Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Rustavi: Neighbors and Pomegranates



My school is spitting distance from my old host family.

I walked to my old building after school so I could say hello to Nino.

As I approached the yard, I heard my name being called. Tia and her little one called out to me from their 6th floor window, waving. Then Eka called out and waved from her 7th floor window. Mary (of the garden), just emerging from the orchard/chicken yard, gave me a great hello and hug. She then pressed a just-picked tomato into my hand.

Mary gestured for me to follow her back into the chicken yard, whereupon she began plucking pomegranates from one of her trees. We put them in my bag.

When I arrived home, my hostess was in the kitchen. I pulled out the tomato and the pomegranates one by one. She exclaimed, "Why did you go to the market when we've already got all this food here [that she brought back from her village after a relative's funeral]?"

I explained: "One of my neighbors gave them to me!"

About 15 minutes later, when I entered my bedroom, I saw that my hostess had placed the pomegranates in a basket and put it on my windowsill. Beautiful.

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