I came here
with little to no expectations and even less experience. Before my application
process I never even heard about Georgia at all, yet still just decided to go
for it. To make the jump into something so completely new that I would be
forced to change and adapt. And change I did. A lot, back and forth,
discovering new principles for myself, only to realise later I had to throw
them aboard again.
Inspired
were many of these evolutions of course mainly through the obstacles I had to
face here during my stay. So far, I´ve been here for about seven months and
looking back I can already put different phases in order, starting with the
pure amazement and ecstasy I felt in the first few weeks. From what I know and
what I heard that seems to be the typical reaction when coming to any ESC
project really, especially when you never lived abroad before. Upon my arrival
I was welcomed by so many new people in a matter of days. It gave me an
opportunity to get to know quite a lot of different characters, personalities
with different aspirations while most of them were of course sharing the
notorious Georgian way of life, that I would later find would confront some
traits of mine I wasn´t fully aware of. In these early stages I also was also
lucky enough to be invited on many trips by my at the time only roommate, who,
through all the time, discoveries and emotions shared, would later become one
of my dearest and closest friends and one of the biggest gains I will take with
me, upon leaving in September. But concentrating back on the travels we made I
have to say that these showed me not only the astonishing nature this country
can offer, but also the incredible measure of kindness one might be able to
come across, that, at least for me, would be unthinkable back in Germany. My
favourite example so far is one of the first trips I made here, to Kazbegi.
uso
valley on the way back, hitching a ride there. After a long time
without any car stopping for us, finally a young couple had mercy with us, but
unfortunately had a different route home, so they left us to our fate. Disappointed
we almost took the marshrutka home, after 30 more minutes of waiting, when
suddenly the two from earlier came back for us. They said they never saw the
valley themselves and wanted to go hiking there together with us. We ended up fighting
the mountains in unbearable heat for several hours but were so euphoric to be
there. And the views, it was all worth the effort to be there. In the
end we did not make it back soon enough to still find a ride back to Tbilisi
though, let alone Rustavi. A bit helpless, being stranded there, our plan was
to simply return to the guesthouse and ask for another night. But our new
friends had other plans, they instead offered us to stay with them and spend
the evening as well. We got ourselves some drinks and had a fantastic night. I
was at that point already in deep shock, that people could be that selfless and
so hospitable, yet it wasn´t the end of it. Because next morning of course we
missed the marshrutka again. We saw it driving past us when they brought us to
towards the stop. We swung the car around in the middle of the street and
chased after it like crazy, honking and yelling at the driver to hold and take
us. Luckily, it worked. We found ourselves on the way back home, smiling and
astonished by our first trip to the mountains.
This was
just the first time I was confronted with the kindness of some people here, but
not the last. Connected to that is also that I learned to travel hitching rides
spontaneously. Its so much more fun, most of the times, and sometimes even
simpler or more convenient than going through the city to find the right
marshrutka only to wait for it to depart, not knowing when it might do so. At the same time hitchhiking was also one of
the first opportunities to find out about aspects of life here I cannot be
content with. When traveling alone with my roommate in the beginning it wasn´t
as visible, as we were sometimes asked whether we were married, or a couple,
and by who we were not asked probably just assumed to be, which to me could
already be uncomfortable at times. But later when she was hitching on her own
or with another girl, when taking taxis, when meeting someone randomly or
whenever making new contacts, women would be approached in inappropriate ways,
sometimes in more, sometimes in less but still creepy ways and sometimes even
pushy by respectless men imposing themselves. Now one might ask why that would
be a problem or big deal for me, guy, as I´m not the one having to cope with
the constant harassment, it still hurts me to see my friend and others forced
to be extra careful, even so reluctant to meet new (male) people. From this
builds up such distrust and a stereotype that has just become a running-gag
amongst us. Even though for anyone interested it´s definitely better to read
women´s experiences first-hand and how they feel about it.
When it
comes to daily life here, in Rustavi I also made quite ambivalent experience.
The pandemic and its consequences were at times barely noticeable so that I was
happy to be here, while life in Germany basically came to a full stop. Then
again when the lockdown started here in November it was a time of uncertainties
where I had to realise how much I do miss some more systemic and efficient
approach. To not announce new regulations just up to three days before
implementation, the ability to trust the government on their promises for weeks
to reopen over Christmas instead of them withdrawing their plans just one day before,
ultimately preventing any senseful long term planning. For people to obey their
own rules and citizens to wear masks on mandate, properly. All of that always
felt so random at times when a clear structure and a well thought out plan
would have been needed.
This
feeling of randomness and floating adrift sums up the way of life, as I
perceive it, pretty well. Under this many things that I took as weird and funny
at first have paradoxically driven me to be less understanding and less open to
other approaches than the ideas I would normally deem efficient. But Georgia is
not about efficiency, not about time management and not about what some
twenty-years old considers practical or right and while I try to make myself
aware of that every day it is a reality I have yet to come to peace with.
Still
whenever I discover some new abandoned place in nature, after walking past all
the trash and polluted main ways, and find myself in some mystical grove, next
to a nearly untouched river or lake, or amidst the mighty mountains of
Caucasus, I can feel so at ease, so peaceful and content with life as barely
possible any place I´ve been to before.
So yes,
after seven months I am still happy about my decision to come here and I am
thrilled by the imagination how I might look back and feel, how much more I
maybe changed over the next five months. So long
