Gamarjoba! I’m
Sabina, ESC volunteer from the Czech Republic. I’ve just completed the third
month of my one-year volunteering project in Rustavi. It feels impossible to
squeeze all my impressions, culture shocks and experiences in one short article
so I’ll at least focus on some of the highlights I’d love to share with you.
Before
applying to the project, I knew nothing about Georgia. My decision to come here
was quite spontaneous. I felt it was going to be an adventure, something
completely new I hadn’t had a chance to experience before. And it’s really been
like that ever since I arrived here!
I just
roughly knew Georgia was a developing country but that was about it. I
mistakenly assumed there was nothing much left to surprise me after what I’ve
lived outside my home country for five years (UK, Belgium, Spain and Poland).
But it’s right Georgia that has taught me greater humbleness and that made me
to re-consider my life values as well as perspectives on several different
matters. For instance, I now focus my attention on little joys that can make me
happy every day; I’ve become more creative when cooking from local ingredients;
I’ve become more capable of using my DIY skills when fixing or mending the
household with the equipment available.
I won’t
lie. The first three months have been really tough for me and I wanted to leave
Georgia on several different occasions. I suffered from health problems when
getting used to local water, food and hygiene. I was doing my best to find my
own space in the local community lifestyle and I’ve learnt a lot about myself:
I’m a more introverted person than I had thought I was; I prefer being on my
own; I don’t need to be everywhere – I appreciate the beauty of slow traveling
instead; I don’t need to be away every weekend and rush to see everything; I
can just slow down and observe the world around me without chasing it.
Although my
first impressions of Georgia are that it’s a country of many contrasts, I’m
deeply taken by Georgian level of hospitality. In comparison to Georgians, I’m
a stingy and greedy person, haha. Nevertheless, I guess it’s pointless
comparing different cultures. They’re all unique in their own way.
However,
what nobody prepared me for was the culture shock from local people
straightforwardness. Just like that, I’d be asked questions how old I am, if I
have a boyfriend, if I’m married, if I have at least one child in my age etc.
And because I’ve been already chased up by both men and women, I made up a
fictional story of responding to these questions always ‘yes’, meaning that I
have a Georgian husband and one child. Even though I found it immoral to lie at
the beginning, I noticed how much easier my life has become after applying this
‘sophisticated’ strategy just because a married status is more respected than
being a single European woman travelling on her own.
Regarding
my daily tasks, I have a great freedom to do everything I really enjoy. Hence,
it doesn’t feel like working at all. Although I was the only volunteer in the
organisation for some time, I’ve been recently joined by another volunteer with
whom we’re developing further activities, events and clubs together. I look
forward to the upcoming months and the lessons I’ll gain from them. J
Let’s see
how my perspective changes next time when I’ll be already half way through my
one-year project. Stay tuned!
