The End

    This always happens. I turn my back for a few minutes and then suddenly the trip is over. I'm leaving Georgia tomorrow, very early in the morning. I had the last day of my internship yesterday, and said good-bye to the paleontologist who I had been working with. I got her email address and promised to write. Considering the fact that I've only known her for a week, I was surprised how sad I was to say good-bye to her. She was a really kind, interesting mentor, and I'm going to miss her.
    Last night our whole group had a big farewell dinner at a nearby restaurant.

There was loud music and it was generally hectic, so I didn't really enjoy that, but at least there was good food.











Today I walked around the city a bit with my roommate for the last time. While I'm not a big fan of the city itself, because it is (like most cities) busy and full of noxious fumes, it was nice to see some of the buildings that I had grown familiar with once more before leaving. It was a little chilly today, but the sun was shining and it was actually kind of pleasant.

Strangely enough, we passed a big group of kids offering free hugs.











Tonight my host family had a good-bye dinner for me and my roommate, which was much more pleasant than the big group one. It was also very sad. And I now finally have pictures of my family!

My host mom setting the table.

My host dad cutting bread.

My host dad and host sisters, Internet-code-names I and M.

Left to right: My host mom, my roommate, my sister (code-name I), a cousin who was visiting, my host dad and my other sister,  code-name M. Way in the bottom right corner is Chiara, the dog.









After dinner we spent a long time talking together and looking at some of the family's picture albums. My sisters and I came up with some new games that didn't involve speaking. We spent at least fifteen minutes making farting noises at each other and laughing. It was fantastic. Finally I had to go off and pack and, since I wasn't expecting them to get up heinously early tomorrow, I hugged my sisters good-bye. I really wished I'd had more than three weeks to get to know them. They were a lot of fun to spend time with, and I'm really going to miss them. I know I'm going to feel the same way tomorrow, when I say good-bye to my host parents. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better family, and I'm definitely going to be keeping in touch with them. It's so cool to think that I now have friends in Georgia.

This trip didn't feel like three weeks, and I'm still in the process of digesting a lot of things (including the massive dinner I just had). It was definitely a good experience, and one that I've taken a lot away from. While I'm not sure if I'll visit Tbilisi again in the near future, I now feel like I understand a lot more about Georgia than I could by just reading about the country. And I can now connect it with actual people, who I've gotten to know and care for. And, in my opinion, that's the best thing one can take from going abroad.
Okay. That was kind of sappy. I hope you've enjoyed the blog, and feel free to ask me questions. I'm off to bed. I have a plane to catch in six hours.
Good night!