It was revitalizing to hear English spoken fluently as I entered the basement coffee house. The black man speaking unbroken English trying to communicate with the coffee house owners sat alone at a table drinking Georgian beer. We quickly introduced ourselves as happens when you feel lost among new people and find someone familiar. John Cisse Wa Numbe is a British citizen born in England to parents originally from Congo working for the United Nations as a peacekeeper. He is leading a five day conference of Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and Georgians focused on community development. I learned that they meet in Georgian because of strained relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Our conversation quickly focused on agriculture’s relationship to peacekeeping and food security. Not knowledgeable about agriculture, John became very interested in the USAID program for which I’m working. I explained the agriculture of Georgia and we reflected on the ways to lift it to the next level.
The afternoon sun was dimming and we talked about meeting for dinner which led to a discussion about the Georgian restaurant with traditional Georgian folk music. John wanted to experience the local culture so I asked the my coffee house friends to come along. (We could not function without a Georgian speaking companion) The man Jabuka would go but the wife must stay and take care of business. We agreed to come back at 8:00 and go to the restaurant. John was joined by another United Nations man from Nigeria - Christopher. Four men the Georgian, the Englishman, the African and the American went to dinner.
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