The document provides an overview of a trip to Georgia taken by Andrea, James, and their fellow Peace Corps volunteer Yeri. It shares photos and descriptions of the places they visited including Telavi, the cave town of Uplistsikhe, Tbilisi, and scenic views of the countryside. Details are given about Georgian culture, architecture, and sights seen in the capital city of Tbilisi.

1. Introductions
• Name - Profession/Student. Where?
• A food you like. LIKE = enjoy, have a preference for, am
partial to, find/take pleasure in, appreciate, love, adore,
relish
I adore carrots. - I love eggplant. - I enjoy eating cake.
• A food you dislike. DISLIKE = find distasteful, have an
aversion to, have no liking/taste for, hate, detest, loathe,
abhor, despise, be unable to bear/stand, shrink from,
shudder at, find repellent
I shudder at the notion of eating ketchup. - I loathe mustard.
I find mayonnaise repellent.
• Predict the first snowfall in Kremenchuk. Guess what
day will we have first snow this fall/winter.

2. Swastika
• The swastika is an equilateral cross with its
arms bent at right angles.
– equilateral - having all its sides of the same
length.
• The swastika is still used in Indian Religions,
specifically in Hinduism, Buddhism and
Jainism, as a sacred symbol of good luck.
• Swastikas have also been used in other ancient
civilizations around the world.

3. Swastika
• Earliest archaeological
evidence of swastikas
dates back to the Indus
Valley Civilization in
India.
– Indus - river in southern
Asia, about 1,800 miles
(2,900 km) long, that
flows from Tibet to the
Arabian Sea.
– The Indus Valley
Civilization flourished
from c. 2600 to 1760 bc.

4. Swastika
• The swastika was used as a
symbol of the Nazi Party
of Germany in 1920.
• During the 1930s, a
swastika was incorporated
into the Nazi party flag,
which was made the State
Flag of Germany.

5. Swastika
• Now, the Swastika is associated with Nazism and
White Supremacism since the 1930s in the
western world and is now stigmatized.
– Stigmatize - worthy of disgrace or great
disapproval
• It is outlawed in Germany if used as a symbol of
Nazism.
• Modern political extremists and Neo-Nazi groups
use swastikas or similar symbols.

6. Georgia
Motto: Dzala ertobashia - "Strength is in Unity”

8. Capital (and largest city)
Tbilisi is the
capital and
largest city in
Georgia.
Kiev is the
capital and
largest city in
Ukraine.
Presidential
Palace

9. Georgian Government
Unitary semi-presidential republic
unitary: country is governed as a single unit
semi-presidential: president and prime minister
“share” power
republic: people retain power over the government -
people elect representatives
Ukraine is a unitary semi-presidential republic.
Most Eureopean governments are unitary semi-
presidential republics.

10. Modern Statehood
- Independence from Russian Empire - May 26, 1918
- Independence from the Soviet Union Finalized -
December 25, 1991

12. Area - 69,700 km2 (120th) - 26,911 sq mi
• Ukraine is 46th largest country. (View of Tbilisi).

13. Population -
~ 4,636,400 (121st).
Ukraine has
~ 45,706,126 and is
the 29th most populas
nation.
Tbilisi after dark.

14. An aside….Population
• China (1st) - 1,339,724,852
• India (2nd) - 1,210,193,422
• USA (3rd) - 312,162,00
• Ukraine (29th) - 45,706,126
• Georgia (121th) - 4,636,400

15. Ethnic Groups
83.8% Georgian,
6.5% Azeri,
5.7% Armenian,
1.5% Russian,
2.5% others
Ukraine
77.8% Ukrainian,
17.3% Russian,
4.9% Other

16. Official language
• Georgian
Other languages
• 71% Georgian
• 9% Russian
• 7% Armenian
• 6% Azeri
• 7% others.

17. Religion
83.9% Orthodox
Christianity
3.9% Armenian
Christians
9.9% Muslims
0.8% Roman Catholics
Sameba (Trinity)
Cathedral in Tbilisi.
Construction lasted 18
years - 1995-2003.

18. Georgian Christian
architecture is known
as the Georgian
cross-dome style.
Cross-dome
architecture
developed in Georgia
during the 9th
century.
Sameba (Trinity)
Cathedral in Tbilisi.

19. Andrea and James’ Excellent Adventure

20. Photos courtesy of
Andrea Zimmerman.

21. Our traveling companion and
fellow PCV - Yeri

23. On our way to Telavi.

24. Telavi

25. Home stay

27. Sighnavi a fortress in the
mountains. In the
distance, Azerbaijan hills.

28. During its history, Sighnavi has never
been captured or take over by an
enemy. In the distance, Azerbaijan hills.

29. Near Telavi - Monastery in the
hills.

30. Restoration of frescos.

31. Ancient university and monastery under
renovation. Note: The center for tourists and
updated road.

32. BBQ in the hills near Telavi.

33. In Georgia, there is a
series of approximately
32 toasts.

34. Our host.
In Georgia, women
drink red wine and men
drink white.

36. Near Gori is the cave town of
Uplistsikhe. From the 4th
century BC until 4th century AD
it was the cultural center of East
Georgia.

37. During the best of times, 20,000
people lived in Uplistsikhe.

38. During the middle ages,
Uplistsikhe was a stop on the
silk route from Byzantium and
India.

39. View from Uplistsikhe.
More ruins.
The cave town is
carved into soft
stone.

40. Tbilisi
Baratashvili Bridge
(Bridge of Peace)
spans the Mtkvari
River.

41. The average
temperature during our
stay 42C (107F).
Freedom
Square

42. People lived in these
buildings
Buildings near the
Presidential Palace and
Sameba (Trinity) Cathedral.

43. Nariqala - principal
fortress of the city from
4th - 18th century.

46. Dancing water fountain in the park
below the presidential palace.

48. The fortress, Nariqala, at night.
A scary
looking
Mother
Georgia.

49. Mother Georgia…

50. The new business center.

51. Tbilisi has a rich
café culture.
All three of the
people in this
picture have been
to Kremenchuk.

52. …and now we’re back in Kremenchuk.