I can’t believe that it’s been two months since I set foot in Georgia for the first time. And yet it seems like a lifetime of experiences. Here is an assortment of my very first moments, hope you enjoy :)
The arrival and discovery of Rustavi landscape
When I arrived at Tbilisi Airport I was surprised to see it was not as big as I expected a capital airport to be. I waited alone for a few moments for Aleks to pick me up. During my wait I went to exchange money (by the way, if you come to Georgia, don’t do it at the airport, the exchange rates are far better in the city) and I realised that I really was far from home, I couldn’t understand any of the words people were saying to each other.
When Aleks arrived I went in the car. I had a cold at the time, and I travelled at night, so I arrived in Georgia without any sleep. I felt really tired and I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t talk much during the ride, looking at the landscape outside. I could see the hill surrounding the place, and the buildings around Tbilisi. It was nothing like I imagined.
The only thing I had seen from Georgia was the pictures of old Tbilisi in Google, with colorful buildings, red rooftops and charming streets. But what I was seeing outside was a brown, treeless hill and land, cut only by a few simple buildings.
When we arrived at my new apartment I saw a building missing plaster in some places, with construction poles holding the 1st floor balcony together. If I am being completely honest, at this very moment, sick and tired, I wondered if I had made the right decision coming here. A few hours later, more rested after a nap, I felt grateful to be able to discover a country so different from mine.
Now, when I look around and I see the same land, hill, and buildings, with the sun setting or rising above them, I find it very beautiful and charming. And, if you were worried about it, the apartment I am living in is really nice. My room is big, warm and comfortable and I have everything I need.
In the next few days, I was able to visit Rustavi more. I saw the city Hall, Rustaveli street and Rustavi Central park, which soon became my favorite landscapes. Each time I walk by those places I take a moment to look around and admire the view.
First activities
Like I said before, when I arrived in my apartment I almost instantly went to sleep. Lia (my Georgian roommate) was awake and showed me my room. Oubayda (my French roommate), who I had met once before in France, had arrived really early in the morning and was sleeping. After a few hours' nap, Lia took Oubayda and me to do our first grocery shopping. I discovered the numerous stores in every street of Rustavi. You can’t walk more than two minutes without finding one, which is really practical. She also showed us a really good local bakery and I tasted my first Khachapuri (pronounced Ra-tcha-pouri), a buttery bread with a lot of cheese in it. We then went on to see a live broadcast of a football match at the city hall. A lot of people were united to watch the match, drinking beer and anxiously reacting to each move of the players. I felt at home, imagining my boyfriend and friends in the crowd of fans.
At this event I met two of my new coworkers and now friends : Vibeke and Renée, both from the Netherlands. I also met Mariam and Natia, two Georgian girls, who I met regularly afterwards and who allowed me to discover Georgia up close through daily activities like sport and through typical Georgian “Supra” (feast), but I will talk about those good times in future articles.
During the free time of my first week I walked around Rustavi, I kept my good habits resolutions by cooking homemade meals and I went running in the park for the first time. It was beautiful, I was happy to be there but I was feeling homesick already, I didn’t have a lot of time to get to know the team better, Oubayda and I were the last two volunteers to arrive and the others already knew a bit about each other. We needed something to bond.
The first thing that made us connect more was a dancing and singing event at the city hall happening every evening for a few days. Almost the entire team of volunteers met to witness Georgian culture. I was mesmerized by the costumes and the music that I had never heard before. The performers were children from a music school and I was so agreeably surprised to see them be proud of their culture by singing and dancing local dances. Even the teenagers in the public were dancing and singing along. I never saw that before in France.
During the performance I felt really emotional, I was so happy to be here and at the same time the only thing I wanted was to share this beautiful experience with my loved ones at home.
For the first week of work we were accommodating to the rhythm and the missions, Oubayda and I mostly attended the other’s activities, and we also bonded there, getting to know each other better. But, the work and activities weren’t a lot during those first few days, the rhythm was slow, and we could feel that the whole team couldn’t wait to have a bit more to do and fill the November calendar with new ideas.
On the weekend was the first trip with the whole team of volunteers : Oubayda, Vibeke and Renée, that I already introduced, Anias and Charlotte, both from Germany, and Krista, our one and only Latvian girl. We went all together to Tbilisi, some of us had already gone before, for me I was finally discovering Georgia’s capital. I really like it, especially the old part. I noticed that even in the capital we could still meet street dogs and cats everywhere. I was a bit nervous about them at first but they are mostly really calm and only want some food or some cuddles.
We ended the weekend by going out to one of Rustavi’s Café. It was really fun and I think from this point forward I could call the other volunteers friends :) I was looking forward to new adventures with them and I will tell you some of them in the next articles !
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