The FINANCIAL — Anthony Cardwell is one of a number of American teachers to have recently come to Georgia. He lives in Adjara with a Georgian family, speaks a little Georgian and feels thoroughly at home in the country.
“The main purpose of my coming to Georgia is to help Georgians achieve what they want. I’ve been teaching American pupils in America and now I’m teaching Georgian pupils as well as American ones. Also, I’m ready to learn lots of things from the local teachers here and to exchange experiences,” said Anthony.
His working day begins at 8 o’clock and lasts till very late at night. 3 days and 15 hours in total per week comprise his work here. In addition he gives English lessons to his neighbours free of charge.
His day starts as follows: before going to school he has breakfast with his family. A cup of coffee and a piece of Khachapuri is his daily breakfast in Georgia. “I feel as though I am a real member of the family. I love my host family! They treat me like they love me. The best part of being in Georgia for me is my family,” he said.
The school is close to his house. It is old but not as bad as he was told it used to be before.
The responsibilities he has in Georgia are teaching the English language and about American culture, trying to influence students in a positive manner and open their minds to the world. “To not just think of Georgia as the world, but that there are different views on how to live, different foods to be eaten,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to live in Adjara. After a while, however, you get used to how things are. It’s difficult to find people to spend one’s free time with because Georgian guys just want to drink all the time and the girls aren’t allowed to do anything. Therefore we often leave the villages at the weekend to meet with other Americans. But it’s also nice to see a different way of living. Life is slower here,” added Anthony.
He said that Georgia has taught him lots of things – the relationships, hospitality and Georgian language. A year was enough for him to start speaking in Georgian. “I wanted to learn Georgian so I can speak to the people around me. I love travel and when you’re travelling you need to be able to communicate with the locals. So that you can see how they live; understand the way they think,” said Anthony. “Seeing how the family lives here is really nice. Three generations in one household – that’s rare in America. It is nice to see such close-knit families here,” he added.
After half a year Anthony will be leaving Georgia. He promises to come back to visit his host family here. “I’ll miss them so much I know. When I go back, I’ll miss the kids – even those cute little rambunctious hooligans I complain about so much!” said Anthony.
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