Georgian is the official language of Georgia and it is also spoken by some people in Turkey, Iran, Russia, and a handful of other pockets where Georgians have emigrated. Communicating in Georgia can sometimes be a bit of a struggle, especially in rural areas, but that's part of the fun of teaching abroad and immersing yourself in a new culture! Even without a single word of Georgian you can survive very well. 
If you are interested in learning a bit more about the language, here are some helpful tips:
Speaking and Reading Georgian
First, for anyone without any former knowledge of Georgian, this is what reading Georgian will look like:
Meaning, Georgian. I am hoping at this time that you are excited about the prospect of being able to actually make sense of these curvy letters of seemingly gibberish. In less than 1 month you could be reading this and many other signs, menus, and so forth. I wouldn't worry about the newspaper, watching movies, or the news just yet.
Basics Georgian Language Elements
When reading these charts, the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbol is on the left and the Georgia alphabetical equivalent in next to it.
| Vowels | Consonants |
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First, are you feeling a little overwhelmed... imagine trying to learn English! You might be thinking, English isn't that hard. How many letters do we have in our alphabet? Quickly... how many... those of you counting on your fingers are not alone. Most people really have to think about this. There are 26 letters in the English alphabet. How many consonants and how many vowels? Truly not important. But, you think, 26 letters, easy... Georgian only has 33 letters in common use today. Don't be overwhelmed. Look at the images above again and determine that you ARE going to learn them.
Get a language partner or sign up for a language class or simply get your host family to work with you. They will be using English to teach you something they inherently know which will help them with their English while helping you learn the language. It's a win win. The most important thing is to try.
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