Recap of May 17, 2014 in Tbilisi

May 19, 2014 by Meghan Johnson

Short story: May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia This day last year in Tbilisi, demonstrations turned into a mob rampage, when over 20,000 men (some estimates were as high as 40,000) attacked a small group of LGBT supporters This year, the Georgian Orthodox Church declared May 17 to be the Day of Family Strength, celebrating traditional values.  They marched through the city and demonstrated against a recently passed anti-discrimination bill. LGBT groups could not rally or demonstrate, due […]

Categories: Conflict, Gender, Georgia, LGBT, Tbilisi • Tags: Discrimination, Eurasia, Georgia, Homophobia, Human Rights, IDAHO, IDAHOT, Invisibility, LGBT, May 17, May17, Orthodox Church, Tbilisi, Violence

Remembering May 17

May 15, 2014 by Meghan Johnson

May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia.  It was on this day last year that I realized I could not live long-term in Georgia. I don’t want to start any debates around homosexuality or any sexuality.  This blog isn’t a platform to preach my personal beliefs.  I can respect opinions that differ from mine, but I have no respect for what happened in the video above. What happened on May 17, 2013 was an example of the power of the church superseding the power of […]

Categories: Conflict, Eurasia, Europe, Georgia, Tbilisi, Travel • Tags: Feminism, Georgia, Homophobia, Human Rights, IDAHO, LGBT, LGBTQ, May 17, microfinance, Tbilisi, Travel

Georgian Cuisine All-Star Team

March 26, 2014 by Meghan Johnson

I’ve been planning to do a post on Georgian food for a long time.  It’s a big selling point for the country.  Russia is full of Georgian restaurants, and they’re popping up in the States.  Cheesy, doughy, meaty, satisfying.  Usually served in reasonable portions, but unending courses.  It’s colorful and seasonal, with an emphasis on fresh produce in the summer and pickled everything in the winter. I can’t possibly cover all aspects of Georgian cuisine here, so I’ll give you my […]

Categories: Eurasia, Europe, Food, Georgia, Tbilisi

Abkhazian Khachapuri, and baking away my feelings.

March 23, 2014 by Meghan Johnson

Word on the street is that my recent blog post about why I moved home was offensive to a lot of people in my previous home, which surprises and saddens me because I didn’t say anything incriminating about Georgia.  Anyone who has followed my blog for the past year knows that I have said a lot more positive things about Georgia than negative.  So, I’m feeling a little stressed and sad these days… again.  What better way is there to […]

Categories: 2014, Food, Georgia, Travel • Tags: Baking, Georgia, Khachapuri

The Grayest City

March 21, 2014 by Meghan Johnson

Looking back at the photos I shared of Georgia, I realize they are mostly shots of mountains and statues and cows and waterfalls.  But that certainly wasn’t my day-to-day experience.  I want to share some photos that are more representative of daily life in Tbilisi, which is where I spent 95% of my time.  The majority of that time was spent outside of the beautiful Old City, in residential neighborhoods. I lived in a neighborhood called Saburtalo, above a shopping center. […]

Categories: 2013, Eurasia, Europe, Georgia, Tbilisi, Travel

Home

March 15, 2014 by Meghan Johnson

I’m home in New Jersey, folks.  I left Georgia last week.  I haven’t write anything for ages because every time I sat down and typed something out, it looked like it was dribbled by a six-year-old. I started writing this post many times, in many different ways, and disliked them all.  Or, they just puttered out mid-paragraph and refused to grow any more.  So this time, I decided just to throw the facts down without any primping. The simplest way […]

Categories: 2014, Eurasia, Feminism, Georgia, Tbilisi, Touchy Feelies, Travel

Harvest in Satemo

December 2, 2013 by Meghan Johnson

All photos taken by Lasha Merabishvili. In late September, I joined a friend and his family for a weekend in their village outside of Gori.  We took a marshrutka (a small bus or large van, usually bright yellow, which is the most common form of public transportation in Georgia) from Tbilisi to Gori, and then something that looked like a Soviet-era school bus from Gori to Satemo.  I’d estimate the top speed of this second bus to have been about […]

Categories: Eurasia, Georgia, History, The Great Outdoors, Travel • Tags: Eurasia, Georgia, Photography, Travel, Wine, winemaking

Autumn in a Flash

November 4, 2013 by Meghan Johnson

These days, it takes being stuck in bed with a fever to get me to sit still and write something that isn’t for work.  The positive side of getting sick in different countries is that it reveals local beliefs about remedies and convalescence (usually some combination of tea, lemon, and honey), and some castigation for whatever I did to cause the illness in the first place (in Russia, it was running outdoors).  Here in Georgia, the advice has been to […]

Categories: 2013, Eurasia, Friendship, Georgia, Tbilisi • Tags: autumn, Eurasia, fall, Friendship, Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, Tbilisi

Carpet shopping

August 20, 2013 by Meghan Johnson

Some things I saw on a casual Saturday in Tbilisi, accompanying two Swedish visitors as they shopped for Georgian carpets in the Old City.

Categories: 2013, Eurasia, Europe, Friendship, Georgia, Graffiti, Tbilisi, Travel • Tags: Eurasia, Georgia, Photography, Tbilisi, Travel