Before I started this trip, I had a few ideas in mind of what I would be doing. For example, I was certain that at some point I'd be doing treks in the mountain, I knew that I would visit the Black Sea, and of course I had to purchase homemade grape-liquor (chacha) from an old lady in a village. One thing I didn't expect was to be playing ping-pong with a bunch of university students in their school's common room on the night before their big exam week.

But... that happened.

And it was awesome!

How did this happen though? How did I find myself here out of all places? Well, it all started when a friend, Lena, (see Awesome People section) happened to be at the same bar where a group of students from the university were celebrating a birthday party. I had been out earlier, but the compounded weeks of sleep deprivation and alcohol ended my night early (3:00am). So it was just Lena there, and since awesome people tend to get along with one another, the group invited Lena to join in on the party. It all went so well that Lena invited them to join us the following weekend after that. Within minutes of out initial meeting, I quickly realized how awesome they (Zinyat, Nutsa, and David) were and from then on, I no longer felt like an outsider in the city.

It is funny how it all works out and how many small factors went into play to make it all happen, but regardless of the way, it all helped make my stay in Tbilisi exponentially more enjoyable. Between the three, I was introduced to Azeri music, given a liter bottle of homemade cherry liquor, promised a special home-cooked dish upon my return, and best of all, got to have some great conversations about life and society that really helped broaden my perspective about the country as a whole. Not to mention, it was really awesome getting to know each of them.

So anyway, Zinyat, Nutsa and David, here's to good times and an exciting future reunion!