Video:
https://psyche.co/films/mamuka-and-his-tuneful-panduri-light-up-this-georgian-village-feastI love these sorts of videos that show aspects of how other people live...seeing the simulates and differences between my own life and theirs. This video trails a 12-year-old boy named Mamuka in Georgia (the country, not the state) as he spends his summer break practicing the panduri, a traditional Georgian instrument that I personally think sounds a lot like a ukulele.
One thing that struck me is how even though it's halfway around the world, it looks a lot like West Virginia, where I live. The rolling mountains and forests, and even the ran down condition of some of the buildings wouldn't be out of place here. If I were to somehow unknowingly end up there, I wouldn't think I'd travelled far just from looking around. It was also interesting to see the traditionalism vs the modernism/Americanization at work in the video...at one point, Mamuka says he wants to preserve the tradition of playing the panduri, and a few minutes later he's playing Snoop Dogg on a tablet, then strumming the instrument in tune with the song, then later on playing traditional folk songs for his elders.
I don't know if it's a part of the culture or just coincidence, but I also noticed that a lot of things involving food happen outside. Mamuka's parent?/relative? cooks on their porch, and then later on they have a jovial feast outside that seems like it was a lot of fun. It got me thinking...it would be fun to eat outside with a group, with live music and banter. I think it'd be a lot more exciting than eating indoors most of the time.
