These three things may not seem to go together, but they could all be seen in the halls of School Number 2 on Monday.
Sunday night was the first big snow of the year here in Akhaltsikhe. Monday morning I wondered if school would be canceled if they did things like cancel school here because of snow, but I realize canceling school takes some form of mass communication, that I just don’t think they really have in place. Most students walk to school anyway, so it’s not like the bad roads would put them in harms way. Canceling school for snow here seems silly, but it is logical that they shortened the school day in December because the sun was not up early enough to have class at 9, in a building where most the classes don’t have lights.
So you have probably already guessed, the snowballs are coming from the snow. The students would have snow ball fights in the middle of the halls, the halls are not heated and the snow would not melt, no one was stopping them, so why not? To me it was interesting to see my first indoor snow ball fights.
I also find it weird that so many of the teachers were wearing mink coats. Mink coats on a country were no one has money? Sure, why not? The teachers make less than the equivalent of 200 US dollars a month. You don’t need money to buy things, I have a feel bartering works for payment and people pass things on. It just blows my mind to see teachers wearing minks in a hall where snowball fights are taking place.
So now on to the surgical mask, which could also be seen at school. The flu has been quite rampant here so many students and teachers are wearing surgical mask. The mask seem to be worn by the people who are already sick as to prevent it from spreading, not by the healthy people to keep from getting sick. I don’t understand why saying you have a party to go to is a good reason to miss school, but having the flu doesn’t seem to be a reason to have to stay home.
So if you ever wonder where you can see people in mink coats wearing surgical mask, having snowballs thrown at them look no farther then the hall of School Number 2 in Akhaltsikhe.
