At Least We Don't Live in Zagreb, Croatia

We may have Russian tanks within Georgia's borders, but at least we're still planning on celebrating Christmas and New Years. Why would anyone ban Christmas parties, buying and giving gifts and celebrating New Years? Seems crazy to me, but apparently the Croatians are just that.

Don't believe me? Check out the BBC article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7730813.stm

(Ok, technically it's only public sector workplace parties, etc. But still. You couple that with the public sector salary freezes and you have yourself one inspired, hardworking public sector work force. The extra sarcasm comes free today, folks. Enjoy.)

Georgians and their names

Alright, so I know it's not nice to make fun of someone's name, but seriously... the following are some of the most common female names here:

* Nino
* Nona
* Nina
* Nini
* Nono
* Nana
* Nani
* Nato

Seriously. There are 4 girls that work at the cafeteria. 2 of them are named Nino, 1 is Nato, then there is the random Tanya. While it doesn't flow as nicely, Dodo is also a valid female Georgian name.

Men aren't much better. Here's a few of theirs:

* Niko
* Nika
* Giorgi
* Gia
* Goga
* Giga
* Gega
* Gela
* Zaza

One Georgian who was expecting a baby boy once said they didn't like how Nika and Giorgi were over used. She wanted something creative. So she came up with..... wait for it .... "Nikagiorgi". Yes folks, the Georgian version of Jim Bob.

We met one who's real name is Nani, but she goes by Nacho. Which reminds me of my good friend Melissa's favorite joke -- which probably doesn't translate very well. Q: What do you call cheese that isn't yours? A: Nacho cheese!


(On a much less funny note: Saint Nino and Saint George are very popular figures in Georgian culture. Still, folks. There are a lot of saints out there. Diversify your portfolio.)