And so it begins

So... this is my first real attempt at blogging. I'm a little unsure of how this exercise will go. I hope to be relatively diligent, posting accounts of my adventures in Georgia with some regularity, but as we all know, the best laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry. While I don't know what the future holds for my blogging self, I feel that now, the eve of my departure for a year-long journey to Georgia, is a good time to start.

I suppose that all I have left at this juncture is to explain the title of the blog. As I'm sure you guessed, Rhododendron caucasicum is the scientific name of one of the rhododendron species found in the Caucasus-- specifically, the Georgian snow rose. Naming my blog after this Caucasus endemic is simultaneously a reflection of my botanical interests (I apologize to those of you who have suffered through me rattling off plant names) and a reminder of home. The American rhododendron or Great laurel serves as an important symbol of my home in the mountains of Western North Carolina and the Southern Appalachian forest that is permeated by its white blossoms. Likewise, Rhododendron caucasicum, the cousin of my beloved great laurel represents the place that will be my home for the next year and the unique flora that was one of many points of interest that drew me to Georgia.

And that's all for now. I have 28 hours of travel from Atlanta to Tbilisi tomorrow (and the next day and into the next day). I'll let you know how it goes.