We’re moving to Georgia...Tbilisi, Georgia! For my American friends, this is different from Georgia the state :) I find myself having to clarify “the country, not the state” quite often. We are lucky that we have been able to visit Georgia once before while we lived in Kyiv. We loved our visit there and we have heard overwhelmingly positive responses from others who live there now or have lived there in the past. All this makes us very excited and encouraged in moving forward with this next step!

Georgia is a relatively small country but it has a variety of landscapes to offer. You can reach the Black Sea in about 5.5 hours from Tbilisi and enjoy the beach. There are also huge mountains close by where you can ski. We look forward to exploring the countryside as well as the capital city.

Georgia is known for its food and wine. In Kyiv, there was a Georgian restaurant on every corner. If you’ve never had Georgian food, you’re missing out! It is delicious! Some of the most famous Georgian foods are khinkali, a type of soup dumpling and khachapuri which is a baked cheesy bread. Georgia is one of the oldest wine producers in the world. They take great pride in their winemaking culture. In Georgia wine is stored in clay pots instead of oak barrels. Something that gives it a distinctive taste.

Tbilisi is a city of old and new smashed together. It has some of the most unique architecture I have seen. Many of the apartments have these decoratively carved wood porches that are reminiscent of New Orleans. The churches have a distinctive look to them as well. But there are modern additions like the Bridge of Peace, malls, and newer buildings.

So now a few of our most asked about topics:

1. The house. We don’t yet know where we will be living but my husband’s sponsoring organization (his job) is helping us secure housing. We don’t have to find a place on our own. It will be furnished so we will be putting most of our furniture into storage.

2. School. Our daughter will go to one of the international schools in Tbilisi. We haven’t decided which one. There are English speaking schools as well as a French International School and a German International School. We will decide when we get there and can see some things in person.

3. Travel. We definitely plan to travel and look forward to exploring a new area of the globe. We will have easier access to the Middle East than we have had in the past. Some of the new places I’m hoping to visit are Turkey, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. Really I’m excited to go anywhere!

4. Driving. We are shipping one of our cars to Tbilisi. It will take a few months to arrive. We will sell our other car before we leave DC. While we wait for our car, we will utilize a combination of public transportation, hiring a driver, carpooling, and potentially buying a used car there.

Moving is stressful no matter what. We are very excited but we are also in the throes of purging, solving logistical puzzles, and fighting the clock. In addition, this move will be quite emotional for us as we have been living down the street from our best friends since we got to DC. Our kids are best friends too and I know it will be hard for them to say goodbye (even though it is really “see you later”). We also have to say goodbye to Grandma who lives just a couple hours drive from us and was at our house often over the past 2 years. You may notice things get a little quiet on the blogging front, but I will do my best to keep adding new content throughout the transition, and definitely more once we are settled in a bit! Thanks for sticking with me, let me know any questions/advice you have in the comments!