This will be a new feature of the blog - we'll write some thoughts on life in Tbilisi, and link some interesting words and phrases so that you can learn them. Enjoy...
My neighbour is an interesting guy. He's quite old, but on the day I arrived in Tbilisi he came and introduced himself, and told my Georgian colleague that if I have any problems I should go and see him, which was a nice gesture, I thought. However, he doesn't speak any English, and my Georgian is still limited. Every time I see him, though, he tries to communicate things to me. This always follows a pattern. First, we exchange pleasantries in Georgian (I can manage that now...). Then, he asks me, or tells me, something in Georgian. I shrug and convey that I don't understand. He then tries again in Russian, even though he's aware that I don't understand Russian. I shrug again, he looks dismayed, we smile at each other and part company.
One day, he knocked on my door and gave me a book. It's a book in Russian about learning English. He suggested I could learn Russian from it. This was a nice gesture, but I tried to explain to him that I can't read Russian, so had no idea what the book said. He didn't understand, so I still have the book, and he seems to think that that is how my Georgian is improving.
He may sound a little mad, but I think he is a good example of why I like living in Georgia - he's always friendly, always tries to chat with me, even though he knows I won't understand, always shakes my hand, and whenever someone is around who speaks English he asks them to tell me that I can call on him at any time if I have any problems. Very hospitable and welcoming.
Do you have any similar stories? You can add them in the comments below, or you can just say what you think of the story.
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