Happy Thanksgiving

Georgian 5th Grade
I taught some of my classes this week about Thanksgiving. And no Thanksgiving class is complete without making a hand turkey with things you are thankful for written in it.

Georgian 8th Grade

Georgian 9th Grade

Georgian 11th Grade

Georgian 12th Grade

Circus

Rabati

I went to the Belarus-Ukraine-Georgia traveling circus with some students from my Russian section 10th grade class.

There was a clown who sexually harassed people (only males so it was O.K...). Last year he apparently pulled someones pants off in front of everyone, so I made sure to wear a belt to the performance.

There were many acrobats, but the most unique was a man who twirled a giant cube around.

The best part of the circus was the animals. There were dogs that walked on their hind legs and performed traditional Georgian dances, a llama was paraded around for a while, and.... there was a bear that rode a scooter! The rest of my trip (and probably the rest of your life) will be a denouement after seeing the contents of this video.

Village of Sukhlise

Dried persimmons

Some of my host family's relatives live in the village of Sukhlise, which is a five minute drive from Akhaltsikhe. My host family owns a car that runs on natural gas, which is common in Georgia because natural gas is much cheaper than oil. Though they call it a village, Sukhlise still has power and running water, unlike some villages in Georgia.

Every November families here slaughter a cow if they can afford one. Most of the meat is preserved for winter and the rest is eaten during a pre-winter feast.

First the meat is boiled in a pot with oil.

Then the meat is put in jars that are boiled in hot water. Hot stones are put on top of the jars to seal them and evenly cook the meat.

The result

Georgian/Armenian food

Georgian/Armenian desserts

Home

My host family

Sergei likes to play guitar in the study.

Badass living room with not one, but two bear skins

The backyard

Rubick studying in the kitchen/dining room.

Our epic bathroom, with possibly the best shower in Akhaltsikhe.

My room

Warsaw

Downtown Warsaw, decorated for National Independence Day, when Poland declared independence from Russia in 1918.

The Royal Castle. Most buildings in Warsaw have been destroyed a couple of times, and the castle is no exception; it was destroyed by the Swedes in the 17th century and the Nazis in 1944.

Ceiling mural

Polish Atlas

The Royal Throne

Hurts So Good

For some reason there was a painting of Socrates and his wife.

Polish Joffrey

John III Sobieski, the King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1674-1696. He lead the victorious Polish, Austrian, and German troops in the Battle of Vienna against the Ottoman Empire, and is heralded as the savior of European Christianity.

I'm obligated to post pictures of the churches from everywhere I go.

The center of Old Town is very touristy.

Polish Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Bee for Vendetta. Ha!

Nicolaus Copernicus

I visited the National Museum of Warsaw. Here's some of my favorite paintings. Partridges, 1891, Jozef Chelmonski

Antibes - Morning, 1914, Paul Signac

Polish Hamlet, 1903, Jacek Malczewski

Obsession, 1900, Wojciech Weiss

"I will fight my sister tooth and nail to get what I deserve. Because I, Bertram Geiss, am still Daddy's fancy boy."

The Battle of Grunwald. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's victory over the Teutonic Knights in 1410 began the golden era of the Jagiellon dynasty.

I also visited the Museum of the Polish Army. This is an 80 cm armor piercing shell used in "Dora," the largest railway gun every developed. It was only used once: by the Nazis in the Siege of Sevastopol (Crimea, Ukraine), 1942. Only 47 rounds were ever fired.

An "Insurgent Armored Vehicle" used by the Poles in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.

Marshall Jozef Pilsudski was arguably Poland's greatest military leader and largely responsible for the establishment of the Second Republic of Poland in 1918.

The museum had a respectable collection of militaria from around the world.

Gatling Gun

A cavalry charge between the Poles and the Soviets during the Battle of Wolodarka, 1920. The Polish-Soviet War is arguably the last war in which cavalry was even remotely useful.

A jerry-rigged catapult used in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.

I'd like to meet the man who needed armor for his mustache.

Badass armor worn by the Poles in the Battle of Khotyn (1621) when they fought off an Ottoman invasion.

Polish armor worn in the mid-18th century...

... and the military uniforms worn a couple decades later.

The Palace of Culture and Science, Stalin's gift to Poland. It is the tallest building in Poland and the 8th tallest building in the European Union. I saw Skyfall here.