I chose them by looking up all the tour companies recommended in my travel books and by the Chernobyl Museum, and seeing who had availability and the lowest price on the day I wanted. This strategy worked out fine. I took the metro to the meeting place outside McDonald’s on Maidan (and grabbed a hashbrown, too!) and met with my group. I was the only solo traveler in the group, and folks weren’t very friendly, but our guides were good. The most important thing for a trip to Chernobyl is that the guides know what they’re doing and where they’re going, both for safety and to avoid bureaucratic delays, and the folks at SoloEast definitely did that. The tour was really interesting, and though there was a lot of information provided and I had been to the Chernobyl Museum (and we did a big commemoration for the 25th anniversary when I was in grad school), I still wanted to know more and more. The church in Chernobyl town is one of the prettiest Orthodox churches I have ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot).  The “Russian woodpecker” was an incredible structure, and it’s hard to believe how well-concealed it was. Seeing the endangered Chernobyl wild horses just standing at the side of the road was something I don’t think I’ll forget for a long time. The reactor itself was not particularly interesting, and I personally didn’t get a kick out of trying to find radiation hot spots with a geiger counter, but that was the highlight for some people. Lunch on the tour was the only meal that lived up to the stereotypes of Slavic food as boring, flavorless, and stodgy (and to be fair, no one was marketing it as a food tour). Chernobyl was good practice for the “Don’t touch your face!” “Don’t touch anything!” times that are upon us now. I’m glad I chose to do the tour.

The scale of Covid-19 was growing over the course of my trip, and people were posting all sorts of alarming things on Facebook (rumor mill, I know) about being denied entry into Georgia, so I was getting a little nervous about my return. There were definitely health precautions in place that I had never seen in Tbilisi before, but at that time it was still fairly calm. There were apparently body temperature scanners, though I didn’t notice them; we had to fill out a health card, and there were doctors in the terminal keeping watch. Unsurprisingly, the precautions have been strengthened since then–if you’re planning a trip to Georgia, here is the MFA’s post with the updated airport health procedures as of March 12. (I recommend checking for updates if you’re on your way to Tbilisi anytime soon). Nonetheless, I still got a warm greeting and a second bottle of welcome wine!

If you, like me, have been saying to yourself “I should go to Ukraine sometime”, you really should! I loved it

Everyday Georgian-American Cooking

I started thinking about this topic after reading this fascinating article on “Assimilation Food”.  In it, the author Soleil Ho writes, “When immigrants adapt to their new surroundings, the most immediate way this happens is through the food they make: They look around at what’s available and try to make it into something they can recognize”. Of course there are issues of privilege that vary drastically between my experience as an American ex-pat in Georgia and that of a refugee in the US (to start with the low-hanging fruit: I can USA2Georgia any food that I desperately miss…with a few exceptions…the article talks about power and privilege very eloquently), but the idea really resonated with me and made me think about how I cook in Georgia versus how I cooked in the US. Some of my cooking remains definitely American, but lots of things wouldn’t taste the same if I tried again back in the US. And some don’t taste exactly like I want them too, but it’s good enough for weeknight cooking. It has also given me food for thought about another challenge faced by immigrants.

Since teaching can be exhausting, I don’t do a lot of complicated cooking. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not all cookies all the time here at Chez Cookies and the Caucasus. Despite that, most of my meals are majority home-made. Many of my go-tos in America have required some adapting to the availability of different products (or different prices…miss you avocados!). I love to read recipe blogs and look at recipes on Pinterest, but sometimes the ingredients are just not regularly obtainable in Tbilisi on a non-oligarch budget. I like to try new recipes, but that’s not what I’m talking about this time. Here are a few easy meals that I make frequently that incorporate Georgian and American elements. Like Ho writes, these are foods that “close the gap between homes”.

Baked Sweet Potato with (Red) Adjika

Frozen Pelmeni and Steamed Broccoli

Chilli with Mchadi

Tuna Melts with Sulguni

“Super Salsa” with lavash and sulguni “quesadillas”

Chicken/Quail and Rice with Tkemali

Hard Boiled Eggs with Tkemali or Svanetian Salt

Scrambled Eggs with Green Adjika, Sulguni, and sauteed onion

Grant’s “puriko” (Georgian-flavored panzanella)

Also, we make a lot of lobio and mchadi in the traditional Georgian way, and so many roasted vegetables (which are fairly universal).

Smitten Kitchen’s Quick Pasta and Chickpeas, Woks of Life’s soy scallion Shanghai Noodles (Carrefour has lots of different Asian noodles) and various sourdough recipes to use Breaderick (my sourdough starter/pet) have entered my everyday repertoire without Georgianization.

What’s your assimilation food?

…no photos, because I really need to work on my plating!

How To: Plan a Wedding in Georgia

If you’ve wondered why I haven’t posted much in a while, it’s because I’ve been busy with other things…I got married! I imagine you’re either reading this post because you know me personally (or vicariously through the internet) and are interested in the gossip, or you’re considering getting married in Georgia (they’re trying to market the country as a wedding destination) and wanted the inside scoop. I’ll try to satisfy both parties.

For a variety of reasons, we decided to split the legal ceremony and the party to different days/months, which meant the planning was spread out over a longer period than it would have been had we done everything at once.  We had been in a relationship for a while, but decided last year that in order to be sure we’d be able to continue to live in the same country legally, we should make things official. From there, we examined what we wanted, and what our communities wanted…and it looked like we should organize a big official party. Then we started thinking of what we needed to do to get my international friends and family to Georgia and what they would expect, and how to make that work with what the Georgians would expect. Once we had set the date, we realized that a wedding website was going to be necessary to coordinate the logistics for those abroad (even though he’s a programmer, I did the site on Zola–it was easy), and although paper invitations are becoming less mandatory than in the past, I still wanted them. I do love stationery! So the first step was to get engagement photos to have something to put on said website and invitations. Luckily, a friend/student/coworker reminded me of our former student/coworker/friend Maia, who was now a freelance wedding photographer. In a funny coincidence, right after that, Maia saw me out a marshrutka window and messaged me. Clearly it was meant to be, so we met with Maia and started that side of things. She took great photos, and we used them on our site and worked with Allprint to print our invitations. They were great about helping us get things to look exactly the way we wanted.

The photo used in our invitations. Credit: Maia Tochilashvili

The Legal Wedding:

For a marriage to be legally binding in Georgia, you have to register it at a House of Justice (a church wedding doesn’t do anything legally, like it does in some countries). The process is hailed as being easy and fast. I can’t say it was hard, but it was still plagued by Georgian bureaucracy. Before our vacation to the US last winter, we stopped by the Wedding Hall to ask if I needed to bring any documents from the US, and they said that all I would need was my Georgian residence card, and that when we were ready to get married, just call in advance and schedule. (This is also what one of my good Georgian friends who got married a few months before told me). I didn’t totally believe them that my ID card would be enough, so I preemptively went and got a notarized translation of my passport. When we had gotten the rings together (that took a while since G’s hands required a custom ring) and consulted with a lawyer about a pre-nup (unnecessary in our case, but better safe than sorry), we called to schedule the wedding that weekend. Then they said that we couldn’t schedule over the phone and we needed to come in person to do it…and they were closed the next two (working) days, so better do it fast. (The wedding books suggest that having to go in person a few days in advance is nothing unusual in other places). Fortunately it was a day when we could drop everything and run to the House of Justice. When we got there, they did, indeed, ask for my translated passport and said my residence card was insufficient. Then they said that we needed to give them our witnesses’ IDs that day. Yeah, we don’t walk around carrying our friends’ IDs. If they’d mentioned that, we probably could have gotten them. They agreed to accept photos that day (luckily both of our witnesses happened to have the ability to send them to our phones immediately), as long as we brought the originals on the wedding day.  My witness is also American, so she had to go through the usual drama of finding a notary who is open and has a working translator on any given day, but she managed it in time after running all over the city (hero!).  Allegedly, there are multiple different versions of the ceremony you can choose, but we didn’t get any choice. We were given the most expensive one. The House of Justice had warned us a million times not to be late, so we got there early. You are apparently also not allowed to be early, because they were mean and rude and made me cry, and wouldn’t let me sit in the lobby even though it was freezing outside because there was another wedding (which we never saw any evidence of). I understand not letting me go into the chapel, but the lobby? Totally ridiculous. They made me sit in the closed House of Justice, and when my husband arrived (also early) I couldn’t get out to go sit in the car as the door was locked (That’s safe…). When the time for the ceremony arrived, though, everything went fine. Apparently if you pay the big bucks you get champagne (actually a pretty tasty one), a “first dance,” and a copy of The Knight in the Panther’s Skin. After we were married, we went across the street to Sirajkhana and had a lovely dinner with the small group of family and friends who had come to the legal wedding.

Signing the marriage contract at the House of Justice Credit: Maia Tochilashvili

Logistical Prep:

After we were officially married, the logistical arrangements for the reception and related events became our focus. It wasn’t too hard to decide on our venue: Egri. Their decor was the least over-the-top of places we visited, their food was delicious, and the location made sense for guests (it was also a bit cheaper than other places). We realized later on that it was a huge bonus that it was near G’s office; he could run over on his lunch break and figure out some details, which turned out to be very helpful. I really wanted my guests from abroad to get to see Georgian dancing, and Egri had their own dancers to perform, so we didn’t have to worry about arranging that. . Our photographer Maia recommended a “designer” (florist and more), Edemi, who we agreed to put in charge of making things pretty and otherwise leave it to him (of course he turned out to be from the next village over from G’s relatives…small country). I knew from the very beginning that I wanted the cake to be from Mada, because they are the only bakery I have found in Georgia (so far) whose cakes I consistently like (seriously, try their dark chocolate frosting). They were very easy to work with and design a cake.  Our friend Merab is a professional singer, so he helped us find all the musicians. (The music turned out to be one of the highlights–he got literally some of the best people in the country for us). The videography was arranged by the restaurant because it wasn’t a top priority for us, but they wanted some footage to use as advertising. For other little extra details, we had wanted to flavor some of G’s homemade chacha and put it in mini bottles as favors for the guests, but the only guy at Lilo who had mini bottles only had 26 “until spring”, so we had to reevaluate our plans. We wound up ordering customized bottle openers from the US and having them shipped here. That worked out fine. We also put together some things to keep the kids entertained and bathroom amenity baskets to make our guests more comfortable. G had a contact at a company that rents photo booths, and that sounded like it would be fun, so we organized that as well.

Photo booth photo; we got some really funny ones!

Beyond just the reception, we arranged a discounted block of rooms at Betsy’s Hotel for guests from abroad. Many people chose to go the AirBnB route and found really nice places, but we did have people stay at Betsy’s. We also arranged a post-wedding brunch there, and they were great to work with–everything was easy and nice without a lot of work on my part.  We made welcome bags for our guests from abroad. The bags were designed and printed by Allprint, and we filled them with information about Georgia, snacks, and wine. We had quite the time running around the city trying to find enough boxes of Gurieli black tea bags, which were somehow in short supply! We also found a tour guide to do a walking tour of the city so that guests could get their bearings and get to know one another. We had a “support marshrutka” for the long portions, and where we could keep snacks and heavy bags. That hybrid model worked out well. The guide told some stories and took us to some places that were even new to me. After the tour, we had a welcome dinner at Kakhelebi, which worked out very nicely–they have a separate room for mid-size events, and delicious food. We didn’t even have to arrange things too far in advance for it to work out, and the staff were helpful and accommodating. Because we already had the marshrutka, we didn’t need to worry about the slightly inconvenient location because transportation was already taken care of for the non-locals.

The Day-of:

We had to wake up fairly early in order to get my hair and make-up done in time to get to the Ethnographic Museum by 2 for pictures. So we did. Our Best Man had hired a limo, so we drove there in style. Unfortunately, it was quite cold, so not many of our friends and family came to join us for the pictures, and my Maid of Honor and I were freezing (the guys got lucky with their suits and chokhas!).

Ethnographic Museum Crew Credit: Maia Tochilashvili

It was a long time with no food and no bathroom, so we eventually wound up just going to the wedding early! While we were there and the guests started arriving, I kept telling myself “This is Georgia; nothing is going to go the way you plan it, so don’t get too attached to the small details. Things will still be fine anyway. As long as you give the guests food and wine, they’ll be happy.” And there were things I could have had a meltdown over–the cake was too dark, the flowers were too light (and I have no idea where baby pink entered the equation), some guests didn’t pay attention to the seating chart…but like I had been telling myself, it was all fine. My husband’s brother and cousins did an amazing job of dealing with the most urgent problems so that they didn’t snowball (I hope they got to have fun, too). Despite the small things, the cake tasted delicious (which was more important); the centerpieces didn’t block conversations (my main worry), and people seemed to have fun. We didn’t get to spend as much time with our guests or eat as much food as we’d planned (I’ve read this is basically how weddings go), but we had a good time. Our friend’s teenage daughter described it as “lit”, so I guess we pulled it off!

The kids DEFINITELY had fun Credit: Maia Tochilashvili

Analysis:

Our expenses were in line with those mentioned in Meydan TV’s article on wedding costs in the region, which is still shocking to me, honestly, as our combined salaries are (considerably) above average for Georgia. We had 145 guests and the event felt really lavish to me (more lavish than I had dreamed of), and we did a lot of extras (welcome bags, favors, kids’ entertainment…). I’m not sure what people are doing to get up to some of those numbers! We did keep costs lower by 1) having the reception during Lent (church weddings aren’t allowed during Lent): this meant more vegetarian food on the menu, which is cheaper, and less competition for vendors, so they were willing to work for less rather than not work at all and 2) going with a fairly new restaurant, which hadn’t yet established a “stylish” reputation, but was trying really hard to do so. This made them try very hard and be very accommodating (they did a great job), but their prices weren’t inflated by the cool factor.

Advice:

You HAVE TO be “bridechilla”, or Georgia will drive you nuts. You also really need a Georgian speaker involved in this. My Georgian is pretty good, and I rarely have trouble communicating day-to-day, but this was a whole other level. (Mostly phone calls, which are absolutely my linguistic Achilles’ heel). If any of you have stumbled across this post because you’re planning a Tbilisi wedding, feel free to reach out–I have gained some knowledge, and have wedding planning books looking for a new home!

Vendors:

Photographer: Maia Tochilashvili
Reception Venue: Egri
Reception Flowers and Decor: Edemi Gvarmiani
Reception Music: Merab and friends from Rustavi Ensemble, DJ Giga Papaskiri and his assistant(?), Saba
Reception Dance: Restaurant Egri’s Dance Troupe
Photo Booth/GIFFER: GIFme
Wedding Cake: Madart (“Mada”) Conditery
Make-up: Buta at Ici Paris Beauty Center
Hair: Eka at Beauty Salon Zuka
Printing: Allprint

Where I’m a “Regular”

These aren’t the fanciest, most impressive places in Tbilisi, and they aren’t necessarily the most diverse, but these are the places I keep going back to due to convenience, tastiness and/or tradition. I can’t say I’m enough of a regular that the staff recognize me (well, not at most places), but these are the places where I’ve tried enough things that I don’t have to look at the menu to know what I want and I keep going back for more of it. They may not be the most iconic Tbilisi places or have typical Georgian food, but they’ve definitely got my stamp of approval!

Coffee LAB
The place: I suppose it’s more Nina who’s a regular here, but I’ve tagged along often enough to know the place, too. Great coffee and a nice affordable and fresh menu. The view into the treetops of the park from the top floor is lovely and peaceful.
What I order: chicken wrap (or mushroom sandwich), oreo cheesecake (which is served in more pudding form, but amazing anyway), tall espresso with milk

Culinarium: Khasheria
The place: An after-banya tradition with the girls! Modern, delicious takes on hearty traditional Georgian dishes.
What I order: hot salad, chicken, beef cheeks, whole wheat bread, dips, house wine

Dunkin’ Donuts
The place: A very popular American transplant, Georgian Dunkin’ Donuts also makes some really good Georgian pastries! It seems to be the only place left in town for a bagel (I always find the donuts themselves a bit underwhelming., though) Also a good place to pop in and use the toilet when you’re running around town.
What I order: New York bagel, lobiani, pumpkin spice latte

Entree
The place: When I first came to Tbilisi, this local chain was one of the few places with WiFi, and I spent a LOT of time here. Not the case anymore, but still a good place to pop in for breakfast or a snack on the run.
What I order: Oranais, chocolate and almond croissant (on the rare occasion they have it), chia pudding, avocado and imitation crab salad, latte

Literaturuli Cafe
The place: Another favorite from way back when, and another bookstore cafe.
What I order: lobiani

Pelmeni 1
The place: A hole-in-the-wall of a place in a parking lot across the street from Isani metro station. The food is fantastic and cheap, but unfortunately the smokers have overtaken the formerly-non-smoking section.
What I order: uralskij pelmeni, hand-cut french fries

Ronny’s Pizza
The place: Georgia’s best American pizza place, which has recently added a few locations. They also deliver.
What I order: Wild West (barbecue chicken and roasted garlic) pizza, root beer, Megobari brewing beer

Sakhachapure #1
The place: A local chain that my friend from Batumi proclaimed the best adjaruli outside of Adjara, with many convenient locations. Also, props to them for making a dessert khachapuri–it took too long!
What I order: adjaruli khachapuri, “house dessert” (basically Nutella khachapuri), Laghidze water

Seoul
The place: Delicious Korean food conveniently located around the corner from one of my work locations. I’ve never been to Korea, but I assume the food is pretty good as the place is usually full of Koreans.
What I order: bibimbap (comes with soup and kimchi), tea

Tashir Pizza
The place: An Armenian chain that has recently expanded to Tbilisi (mostly in shopping malls). Though “pizza” is in the name, I’ve always ordered from the sushi menu, and I haven’t been disappointed (remember, though, that I’m a Midwesterner, so my sushi experience may differ from yours).
What I order: sushi with smoked salmon and avocado

Seriously, Gonio beach-chair people?

The beach chairs on Gonio beach in previous summers

Seriously, Gonio beach chair people? You don’t get the whole beach! You can see from the photo of a previous summer, there were quite a few beach chairs for rent on the beach in previous summers, but in summer 2017 the problem really exploded. There wasn’t any beach left WITHOUT beach chairs on it, and the beach chair attendants wouldn’t allow you to move one. The prices aren’t too bad, at 6 GEL/hour, but if I have brought my own chair or mat from home, I don’t really need a beach chair, and I still have a right to use some part of the public beach. There are way more beach chairs for rent than there is demand. The attendant finally relented and let us use a little patch of beach, since we argued that since there were 20 chairs in a row unoccupied, it probably wouldn’t make much of a difference to his bottom line.  Come on now, folks. I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit, but it’s a public beach. You can’t take the whole thing. Capitalism: you’re doing it wrong.

Book Review: Fifty Russian Winters

Fifty Russian Winters by Margaret Wettlin (image from GoodReads)

Wettlin, Margaret. Fifty Russian Winters: An American Woman’s Life in the Soviet Union. New York: Wiley, 1994. Print.

Purchase from my bookshop.org link.

Maybe I’m a little bit nosy, but I’ve always liked books that give me insight into other people’s personal lives. When I was a kid, I read my way through the biography section of the library and preferred novels that were written in diary form. I read more broadly now and will accept non-realistic elements in my books, but I still love a good memoir.

Margaret Wettlin’s story of planning to visit the Soviet Union on a one-month tour and ultimately staying 42 years certainly resonated with me now that I’ve been in Georgia longer than expected. (But I have no intention of staying THAT long!)

I think the most valuable part of this book is her recounting of her experiences during the war. Though I’ve read a decent amount of material about Russia and the Great Patriotic War (/World War Two), I haven’t before come across any first-hand accounts of the civilian experience outside the major cities or of being evacuated. Her short time in Tbilisi during the war was particularly interesting to me. I found it funny that they found a cheap “peasant’s house” in Bagebi “five miles of climb from Tbilisi”(196). Bagebi BARELY counts as a suburb these days, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a cheap anything there. It was a good reminder of the huge changes Georgia underwent as part of the Soviet Union, and the further and faster development I’ve seen even in my few years here.

The greatest weakness of the book was also the most interesting part: Wettlin’s underdeveloped and unsupported political views. She never joined the Communist Party, but she certainly supported the proclaimed Soviet ideals of equality and reform. She even became an informant for the secret police in support of this dream, but when she became disillusioned that her work didn’t seem to be making things better, she quit. She is critical of Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev because they made people’s lives worse, not better. She never would have gotten a good grade on a political science term paper, as she offers no evidence to support her beliefs…but who does, really? How many Americans could give real, evidence-based reasons to explain why they are a Democrat or a Republican? Of course there are many people who can, but I would wager that for the majority of people, it just feels right, as the Soviet dream initially did to Wettlin. Her opinions in this field really shed a lot of light, for me at least, on why so many people continued to support the Soviet Union for so long, despite the hardships they faced.

The book is far from perfect, but that’s a large part of why it’s so interesting. Definitely recommended reading for those interested in Soviet history.

Cooking in the Caucasus

If you’re interested in how I eat and cook on an everyday basis, take a look at my interview “What’s in the fridge?” on my friend Chloe’s blog, Musings on Dinner.