And just like that, the final day of our incredible four-week exchange program arrived. It was a day of high emotions, reflective meetings, and a long, overnight journey back home to Germany. Here is how our final 24 hours in Georgia played out: 1. Final Reflection with the Rector Our morning at the school began with an official closing meeting with the rector. We sat down to look back on everything we had accomplished over the past month. We discussed the progression of our

With the finish line of our exchange program rapidly approaching, Wednesday was all about tying up loose ends at the school and getting a unique behind-the-scenes look at how the entire institution runs. Here is how our penultimate school day unfolded: 1. Finishing Up the Work Kai and I spent the first half of the day focused entirely on our laptops. Now that our presentations and lessons are successfully out of the way, we used this time to finish up our remaining project ta

Following the success of yesterday's Python lesson, Wednesday shifted our focus from the local students to the faculty. Kai and I teamed up at the school to deliver a formal presentation to the teachers about the Bavarian school system. It was a fantastic opportunity to share our background, exchange cultural insights, and highlight how vocational and secondary education works back home in Germany. 1. Breaking Down the Bavarian System The German education system—and the Bavar

Change of plans in the journal—there was no more time for prepping because today was actually game day! I stepped up to the front of the classroom and officially held my lesson on Python. It was a huge milestone for my time here on the exchange, and here is how the big day went down: 1. Stepping into the Teacher's Shoes Walking into the classroom as the instructor instead of the student was a total rush. Both Kai and I were at the school, but all eyes were on the projector as

After a sleepless night and a 3:00 AM airport run to say goodbye to my mom, Monday was all about downing a massive cup of coffee, fighting off the fatigue, and shifting my brain back into full-on tech mode. With our final week of the exchange program officially underway, the pressure is turning up. We spent the entire day at our host school, but instead of just working on our standard projects, my focus shifted toward preparing for a massive personal milestone: holding my ver

Sunday was another chill day overall, but we spent our morning and early afternoon diving face-first into the culinary heart of Tbilisi. We booked an Airbnb Experience called "Enjoy Street Food and the Dezerters Bazaar market" to sample 10 of the locals' favorite street foods, hidden gems, and bustling market stalls. It was a super delicious and fun experience, but we walked away with one major piece of advice for anyone planning a trip here. Here is how our foodie Sunday wen

Saturday was an absolute whirlwind of a day trip, and easily one of our most fascinating cultural experiences yet. We were invited out for the entire day by the school's rector and his son, giving us a completely personal, insider’s look at Georgia's deepest history, its modern geopolitical tensions, and a truly surreal museum tour. Here is how our incredible Day 21 unfolded: 1. The Twin Monasteries of Mtskheta Our firs t destination was the ancient capital of Mtskheta. We st

For Day 20, we decided to take advantage of how perfectly positioned Tbilisi is for international travel. My mom, Kay, and I booked an all-day Airbnb Experience to cross the border and explore northern Armenia with a guide. Going from Georgia to a completely new country in just one day was an incredible experience, filled with stunning scenery, ancient history, and some heavy structural contrasts. 1. Setting Off and Crossing the Border Our day started bright and early as we

Thursday brought a bit of a shift in our daily dynamic. While Kai headed out to the school for a standard workday, I got to transition into full-on tour-guide mode. My mom had just arrived the night before, so it was the perfect opportunity to show her the ropes and explore Tbilisi through the eyes of a classic tourist. Here is how our day of sightseeing and massive food contrasting unfolded: 1. Typical Tourist Sightseeing with Mom With Kai handling duties at the school, my m

Wednesday was a quieter day inside the apartment, but it ended with a massive highlight. We both worked from home, powering through our tasks for the school exchange directly from our laptops. It was a productive, focused day, which was perfect because I needed to save up my energy for later that night. Here is how Day 18 went down: 1. Powering Through Remote Work After the chaotic storm and district-wide blackout the night before, we were glad to have the electricity back an

Tuesday was a day of stark contrasts—going from a peaceful, creative morning to an absolute culinary awakening, and finishing with a wild display of nature's power right on the city streets. Here is what went down on an eventful Day 17: 1. Hands-on at a Pottery Class We started the day by tapping into Georgia's rich, centuries-old ceramic traditions with a local pottery workshop. There is something incredibly relaxing about sitting at a pottery wheel, feeling the wet clay tak

Monday rolled around, marking the official start of our third week in Georgia. With the weekend officially over, it was time to shift our focus back to our responsibilities at the school and get into a productive headspace. Here is how we kicked off our workweek: 1. Powering Through Our Project Work We spent a significant portion of the day locked into our school duties. Now that our big IT presentation is behind us, we shifted into the next phase of our assignments, organizi

Sunday was all about taking a deep breath after our massive trek to the desert. When you are halfway through a month-long exchange, you absolutely need dedicated days to just slow down, reflect, and live like a local. Here is how we spent a perfectly relaxing Sunday in Tbilisi: 1. Finding Hidden Street Corners Instead of booking a structured tour or hitting the crowded tourist hubs, we walked out of the apartment with zero plans. We spent the afternoon just wandering through

To kick off our second weekend, we traded the bustling streets of Tbilisi for a journey into a completely different world. We booked a day trip through Airbnb Experiences to visit the Hidden Rainbow Mountains & David Gareji Caves, and it turned out to be one of the most visually stunning days of the whole trip. If you think Georgia is just green mountains and old cities, this desert road trip will completely shatter that image. Here is how our Saturday adventure unfolded: 1.

Friday was the day we had been preparing for all week. We left our usual desks at our host school and visited another local school to deliver our presentation on the IT industry in Georgia. If you are a student planning to do this exchange in the future, days like this are by far the most rewarding. You get to step out of your comfort zone, interact directly with local Georgian youth, and share insights that could actually impact their future career choices. 1. Delivering the

Thursday was a classic "head-down, get-to-work" kind of day. With our second week of the exchange drawing to a close, our teachers handed us a major responsibility for the following day: a school visit where we would be presenting to local students. Here is how we spent our day gearing up for the event. 1. Prepping the Presentation We spent almost the entire day researching, structuring, and polishing a presentation focused on IT jobs in Georgia. Since we are looking at thing

Wednesday was a normal school day where we focused on our usual project work, but once the afternoon wrapped up, I decided to head back out to East Point for a solo movie night. If you are a student moving to Tbilisi, going to the cinema here is an absolute must-experience—partly because it’s ridiculously cheap, and partly because the snack counter is a whole different ballgame. Here is what went down on my first Georgian cinema run: 1. The Movie: The Devil Wears Prada 2 👠 I

Tuesday was a bit of a mix-and-match day. Instead of heading into the school, we got to work remotely directly from our apartment. It was nice to change up the workspace, power through our tasks in peace, and save some energy. Once the work was wrapped up, I headed out solo for an incredibly cool, hands-on workshop and a relaxing afternoon exploring nature in the city. Here is what a perfect independent afternoon in Tbilisi looks like: 1. Melting and Forging My Own Silver Rin

Monday marked the official start of our second week in Tbilisi, and it was back to a normal work routine at the school. After a weekend packed with intensive city history tours and sightseeing, it felt good to settle into our daily duties. But even on a completely standard work day, Tbilisi still managed to surprise us with something new. 1. Settling Into the Work Groove We spent the day at the school tackling the tasks and projects we had planned out with the teachers. The i

After a standard tourist day on Saturday, we decided to do something completely different on Sunday. If you are coming to Tbilisi on exchange, you will quickly realize this city has layers of intense history that you won't find in a standard guidebook. We booked a city tour focusing on the criminal history of Tbilisi, but with a massive twist: our guide was a former foreign prisoner who lived through it. Along the way, he took us deep into the forgotten, industrial underbelly