Georgian children start school when they are 6 years old. You then go to elementary school for six years. This is followed by three years at secondary school and another three years for students who want to take the Abitur. Those who do not want to study can attend a vocational school for two years. School is compulsory up to the 9th grade. There is no division into different types of school, so all children go to school together.
Whew, a 10!
The school year is divided into two school semesters. There are no classes on Saturdays. A school lesson lasts 45 minutes. So it’s like us too. The grades are different, however. In Georgia, a country located in Europe according to topschoolsintheusa, there are grades from 1 to 10. 10 is the best grade. To pass you need at least a 5.
Teaching is in Georgian. Foreign languages are Russian, English and German. The students in Georgia often have a close, personal relationship with the teachers. By the way, the schools are numbered. You then go to school number 51, for example.
What are the names of the children in Georgia?
Many Georgians can be seen from their surname. They have typical endings like -dse, -schwili, -ani or -awa. You can tell from this not only that they are probably Georgians, but also where their family comes from. The ending -dse means “son of” and comes from western Georgia. The ending -schwili means “child of” and indicates an origin from Eastern Georgia. A name ending in -ani comes from Svaneti, one from -awa from Mingrelia. Well-known people with such Georgian names are, for example, the politicians Eduard Shevardnadze and Mikheil Saakashvili.
And what about the first names? The most popular baby names in Georgia for boys are Nikoloz, Giorgi, Lukas, Saba, and Dawit. Girls are often called Nino – yes, that’s a first name for girls here! Also, they are often called Anna, Helena, Elizabeth and Anastasia.
Incidentally, in Georgia one speaks formally by first name. Names such as Alexander, Levan and Teimuraz are common among men among the general population. In addition to Nino, women are often called Tamar or Marina.
And how do the children in Georgia live?
How the children live in Georgia depends on where they live. It’s different in the city than in the country. Poverty is widespread – then the children are not doing well either. Those who live by the Black Sea can enjoy the sight of palm trees and go swimming in summer. It’s much cooler in the mountains, where you better dress warm.
But when shopping everyone has to pay with the Lari. That’s the name of the currency here. 1 Lari equals 100 Tetri. All Georgian children like to eat khinkali – stuffed dumplings.
Eating in Georgia
Sociability at the Supra
Georgians like to eat in larger groups. On the weekends, the families meet with guests and hold a Supra. This is what the common table is called. This group always has a table master, the Tamada. In smaller groups this is the host, at larger parties a Tamada is chosen or chosen.
The Tamada is also responsible for the toasts. These sayings have a fixed order. People always drink to the welfare of the host family, to peace, to Georgia and to deceased relatives.
And what do you like to eat in Georgia?
Meat, nuts and a variety of fruits and vegetables make Georgian cuisine varied. Pork, beef and mutton are popular, but chicken, deer, rabbit and pheasant are also on the menu. Corn is often tasty in the west, and wheat in the east. Many recipes contain walnuts. Eggplants are also found in many places. Potatoes, tomatoes, beans, peppers and onions are also often used.
Typical dishes
Georgians like, for example, filled aubergines with walnut paste or air-dried beef as starters. The main course could be a chicken stew with tomato and onion sauce. Mutton stew also tastes good with eggplant and shashlik is also popular.
One likes to eat sauces with it, for example made from walnuts, mirabelle plums or tomatoes. Hot pepper pastes are called adjika here. Chatschapuri, a gratinated cheese bread, is a popular meal in between. There are different versions, with cheese and fried eggs, for example, or with mashed potatoes.
Khinkali – a Georgian specialty
Khinkali are dumplings. They can be filled with minced meat, but also with cheese or sour cream. The khinkali are eaten by hand. There is a certain technique for doing this: you take a khinkali by its (less hot) tip, bite off some dough, suck out the juice and then eat the rest. The tip of the dough, however, is not eaten, but placed on the edge of the plate. At the end of the meal you can count how many khinkali each eater has managed.
What’s for dessert?
A particularly popular dessert is called Tschurtschchela. These are hazelnuts or walnuts that are tied on a thread. Then they are kept in thickened grape juice until a layer of it has covered the nuts. The Tschurtschchela then dry in the sun and then have to mature for another two months. Then it’s a soft treat.
