Georgia

Gloucester High School writers: Adam El-Khatib, Jawaad Khan; editor: Money
Deb

General

Now we arrive in Georgia! Georgia is a country right on the intersection of Europe and Asia. Georgia is a former member of the Soviet Republic such as other popular countries like Russia, Ukraine, Latvia and a few more. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. Tbilisi is a region in north-west Georgia known for its architectural treasures and picturesque landscapes. Due to the fact that Georgia is placed firmly in the middle between Europe and Asia, one of the more beautiful tourist attraction is the Caucasus Mountains. These mountains stretch between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Also There is a volcano in the region that is named Mount Elbrus that is known to be the highest volcano of the northern hemisphere. It’s still an active volcano, but don’t worry, it hasn’t erupted in the last 2000 years and hopefully won’t anytime soon.The country of Georgia is large but compared to Canada, it doesn’t even come close. While Georgia is 69,700 square kilometres, Canada is 9,984,670 square kilometres. That means Canada is more than 140 times bigger than Georgia which is a pretty significant difference.Georgia has a population density of 56 people per square kilometer, which is an ideal population density so you don’t have worry about crowds.  

Before going to Georgia, you’re going to need a bit of info that will help guide you through the country safe and easy. First, as you should already know the country does not speak the same language as we do in Canada. Yes, you’ll be able to find certain people that speak english but learning a few key words and phrases in Georgian (the language they speak in Georgia) will assist you on your journey such as yes, no, hello thank you and where is the closest bathroom. Also, their currency is completely different to that of a Canadian dollar. In Georgia, they use the Georgian lari. One Canadian dollar is equal to about 2 dollars in Georgia, so Canadians will get a bigger bang for their buck.

Image: .https://www.georgianjournal.ge/discover-georgia/35157-tbilisi-at-night-seems-so-romantic-and-attractive.html

Travel

Georgia definitely has done something better than Canada and that’s their road safety. Travelling to Georgia would result in a very safe trip because the road conditions are close to perfect. Accidents are at an all-time low with less than 1000 accidents per year. The speed limits in Georgia are slower than in Canada which is probably why this is the case. Within Georgia there is a max speed limit of 90 km/h while in Canada, it’s around 110-120 km/h. Even according to the Government of Canada travel advisory, taking standard security protocols is enough to be travelling safely. One important highway that all participants must be familiar with is highway S1. This highway extends to about 571 km and is by far the largest in the country. It shouldn’t take too long for the participants to cross this land because the whole nation itself is tiny with a distance across the nation of 1814 km.

Sports and Leisure

https://upclosed.com/people/elene-gedevanishvili/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nino_Tsiklauri

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaza_Pachulia

https://www.last.fm/music/Diana+Gurtskaya/+wiki

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lela_Tsurtsumia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merab_Ninidze

Food and Dining

When going to a country like Georgia, you will have to get used to their food and culture and knowing some dishes can help you to settle in comfortably for the short time you’re there. One of the most traditional local dishes of Georgia is the dumpling-like food know as”Khinkali.” Khinkali is a popular food made with a variety of fillings. In the mountains, this much-praised dish is made with lamb, which comes in abundance, elsewhere, a mixture of minced beef and pork is also used. Another dish is Mtsvadi, which is kebab like dish that consists of lamb or pork and is symbol of true celebration. Pricing for food and beverages are surprisingly reasonable with a bag of chips only costs about fifty cents in Canadian dollars, and the average meal in a restaurant sells for about seven dollars. That being said, some leading supermarkets are Fresco Ortachala and Agrohub. These are among the most popular supermarkets in the nation, and this is where your average Georgian household would   purchase their groceries.

(Georgian Restaurant menu)

Image: https://www.zomato.com/new-york-city/georgian-house-brighton-beach/menu

Challenges and Possible Dangers

To be entirely straightforward Georgia is a terrific country. Hence identifying risks is a difficult task but the country is bordered with Russia so it wouldn’t be the smartest move to act immaturely near the border or attempt to cross the it. Other than that, some things that may pose a problem are knowing the directions and being able to take the right routes because it is a foreign country and most people aren’t familiar with the roads. Also, you must be careful when driving because us Canadians are used maintaining speed limits in kilometres; however that is not the case in Georgia They use miles as their unit of speed measurement.