Why I Love Doctor Who

I've spent most of my life being a fan of some kind of science fiction series or another. I was one of those kids that never chose a side in the great Star Wars v. Star Trek debate because I loved (and still love) both of them. I mean, I will chew you a new one if you mess up and call one by the other ones name, but that's a different argument entirely. Farscape, Firefly, Babylon 5, Stargate, a short bout with Lexx, Dune, Aliens, Predator, all the countless one-offs of authors I figured I would try out and it just never worked. It's been a long, long time with science fiction, and it's all been awesome.

It's all space, and new planets, aliens, amazing technology, and humans doing every bit of it. Tiny, insignificant, stupid little humans amid all of this incredible stuff.

It makes sense, since it's our brainchild and whatnot, but still. I really like the thought of humans actually going out to the stars and doing all sorts of cool stuff. Especially in this day and age, when sciences in schools are suffering from budget cuts, as are the largest and most important agencies in the country, which are single handedly responsible for so many small daily things that make our lives better. I mean, where would this world be if we didn't have velcro? I certainly would never have had arguments with my mother in the Payless Shoe Store about what shoes I wanted, because I insisted upon the ones with the awesome velcro straps and she opposed my obvious fashionista choices. What kind of world would we live in if child and mother couldn't bicker about this important issue?

A terrible world. That's the one.

Humans play a role in each and every one of these aforementioned universes. We're ancillary in some cases, and pivotal in others. Normally our emotions get the best of us, and we're mocked for being small creatures, governed not by logic or any type of helpful thing, but our hearts. We also don't have any kind of interesting ability, like super strength, or psychic powers, so that kind of sucks. Earth is constantly getting fucked with, since we lack any kind of sound defense system, or widespread education to make sure that our population is actually informed enough to fight off some ruling power we don't agree with. They're all pretty accurate gripes with humanity, honestly.

The various sci-fi series I've been involved with have touched different parts of me - Star Wars was pure tech geekery and sparkly explosions and great music, Star Trek was the anthropologist that's always been buried in the deepest parts of my personality, Dune was the sheer complexity of the story. And it was with all of these beloved canons that I approached Doctor Who.

Naturally, given all of those in the back of my head, I hated it.

My family, for years, had told me I would love Doctor Who (the reboot). Unfortunately, I'm very stubborn. If someone tells me I will like something, I will usually approach it with an intent to NOT like it, just because. So my first passing of this show was met with my usual resistance, but I couldn't help but NOT like certain aspects of it. I particularly loved how the universe was saved several times by someone with goofy hair and Converse All-Stars. That really rung true with me.

However, aside from being stubborn, I also am not a huge fan of change, so when it was inevitable that we got a new Doctor, naturally I was both devastated and convinced that any new Doctor ever more would be subpar to my favorite one (if it makes any difference, I'm a Ten girl at heart). I actually spent weeks just being simultaneously sad and upset about the fact that some new floppy haired lanky Brit was running around calling himself "The Doctor" in MY Tardis. I was doubly upset when his companion wasn't as cool as my favorite one, because who could really top Rose?

I never even finished the series the first time through. I got halfway into the [at the time] latest season and then said fuck it and never revisited it. But it always stuck in the back of my mind. There was a part of Doctor Who that I really liked, and I couldn't really figure out what it was. I knew all the things that I hated - the really corny graphics and storylines; how it just felt like it was trying too hard always; the companions post Rose never seemed to quite fit as right as her (this goes back to my stupid opinion that anything after an original something is crap) - but I was never able to really put my finger on what it was that made me actually enjoy watching it. I felt both invested and indifferent simultaneously, and that was a very new feeling for me.

Since I've been home, and my family is all one big Whovian clan, we've been rewatching key episodes/seasons so I can get caught up in time for the Christmas special. As such, I've had a lot of time to rethink my opinion of the show, and I've come to a few important conclusions about it.

The first is that Doctor Who is actually awesome. As mentioned previously, I used to care that it was horribly cheesy and boasted effects that were straight out of the 70s. We can forget about the fucking Daleks and Cybermen, because they're echoes from a past age, and no one likes them, but they're still a part of this goofy universe. And that's really why I love it.

Doctor Who is goofy as shit.

It doesn't take itself seriously. It doesn't try to be anything else, because it can't be. At its best it's a story about a madman with a blue box, and at it's worst it's a story about a madman with a blue box. Either way, it's a story with a madman, his blue box and him traveling around in time with said box.

But what I've really come to appreciate are the undertones of episodes, and the unspoken themes that are carried out through the story arches in the seasons. Friendship, love, loyalty, loneliness, loss, hope, insignificance, importance. They're all pretty important and big issues, and somehow each episode makes you think of one, if not more, of these themes. They do so in really subtle ways, too, and that's why it's really awesome. The Doctor is the last of his race, and all of his actions are made with this fact in mind - that he is the last, and that ultimately he is alone. And that leads me to my favorite part of Doctor Who, which is the role humans have in it.

The Doctor is this ancient being who has seen and done a lot of messed up shit. He's constantly trying to come to terms with the fact that he's the last remaining member of his species, and that it was his own doing. Yet the only thing that keeps him in line and keeps him grounded is the human that he travels with. And sure, his companion is usually some super cute British girl (because god forbid The Doctor ever come to Upper Michigan and find me to go around the universe with, but I digress!), but the point still stands that his companions are smart, capable, and always provide him with some facet of an opinion he hadn't considered. Many times, they get mega noble (HA!!), or end up doing something reckless just because they care about him. The writers don't try to write out our human tendencies - instead they play them up. We're constantly doing idiotic things, especially for people we care about, whether they be physically insane or that of the emotional variety. And while many science fiction writers try to make humans sound more badass than we actually are, Doctor Who's writers kind of call bullshit on us and our stupid tendencies. They actually show us that it's ok to do certain things without knowing the outcome, or just trusting someone else, because at the end of the day you'll probably keep the universe from collapsing if you just shut up and do something you feel is right.

I dig that.

I also really love the character of The Doctor. I mean for starters his name is The Doctor. He fixes things with his technologically awesome screwdriver. He doesn't have a gun, or a crazy warship. He's got a time traveling police call box and this crappy screwdriver which can really only effectively lock doors and he still is able to save the world repeatedly. Call me stupid, but I like the idea of someone being able to problem solve without brute force. I like that he actually thinks and has to come up with solutions as opposed to besting his adversity through violence. Even Star Trek, which is arguably one of the most passive TV shows around (excepting of course the Dominion War and the last two seasons of Voyager), doesn't have the intellectual beef Doctor Who does.

I still miss my favorite combination of Doctor and companion (Ten and Rose), and I'm still sad a lot of times that I watch the show that I only got one season of them. However, Eleven is awesome, and Amy Pond has totally grown on me. She's snarky and smart and sassy, which are three things I always appreciate in a female protagonist. And Matt Smith is possibly one of the most adorably dorky guys on the planet, which is another thing I really appreciate.

And that's one thing that no other science fiction series has really been able to nail - the mega attractive guys. No clue what it is about scrawny, tall, smart dudes, but right now, between Doctor Who and Sherlock, Britain certainly knows what's up. Granted, the newest Doctor is way older than the previous two, so this statement doesn't hold true, but with Ten, Eleven and Sherlock they hit the nail on the head as far as internet fan girls are concerned.

And realistically, that's all that's fueling this whole post. Internet fan girldom. Also beer.

I've tried to not be one of THOSE girls, and I'm pretty successful at it most times. But considering a large portion of my life the last few days has been all Doctor Who all the time, and it for some reason has been really resonating with me, I figured I would let the whole world know how I felt about it.

Also, nothing interesting really happens in Upper Michigan, so why not write about Doctor Who?

Also, I need to stop updating this when beer.

Winter

I've been home for eight days.

It has snowed, or threatened to snow, for all eight of those days.

While I've come to the strange realization that I actually love winter in many ways, I'm not to Lorelei Gilmore levels of snowy adoration quite yet.

I can only drink so many cups of black tea and honey every day to stave off the crushing greyness that's outside, so today I took drastic measures.

Vitamin D pills. It's so good to see you again. Please fix my brain chemistry and make me feel like a person again.

Initial American Thoughts

I'm writing this after four days of being back on American soil, numerous showers, and in front of a space heater while my nails dry. I finally look like myself again instead of some ashy skinned tired-eyed hosebeast who smells like dirt and handwashed laundry (the song "I'm Sexy And I Know It" comes to mind...).

The flight from Tbilisi was probably one of the longest bits of anything ever. In the history of ever. Tbilisi to Istanbul to Toronto to Chicago, and then seven hours driving straight north. I've got to say, I'm highly annoyed by the lack of power outlets and free wifi in airports (excepting the Toronto airport, of course. Leave it to the Canadians to give us free wifi!). Is it really so hard to provide those things? I feel like it's not, and that it's just a way for them to force you to pay an exorbitant amount of money to enjoy lackluster speeds, all from a computer (or smart phone) that is perilously low on battery because you've been unable to find a god damn power outlet anywhere! And when you do find an outlet, it will inevitably be in a very awkward location, forcing you to sit on the ground and get questionable looks from other travelers, airline workers, and even the janitorial staff. But that is nothing compared to the puzzled glances and stares from the surrounding humans when I bust out The Rig.

Behold! The Rig! All together it's slightly larger than my head...

The Rig is the term of endearment used for how I get power to my electronic devices in Georgia. While many people have said, "Doesn't that all seem a bit excessive and superfluous?" I would argue that since I lack the capital to replace my computer, iPhone, or camera battery, no. It is not excessive, nor superfluous. Although, I think that something along the line is broken, as my computer tends to buzz a little bit, and I can actually feel an electric current when I touch the body. Probably not awesome for me or Helix, but that's kind of where we are at the moment.

Anyway. As I was sitting on the floor of the Istanbul airport, unable to touch my computer cause it was electrically uncomfortable, praying that both it and my phone would charge up fully before the 11 hour flight across the ocean, I kept having the feeling like I was getting stared at. And sure enough, whenever I looked up from the mindless scribbling in my notebook that was keeping me occupied, if it wasn't the judgmental Polish guys glaring incredulously at my power supply situation, then it was a young child who, after kicking my leg cause they didn't see the four feet of space I was occupying around the outlet, would stop their mother and point at me quizzically. 

Come on, people. You know the shortage of power outlets in airports. Also, if you would like to supply me with a monetary safety cushion to replace my beloved electronics, I will happily forego my crazy ensemble for electricity. Until then, move along! Nothing to see!

So onto my Air Canada flight I climb, mentally divvying up the time on the plane where I could listen to music on my phone, charge it through USB on my computer, and then still have enough juice for music for the last 4 hours of the trip through Toronto. And then, I sat down. And in front of me what did I see? What glorious sight was like a welcome reprieve through the desert of no electricity? The thing that has made Air Canada my new favorite airline on the planet. 

A USB plug AND a normal North American outlet?? I've died and gone to heaven! Why don't ALL airlines have this??

For the first time in months, I plugged my computer in and it didn't buzz. I could use my headphones while it was charging without having a weird feeling like my brain was being fried! It was magical!

And then I realized that maybe coming back, even if only for a month, wouldn't be so bad. I've been dreading more and more the return to America for several reasons, all of which have been seeming more and more daunting the closer my flight became. However, I'm happy to say that since I'm still in my "everything is so shiny!" phase, I've compiled a list as to why America is enjoyable right now.

1. Taco Bell is probably the most delicious thing ever. It may just be the pinnacle of Mexican cuisine. 

2. Hot, long showers every day.

3. During said hot, long showers, actually shaving my legs. However, having to use a pumice stone on them definitely brought down my awesome feelings. But now they're back to feeling normal, and no longer resemble reptile skin, so that's wonderful!

4. Painting my nails with nailpolish that stays on through showers, daily activities, and stern looks!

5. Cutting my hair with scissors! While I finally gave up on ever seeing my scissors in Georgia again and thus started cutting my hair with a Swiss Army Knife, the pure simple delight of trimming my bangs without the fear of a knife slipping and impaling my eyeball was magnificent! I even got crazy yesterday and gave my entire head a little update. In my uncontrollable zeal I found that since the front parts of my hair are longer than the back, I can actually tie them under my chin, thus making it look like a babushka. Naturally I chased my sisters dog around a little whilst rocking this do.

6. Two Hearted IPA is the nectar of the gods. 

7. Driving. Pure and simple. 

8. Central heating. My home in Georgia is only warm in one room, and that is not my bedroom or the bathroom. It's cool to not be freezing when I need to visit the latrine.

9. Wearing a combination of big stompy winter boots and my dumb black stretchy pants, thus making me feel like a character out of a science fiction game. I hate to be that bimbo that just cannot be bothered to leave her comfy black yoga pants to go out in public, but it lets me think that maybe today I might just get to shoot some aliens in the face, so deal with it, world!

10. Christmas lights! Flying into Toronto, I kept seeing all these colorful little blotches on the ground. And then I realized that they were Christmas lights on houses and trees! It was really nice to see, as no houses in Georgia really don these. 

11. Christmas in general. Christmas is my favorite. It means Love Actually, and Nightmare Before Christmas, and A Christmas Story, and listening to the Beatles album Love while we decorate the tree.  It's being a spaz with my sister and running around her house like a freakpants while putting up oodles of sparkly things and harassing her poor dog. 

12. Drinking a never ending supply of tea while wrapped up in a blanket with a space heater pointed at my toes, all to the wonderful joy of Netflix and its continuous play. I've missed you a lot, Netflix. I want to give your non corporeal little self a big ol' hug. 

Georgia Is Actually Middle Earth

I'm not going to lie. The very first thing I noticed when I did my preliminary Google search on this country was that the alphabet looked outstandingly similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's Elvish. Naturally, I got ridiculously excited about this, and it sort of sealed the deal on my decision to come here. Forget the free ticket, the healthcare, and the promise of adventure and new things. No. It was that the alphabet resembled a fake language that I once knew and wrote a lot in. Oh high school...

The more time I've spent here, the more I've noticed that there are actually a lot of parallels between the fictional world of Middle Earth and the real country of Georgia. These range from the physical to the cultural, and there are so many that I'm convinced J.R.R. Tolkien had to have come here at some point in his life.

First of all, the most obvious - orthographic similarity between Tengwar (a form of Elvish) and Georgian script. While grammatically they are completely different (as Elvish is based upon Welsh and Finnish and Georgian is...well, Georgian), there are many similar shapes found in both of them, mainly of the curly variety. I messed up the drawing a bit, and used the hand written form of letters in Georgian. The formal versions of d, l and r (დ, ლ and რ) are way more Elvish looking when not being written by a spazzily excited American who's got chicken scratch handwriting in whatever language she's trying to communicate in. But you can see for yourself that they share many qualities.

Images courtesy of a Google image search.

Secondly, the landscapes are almost identical. Rolling green hills, wide plains, sharp snow capped mountains, and lush green forests are everywhere in both worlds. Even geographic parallels exist. Georgia has a dividing range of mountains - on the East are fertile green lands and forests where Samegrelo, Adjara, Imereti, and Guria lay, while the West side boasts the high plains and continental climes of Kakheti.  Middle Earth has this same type of mountain range down the middle of it, with the same biomes found in Georgia 1 - Easterly there are fertile green hills where the Shire is, while on the other side of the Misty Mountains are high plains and deep forests. Since Kakheti is on this Easterly side, there isn't a day that goes by when I look out over the Alazani plain and think, "Where am I? Rohan?"

Edoras or Sighnaghi?

Speaking of Rohan,  Georgia has it's own horse oriented group of people. Much like the skilled horsemen of the story, Georgian men from the small area of Racha have had a strong bond with equines for centuries. In fact, their horsemanship was so well known that in the 1800s several Rachan riders were brought to America by Buffalo Bill and were the stars in his show. Clearly, their popularity has declined over the decades, as now the fictional Riders are far more famous.

No, Google. I wanted the Riders that actually exist, thanks!

Next, we come to the Mines. Prominent in both worlds, the Mines of Moria and the Mines of Guria feature rare, precious metals that are highly sought after (mithril and gold, respectively). While I don't think the Georgians will be waking any evils in the depths of their excavations, I would hazard a guess that the overall safety of both mines is the same, as I doubt orcs and their ramshackle ways are concerned about danger for their workers, much like Georgians. Additionally, both of these lodes are reminiscent from days of older sovereignties - Durin and his clan of dwarves, and the former USSR.

Both lands have an ominous presence over the mountains (Mordor and Russia), as well as suffer from groups of people moving Westward (Elves and younger generations of Georgians). Both also have tenuous relations and long histories of invasions from their South Eastern boundaries (the Haradrim and the old Arab kingdoms). Both are very, very old, and sprinkled everywhere are relics of past dynasties in the forms of ruins, paintings, and even the currently inhabited cities. But perhaps the most interesting parallels between the two countries lie within the people themselves.

Georgians, as a whole, are a healthy mix of the four main races who dwell in Middle Earth - Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, and, of course, Humans. Naming conventions are even similar. Gimli Son of Gloin, Aragorn son of Arathorn, Faramir of Gondor . Lineage, both genetic and locative, is constantly being used in the place of surnames in Middle Earth, and many Georgian surnames translate to roughly the same thing. For example, Makhashvili means literally "son of Makha." That's why there are so many "-shvili"'s in this country - they're tracing back their lineage with the grammatical conventions of their language. 

Humans in the Lord of the Rings universe are known for being proud, stubborn, good hearted, honorable, and have a knack for holding on to the past unflinchingly. These are not unique qualities to Georgia at all, as many groups of people from all over the world could fall under this category, but I wanted to make sure they were pointed out before I start comparing this culture to a short race with hairy feet who likes to drink.

Realistically, Georgians are Hobbits. Not physically, but in mannerisms and habits? Absolutely.  We're talking about two cultures whose main hobbies include drinking copiously, eating almost constantly, being social to the point where solitude is considered strange, and smoking. Georgians and Hobbits throw huge parties frequently, and both give very long winded toasts to prescribed appropriate subjects (family, friends, love, the wine, etc). Both cultures tend to stick close to their own borders, and the desire to go abroad isn't that common unless it's to send a young Hobbit to relatives in a different part of the Shire, or to send college bound Georgians off to Russia for school. Both groups are incredibly friendly and welcoming once they get over the sheer mystification of someone being a solo traveller, since their sociality is a given part of their daily life. 

Older men hanging out and judging the world as it passes - the popular mode of recreation for Georgians and Hobbits!

Georgians and Dwarves share a few key features, also - notably drinking (are you seeing a pattern here?), and singing. Dwarven music is usually a capella, much like Georgian traditional songs, and sung by men in several polyphonic harmonies. What I mean by polyphonic harmonies is that there is one tone, usually very basso and sung by one person who has really good lung capacity, that is sustained. Think of the drone on a bagpipe. The rest of the singers are trapped in whatever mode this one basso note dictates, and while they have a lot of variance in pitches within these scales, songs usually only have a few modal changes. 

Aside from having similar alphabets, Elves and Georgians are akin in a few surprising ways - I promise that drinking is not one of them! Rather, both cultures try to remain fairly aloof, preferring to take care of their own kind instead of interfering with their neighbors. Both are very traditional and stalwart in their ways. Their songs are long stories, almost sung poems, about heroes in ancient days and long lost loves. And while both are capable of great happiness, within every person there's a hint of a very deep sadness. It's a hard thing to describe, but it's something that I've noticed in many Georgians, and it's also mentioned in writings about the Elves.

Last, but certainly not least, and perhaps the most convincing evidence that Georgia is, in fact, Middle Earth, is the presence of red eye graffiti spray painted on a wall in Batumi. Now, whether I would rather have Sauron and his legions of evil, or the Russians and...well, more Russians, the jury is still out. Either one would be annoying to have invade, but I might be able to get some cool presents off of Elves if it's Sauron, so at this moment I'm kind of hoping for the Dark Lord. 

I have to say, having spent a large part of my childhood wishing I lived in one of the fantasy worlds that I always was reading about, it's cool to finally live in one. Because really, I bet Rivendell is right up this valley. 

Footnotes:

1. While this may seem kind of like a "duh, Jo" moment pointing out the similarity of climates which border mountains, I want to say that I doubt Tolkien did this intentionally. World building was not really a big thing back in the 1950s, and since he clearly placed mountain ranges incorrectly in accordance with any kind of tectonic plate movement which would result in mountains, as there is no way for mountains to grow at complete 90 degree angles, I find it hard to believe that he would really have given so much thought into making sure that the leeward side of the mountains was drier than that of the windward. Instead, I think he came to Georgia, said "holy shit, this is beautiful!" and based the structure of his world around the existing landscape. 

Seriously

And I'm stuck at school for another hour. Ugh!

A Belated Thanksgiving

This lapse in updates has been largely due to my time management skills and my notebook problem. I call it a problem because I have this strange urge to buy like a hundred notebooks at any given time, and keep highly specialized notes in each one. But then I get shy about it, and don't think anything is good enough to go into them, so I stop. A few weeks ago, I started an Ultimate Georgian Notebook (which is the title I gave it in my head), where I was slowly working through crazy linguistic books to try to learn this insane language. However, I discovered I was suffering from a huge amount of downtime at work, and so I just started writing random things in that notebook. It now has morphed into this stream of consciousness journal, where I end up scribbling all my thoughts in some sad attempt to feign productivity at school. Unfortunately, this means that my need to write things down in electronic format has declined. Not that this blog is a chore or anything - just that it was also partially therapeutic and it no longer bears that burden alone.

Another factor in this lapse has been my own personal psychosis about what my next post will be. Last week I started drawing out something for a post I've been wanting to address for a while now, and I got it into my head that there would be no other updates until that's done. As you can see, I've told my brain to get over itself, so you will just have to wait for the nerd post to end all nerd posts for a few more days.

Anyway, onwards and upwards! Since last week was the one day that Hallmark told us to be thankful for all the good things in our lives, I figured I'd make a post about all the stuff I'm glad about. And there's a lot, so buckle up, buckaroo!

First off, I'm thankful for the two Thanksgiving dinners I had this year. The first was with an American family who is now based in Telavi, and the second was a few days later with my TLG family. I'm rubbish with words, and a picture is worth a thousand of them, so I'm gonna do the rest of this via photos.

This past weekend, a small group of Kakheti folks went to Akhmeta to stay with a friend of ours. The original plan was to just bum around that part of the region, get a turkey, and have a little Thanksgiving dinner of our own. While we mostly stuck to the plan [mostly], a good chunk of the day Saturday was spent in the Pankisi Gorge. My friend's host mother's brother has a marshutka, and we each chipped in five lari for gas and got a private ride up to the gorge. The uncle was insanely friendly, and made numerous stops along the way for picture taking. Every time I meet someone new here, I fall in love with Georgia all over again. The generosity people have towards strangers is outrageous, and even though we might not REALLY count as strangers to him, this was our introductory trip with one another. He absolutely did not have to offer to take us up a crazy road to a beautiful mountain valley, but he did. 

In case you're wondering why Pankisi sounds familiar, just think back to 2003. This region,  very close to Chechnya, was thought to contain a terrorist cell of Al-Quaeda. Currently, the main demographics in Pankisi are not Georgians, but Chechens and Kists. The road up the gorge is littered with little villages, each one boasting a mosque. It's a very strange sight in this highly Christian country. We stayed with the main road, ignoring the little trails that branched out numerous times. I want to go walking down those at some point - maybe in the spring when we come back...

The end of the trail (or as far as the marshutka could go, anyway) is a dam and large spillway. It's currently dry, as the water flowing from this river goes into grates and comes out underneath the spillway. The dam is apparently a well known tourist attraction, as there are several ladders and a little path for you to climb. After clamoring over the ladders and stairs and bridges, you come out onto a large platform on top of the dam, where you can clearly see the waterfall. However, if you want to get closer to said waterfall, you need to cross the spillway, and climb up some slippery rocks and boulders to get a better view.

Naturally, we all decided we wanted to see that thing up close. I'm glad my friends here share the same stupid love I have for rule breaking (namely since there are no rules about anything here, let alone where you can and cannot go up in a gorge in the middle of nowhere). We had to cross this gem of a bridge, as well as go down several flights of stairs that were made in the same fashion as this.

I mean, why not have a bone in a pipe on a dam?

You can see the platform where the other picture was taken over in the right, as well as the spillway we crossed.  There were a few points in this climb where Chris's host brother, a 17 year old behemoth of a boy, pulled me to the rocks above like I weighed nothing. Even though my ego was slightly bruised by this, I got over it once I looked down the valley.

This was a rock formation opposite the waterfall. It looks like something out of concept art, and I'm thankful that growing up my parents encouraged me to question everything, including how something like this was made. The Caucasus mountains were formed when two tectonic plates collided, pushing the then Tethys seabed up and up. Over the epochs, and through a lot of volcanic activity in the region, the mountains have slowly climbed upwards, with their current composition being mainly shale, granite, limestone, and sandstone, mixed with metamorphic rocks from vulcanism. Wind and water erosion, paired with the ever present grinding of the Eurasian and Arabian plates, continue to shape this place. Anyone that says science kills the romance of nature is an idiot. That shit is cool!

The waterfall I've been going on and on about. While it might not make any lists in terms of impressive falls, it's still beautiful, and that is only magnified by the lack of people who've visited it. Call me an environment hipster, but I think it's pretty cool that the number of people who know about this particular landmark and have seen it with their own eyes is in the low thousands, and that I'm one of them.

I'm glad I'm janky as hell, and can use rocks and my camera strap as a tripod if need be. Spending all those years around weird makeshift Yooper things has certainly come in handy here!

The sky seems bluer in the mountains. I know it's not, but colors just look so much more vibrant in the fall afternoon light.

The road up the gorge follows a river that is full of huge smooth white boulders and small black stones. Most of the time, the water lies about 20 feet below the road, with no discernible trail down to it. However, there are so many little pools that would be amazing to swim in during the spring and summer, and we wanted to see them up close. So down the shale embankment and impending landslide we went, and over slippery round rocks we hopped until we got to this gem. The water itself is pretty deep here - probably at least 8 feet - and there's a series of little caves off to the right that go underneath boulders and trees. While I've got zero interest in checking those out, as I'm terrified of undertows and drowning (thanks, Lake Superior), I still want to spend a day just lounging in the sun in that water. Or maybe not IN the water, since it's glacially fed and therefor cold as a witch's tit.

Pankisi really is breathtaking. This was right before it started to lightly snow, so we got the sunshine and little sparkly snowflakes at the same time. It was pretty freaking magical.

What I love about the Caucasus mountains is that every time you think you're up so high you catch a glimpse of another peak and realize you're so not. Maybe I've got a weird inferiority complex, but I love things that remind me just how tiny we are, and these mountains definitely do that on a regular basis.

We ended up being very Georgian about our Thanksgiving; i.e. next to nothing in terms of planning. We weren't able to get a turkey, since Akhmeta doesn't sell them except for Sundays at the huge bazaar, nor were we able to find milk for mashed potatoes. In the end, we made sour cream mashed potatoes, some stir fried veggies, an Uzbek dish of chicken and rice, fresh homemade bread, pickled weeds called jongjoli, and lots of homemade wine. Not to mention the weird semi cheesecake that we made from yogurt for dessert. It was still an incredible meal, mainly because we were all on a high from the earlier adventuring in the mountains.

I'm thankful that I'm in this goofy and beautiful country, and that places like this exist on our planet. The mountains are incredible, and fill me with all sorts of really stupid happy feelings. I'm glad my parents raised me and my sister to do what makes us happy instead of what will make us money, and while I joke that sometimes I wish they had pushed me to do engineering or something useful instead of anthropology, I don't think I would be here if that had been the case. 

I'm thankful for my goofy little Kakheti family. When I joined this program, I was really worried that I wasn't going to be able to find actual friends - that I would only hang out with other TLGers in some strange form of solidarity and not actual enjoyment. Luckily, the people near me are some of my favorites in the program, and we genuinely get along. They all have a healthy mix of adventure, hilarity, and downright goofiness in their personalities, which ensures that every trip we take together is always fun. I probably would have lost my shit if it wasn't for these mugs. 

Last but not least, I'm thankful for all my friends and family back home. It's not every day that you find yourself a group of people who are so thoughtful and care about you enough to chip in their hard earned money to buy you a super nice camera that has taken all the incredible pictures in this post. I don't know how I lucked out finding them all, but I'm glad I did.