The president and the Vatican embassy

Thursday 6^th October 2011

Last night we went to the opening of the Teacher’s House in Tbilisi which is a new training school for you guessed it, teachers.  As is often the case in Georgia, it was a last minute jobbie and we only found out on Tuesday that we were going the next day.  The president himself was going to be there in person and we were expecting a bit of a bash.  We were picked up at 4 o’clock and arrived in Tbilisi at around 7.  We had to show our passports and checked over with a bleeping thing and shown to our seats.  Unfortunately our seats were in the car park and not inside the building as we imagined.  Even worse, there was no food.  It’s the least you expect!  Along with the other teachers, we had last eaten at 8 in the morning and then rushed out straight after school expecting a slap up meal given that the president was gonna be there.  They wouldn’t let anyone out again as we had been security checked and so we waited.  Then waited a bit more.  Then they announced that the president would be arriving in 45 minutes and then they announced that wine was being served.   

We could see through the glass walls of the new building that the press and TV cameras were running from room to room so we guessed that something was afoot and then three glasses later, we were back in our seats and a bloke was at the mike saying something in Georgian.  It dawned on me that this was actually the president.  Talk about low-key!  I was expecting a helicopter landing or something, but even a “Good Evening ladies and gentlemen – I give you your president”  But nothing.  We are much more formal in the Catholic Women’s League. 

Talking of which, while mingling with the masses there was a chap with a dog collar and the view was that he was a catholic priest. This rumour turned out to be true and in fact he was the first secretary in the Vatican Embassy (Apostolic Nunciature) which represents Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.  Father Filippo Ciampanelli was a nice man, gave me his card and said to email him and he would let me know where mass was being held.  He explained that mass was being celebrated in houses over the country and that there should be somewhere local to me which is great.  I have been in dozens of churches since I arrived but have not been into a Catholic one and am missing it more than I realised.  He told me that the Georgian church has become very fundamental since Georgia became independent and this explains why I was refused entry into my village church.

The president is a very charismatic man.  I didn’t need to speak Georgian to understand his comfortable, confident manner and he delivered his speech with devastating charm.  Sigh. I gather his speech included all the usual stuff.  Education is the future; we must train teachers, new methods, new technology, 5 million somethings, all good stuff.  It had that Blair feeling.  You know, when Labour got in after a long dry spell, on the Blair New labour ticket, that hopeful soaring feeling that almost brings a tear to the eye.  Well it was kind of like that.  The Minister of Education is the guy that 5 years ago sacked all the police who were corrupt and turned the police force into a respected entity which by all accounts is saying something.  So the changes in the education system are likely to be savage.

Someone cruelly said that the president in his speech said he wanted little boys, but I think he was being misquoted.  I am sure he said that he wanted little boys to be educated and have a job so that they don’t turn to a life of crime.  He’ll be talking about my lazy boys that know nothing.