Ironic Punishment

Monday morning I awoke not feeling the greatest. 24 hours of travel weren’t cured by a few hours of sleeping. Just as a precaution, I sent co-teacher Bibi a text message to be sure we would have the lessons that day. When I was making my coffee I got a response. No lessons today, as the students have finished their courses. Ah, of course. I’ve been gone for a week and came back for my lessons, which have been canceled today. I left my coffee where it was and went back to bed.

Got a message from the Expert around noon. Apparently something was happening in town, people were milling about, and I should join him in the center. Fair enough, I guess I should leave my room at some point today. It was Kutaisi day, or Kutaisoba.

Thousands of black clad Georgians wandering around the city center, eating food and drinking beer from street vendors. It was a delightful little festival. The expert and I had lunch in the brewery. Service today was especially bad. The place was almost busy, so the staff, who normally just chat in the middle of the restaurant, actually had work to do. This made getting service exceptionally difficult.

We enjoyed the warm aura of the city before wandering up a hill to where Kutaisi’s fun park is to have some Fanta in the shade. We laughed about the silly joke our existences were. I had disappeared for the week during the Easter holiday, and came back for my lessons. But I got back to find that my lessons were canceled. I already have Fridays off, so my work week would only have Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I sent Bibi another text message to ask if we would have lessons Tuesday. She responded that no, all of the classes have finished. The training groups that I had been teaching had finished, so until further notice, I would have no lessons to teach.

Right. This is why I came back from my week away. And I was never even told that my lessons were finished. The only reason I found out was because I specifically asked if I would have my lessons today. Hey, you know those lessons that I teach? Usually every day? Right. Well, I’m just wondering if I have to do my job today. No? Well, what about tomorrow? No? I actually don’t have to do my job until further notice? Good to know, glad I asked to make sure.

I eventually figured out what my new schedule would be. Lessons Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Seven lessons per week. I figure this must be the summer term for the vocational school or something. I attended the lesson on Thursday, and we did the alphabet. But after 40 minutes, Steven. Sit down. They are tired because it is the first lesson and don’t want to learn anymore. So I went home early.

On paper, it’s actually a pretty good job, as in, I would imagine that it looks good to future employers. But Easter break last week, and this week was told the school is between groups. So I basically didn’t do a thing for two weeks straight. The Expert and I laughed about ironic punishment. Oh, do you like free time? Well, here’s all the free time you can think of! To cap it off, this week was the Great Internet Blackout of Kutaisi. The internet was down in the whole city for about four or five days. So we’ve taken to walking into the center to waste some time, and we bring the chess board.

If it’s nice out we play chess in the park. I’ve spent the last five days learning the King’s Gambit, and have been learning various ways of attacking like a madman.