TIPS FOR VISITING GEORGIA

1. Save your Dramamine patches for the car rides!
Riding as a passenger in Georgia can be a very frightful and nauseating experience if you begin the trip unprepared. The roads in Georgia could be at best considered bumpy and tend to wind along with the shape of the mountains. Cows, pigs, and all forms of livestock use the highways freely and drivers must share the road. Such sharing often leads to drivers making sudden stops and quick jerks to avoid a collision. You will also find that in Georgia, lines painted on the road serve more as decoration than as boundaries. Often two cars will travel side by side in the same lane and pass other cars together. Riding on or straddling the white line is customary in Georgia so do not be scared. Most of all take your Dramamine, prepare to hold on tight, and avoid watching the road as much as possible. In doing so you will have a less nauseating experience.



2. Invest in earplugs especially if you plan to visit before the middle of May!
In Georgia it is considered bad luck to marry from the middle of May to the middle of June. Therefore, during the first weeks of May everyone tires to host a wedding. Weddings here are just as much a celebration as they are anywhere else and are followed by a long night of drinking and partying. The parties can become very loud and are usually not over until 3 a.m. In order to feel rested we suggest that you bring earplugs.

3. Leave your watch at home!
While in Georgia you should learn to operate on Georgian time. This simply means do not worry about waking up early and do not expect for others to be punctual. Georgians lead a very relaxed lifestyle; they come and go as they please and do not worry over the time. If a Georgian is 30 minutes or an hour late, they are not being rude, they simply just had other things to do.

4. Learn to like eggs!
The poultry industry is very large in Georgia as nearly every household has free-range chickens. When you go out to eat do not be alarmed if everything you order comes with an egg. For example if your club sandwich, hamburger, or even soup is accompanied by an egg have no fear….this is normal in Georgia.

5. When your toes begin tingling it is time to stop mingling!
In Georgia it is customary to drink wine with your meals. It is also common for the host to give 7 or more toasts during one meal. If you do not have a large tolerance for alcohol make sure that you drink slowly and do not feel pressured to drink your entire glass for one toast. Most importantly, when you begin to tingle you should make that your last drink. Georgian wines and vodka can be very strong and as the Georgians say, it doesn’t take much to “get your blood flowing.” Simply tell your host that you need to go and have the final toast.



This was our first supra. It was here that we discovered rule #5!

6. When packing, prepare for all types of weather!
The weather in Georgia varies greatly from region to region. In most areas the mornings are cool and require a light jacket, but by the middle of the day things usually have warmed up quite a bit and tank tops are comfortable. In May, the weather by the sea is warm enough for one to spend a day at the beach, however, at the same time in other regions the weather is cold enough for skiing. It is possible to spend your morning skiing and warm up in the afternoon on the beach so pack accordingly!



Kerry, Rachael, and Bridget standing in the snow only hours after burning up in another region of Georgia.