Belarusians in Georgia: inside look

Cataclysms never cease to shock our little Belarus: either the COVID-19 pandemic, or political storms of various origins and forces. It is not surprising that many of our compatriots seek, at least temporarily, to find a reliable refuge in near or far abroad. Moreover, this is not always connected with political convictions: often people just want peace and confidence in the future.
This also affected the Royal Sky Group team. In particular, our flight and corporate service manager Alexandra Ivanyushina spent several months in Georgia. Now she has already returned to Belarus and started work. Well, could we miss a unique opportunity to get information about how our compatriots live in Georgia, so to speak, first-hand? We are talking with Alexandra!

Alexandra, here you came to a foreign country not on vacation, but to live. What can you say about the first impressions of the move? And are Georgians as hospitable as they say they are?

The first impressions, to be honest, were frightening. We came to an absolutely foreign country without preparation – where to go, where to look for what? There were problems with communication: they are wary of Russian speakers, and practically no one speaks English. It was somewhat comforting that there were four of us – two pairs of friends.

And about the famous Caucasian hospitality – everything is absolutely true, but with one caveat: the guest should like the owners. Then you can really enjoy the hospitality of local residents even with a hat acquaintance. For example, the owner of the apartment gave us a jar of stale jam, and the taxi driver – a bottle of cool strong drink.

The first question that worries any foreigner who has arrived in another country is housing. What is the situation with this in Georgia? Where did they live, how much did they pay?

At first we lived in a hotel in Tbilisi. We were brought there by a Georgian who took him from the border at night, for which many thanks to him. The hotel room cost 60 lari per night. For reference: lari is almost equivalent to the Belarusian ruble. At the moment, 60 lari is somewhere around 54 of our rubles.

We lived in the hotel for a couple of days, and then began to actively look for an apartment. This has become a major issue. All local housing aggregator sites are in Georgian. The reaction to the calls is mixed. If you heard Russian or even English speech, you immediately strained and asked: “Where are you from?” Unfortunately, after the answer that from Belarus, many hung up.

Fortunately, acquaintances brought us to the realtor from Batumi, who did not suffer from prejudice (by the way, Russian-speaking people treat us much better than in Tbilisi). She helped us find housing almost immediately.

Now about prices. A “Euro-house” (shared kitchen + living room and two rooms) with warm floors and gas heating can be rented for $500-700, which is quite expensive by our standards. By the way, the issue of heating is very important. Accommodation is usually heated by either air conditioning or a gas boiler. The first option is much worse: it is more painful for money, and even not the whole apartment is warming up.

The prices for one-room apartments and studios were especially impressed: higher than in Minsk by one and a half to two times. True, now, by the fall, they have decreased slightly, but still hurt the budget.

Well, they decided on housing. What about eating? What is served in cafe restaurants, sold in deli? What is your favorite national dish?

Everything is very good, but sometimes unusual. One thing I can say: Georgians love and know how to eat – this cannot be taken away from them. And they cook great!

If we talk about cafes and restaurants, then everything there is cheaper than in Minsk. For example, a dense dinner with khinkali under wine or chachu will cost only 15-20 lari.

Many of my acquaintances praised the real Georgian kebab: it is really great to cook here. Lovely and khinkali – very juicy, in a thin dough. You won’t try such people with us. By the way, in any institution you can order potatoes in Mexican – I don’t know why.

The most popular Georgian fast food is probably shawarma. It is prepared at every corner, and huge and amazingly tasty. And you can choose all the ingredients and sauce yourself.

The epoch-making discovery for me, a convinced meat-eater, was lobio. It is a national bean dish that is often made with nuts. An amazing mix of spices and herbs, and even inexpensive!

Local fish markets are a paradise for lovers of all kinds of gifts of the sea. All the most intense: a variety of fish, oysters, squid, shrimp – the choice is huge. You choose what the soul lies for – this is taken to a nearby restaurant and prepared specifically for you. Insanely delicious! And also a worthy visual accompaniment: an incredible view of the sea (all such restaurants are located right on the coast).

But in stores the picture is somewhat different. The first impression is that everything is very expensive, and the assortment is lame. For example, to us, accustomed to high-quality, diverse and inexpensive Belarusian milk, an extremely scarce choice seems wild.

Here you will not see the cheese of dozens of varieties, glazed cheeses, all kinds of curd desserts. That is, it is present on the shelves, but in a limited assortment. Even 20% of methane can be found in local stores – already luck, and Georgians, such an impression, are not aware that it may be more fat.

True, local residents are very fond of matsoni (this is such a fermented milk product, similar to a very dense squash). It is sold there everywhere, even in the smallest shops.

I was struck in the heart and stomach by a stall of chickens. Imagine: such huge carcasses lie almost in their original form (with heads and paws). It is almost impossible to buy chicken cutting: only a huge kuru in its entirety, and then fight with it until victory.

For household goods, prices are about the same as ours, but if you get close, you can find cheaper. Vegetables, fruits and herbs are definitely more accessible, regardless of the season.

Visit Georgia and not enjoy the famous wines – nonsense. Surely you did not comply with the harsh “prohibition”?

Yes, I was fascinated by Georgian wines. At the head of my personal rating are Kindzmarauli, Twishi and homemade pomegranate wine. However, our taxi driver very much praised “Kisi” from a very rare grape variety, but I could not taste it.

Wines in Georgia are sold everywhere: in markets, in supermarkets, local small shops with souvenirs, on the way to tourist sites and next to them. There are beads everywhere with the inscriptions “Wine, chacha.” The assortment corresponds: a huge selection of wines, the legendary Georgian chacha, churchkhela and other fruits of home winemaking and cooking.

Business is time, but fun still needs to be given at least an hour. How did you have fun away from your homeland?

Batumi is a major tourist center, so there is no shortage of cafes, restaurants, discos and other entertainment establishments. Moreover, many of them belong to our compatriots.

By the way, Belarusians living in Georgia are engaged not only in business, but organize various events “for their own.” These are film screenings on a projector on the seashore, stand-up parties, bachata yoga, coworking spaces, musical evenings, smoothly turning into noisy parties – you can have fun from the heart. And at the same time – and indulge in light nostalgia.

For adrenaline, we went to the newly built AdjaraBet Arena – to watch a football or rugby match (by the way, this sport in Georgia is super popular). How temperamental jigits cheer for their teams – you need to see it! Kayaking, sup board, rafting are very popular in the summer, so extreme lovers will not have to be bored.

And if you want to relax, it is worth visiting the Batumi Botanical Garden. The intoxicating aroma of exotic flowers, the singing of birds, the rustling foliage of trees brought from the most remote corners of the planet, the murmuring of talking fountains… What else is needed for quality relaxation?

Let’s carefully enter the thin ice of interethnic relations. How do Russians and Belarusians feel about Georgia?

A lot depends on the region here. For example, in Batumi, we did not encounter the hostility of the local population. Many (especially representatives of the older generation) know the Russian language well. But this is Adjaria, traditionally loyal to everything Russian.

In other regions, the picture is somewhat different: anti-Russian (and at the same time anti-Belarusian) sentiments, a lot of Ukrainian national symbols, banners of the corresponding content are not uncommon. Once in Tbilisi they refused to serve us in a cafe only because we spoke Russian. Of course, they understood us, but expressed their “fe.”

It’s good to rest in Georgia – everyone knows this, but you also need to live on something. How great are the chances for our compatriots to get a job there?

It all depends on your specialty and experience. The greatest chances of service workers: waiters, bartenders, hairdressers, nail service masters. They are gladly hired, especially in institutions owned and where Russian speakers go.

Experienced IT specialists (they are in demand in any corner of the globe), remote workers and freelancers of all stripes, who do not care where to work, will not disappear either.

But the rest are much more difficult: the requirements for each vacancy include knowledge of the Georgian language, and salaries are clearly not higher than ours. With such prices for rented housing, these are pennies, which are shameful.

If you were asked to give some advice to our compatriots going to Georgia, what would you recommend?

Let’s be in order of outline and experience:

• If the prices in the store seem overpriced to you, pay attention to more affordable analogues. For example, you can buy cereals, pasta, flour and other groceries for weight – in Georgia, many do so.
• Cigarettes are very expensive. But cheap tobacco, cars and cases are sold everywhere to create cigarettes, so to speak, “hand-make.” And grandmothers everywhere sell cigarettes, including by the piece.
• Elevators in Georgia are paid. So if you need to rise the floor comfortably, you will have to pay with a coin (in old houses) or a special card or chip. In some houses, they even take money for going down! So either pay or walk.
• Central heating is virtually absent. Apartments (even in high-rise buildings) are heated mainly by air conditioners or gas boilers. This is a significant item of expenses that falls on the tenant.
• The usual full-size bath in the apartment is rare. Almostallhousingisequippedwithshowers.
• Do not be surprised if in the city center you see a rope with multi-colored linen drying on it – this is a local tradition that is not subject to the trends of the time. By the way, in Italy you can observe a similar picture!
• The rules of the road in Georgia are very conditional. Temperamental jigits easily stop the car in the middle of the road to chat with friends. Turningsignals – forweaklings.
• It is customary to cross the road anywhere you please, but at your own peril and risk. The fact that pedestrians need to be allowed in, local drivers seem to be unaware, so going to the store can turn into a survival quest.
• Dogs can be seen everywhere (in Georgia they are very loved). They freely enter shops and cafes, sleep anywhere, begging without fear. Stray dogs are caught but released again sterilized, vaccinated and chipped.
• It is simply impossible not to drink during a Georgian feast. And it will not work: it is not customary to raise a half-empty glass or glass there. First, the dishes are filled to the edges, and only then they drink. Aftertheflowerytoast, ofcourse!
• Did you watch a cartoon about Masha and the Bear, where a little prank made jam from everything that came to hand, including cones? So, in Georgia they really make jam from cones, and delicious!

And now the question for you is not as a guest of Georgia, but as a pro in the tourism sphere. When and how best to rest in Georgia?

Georgia is a very fertile country for tourism, and for every taste. Warm sea, picturesque mountains and waterfalls, lush tropical vegetation, many historical and cultural objects, authentic customs, centuries-old winemaking culture and cool national cuisine – tourist chips of this region can be listed endlessly.

In summer, she beckons with cool beach relaxation, as well as outdoor activities (especially in the mountains). Autumn is the optimal time for wine and gastronomic tours, as well as excursions with any bias.

But it should be borne in mind that Georgia is more active than, for example, Turkey. Even if you are going for a beach holiday, you need to find time for hiking and excursions – this is the only way you can get into the unique atmosphere of this wonderful land.

If there are questions about rest or moving to Georgia, please contact. Always happy to help friends and customers!

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