Portrait of the artist as an increasingly confident bus rider

As Elvis Costello once sang, "Every day I ride the bus." No wait, that was somebody else. Singing something else.

Since being encouraged by my Canadian friend Jeff to take my life aboveground since buses are both much faster and way more entertaining, I have been slowly building my confidence as a bus rider. It started with two routes suggested by Google maps and has now expanded to minibus route #72, as discovered by my host sister on last night's trip home from the movies. People, it stops right outside our corner market. This is huge, especially when you have accidentally picked a big angry scab on the side of your foot (ahem) or are wearing ridiculously uncomfortable fashion slave shoes (every Georgian woman).

Apparently riding the bus makes you appear more assimilated, because an old man on route #6 talked at me for about 5 minutes yesterday before realizing I don't speak Georgian. (Also I was stopped for directions on the street today. Maybe my sudden transportational confidence shows in regular life?)