Contemporary Immigration In Georgia

The most acute problem in Georgia is labor migration. In the post-Soviet period, the horrendous collapse of living standards and crisis had forced the population to find jobs in the abroad. Unfortunately, this is still going on. its intensity is not going to be decreased , it hasn’t received a legal form. Labor migration - it is a process that is very negative impact on the country's situation. The UN estimates that if current demographic trends continue, in 2000-2050 years the population of Georgia will be reduced by 2 million that is almost 40% - of the current population.

I decided to connect with Georgian immigrants through the internet and to make an interview. Here is the history of one of the Georgian immigrants (She asked me not to mention her name) :

"I’m 40 years old. At the moment I live in Italy. In the morning I work in an office and in the evenings I work as a baby-sitter. I left Georgia 10 years ago. My family lives in Georgia. My daughter was only 6 at that moment, soon she will be 16. To be an immigrant is very hard. On the 7^th year of my being here my family ruined. It’s hard for a woman to take on the responsibility to provide for the family and to be very far away from your child, and to be alone. Then you begin blaming husband that you missed years while your child was growing up. My daughter was growing up with my parents and brother. We have very good relationship with each other, but it’s just the call of relative bloods. Materinate love is very strong, but I don’t know she likes or dislikes, when she feels happy or sad. I have a conversation with her on Skype, I visit her twice a year but this is not enough. I miss sleeping with my child, to make dinner for her, just to walk with her, because 2-3 months of summer vacations are not enough for this. It’s very painful for me.

Unfortunately the number of immigrants is increasing. When you graduate from the university and there are no jobs or the salary is very law and you have no idea what to do, how to feed your child, when 3 or 4 years old child asks you to buy something when you will have money, this causes you to make the decision to leave everything to go anywhere abroad and to try your best for her.

Sometimes I think what was better, staying with her and having nothing or go and provide her, but live in unbearable pain. I don’t know… but I have already made my choice. It’s impossible to fill the gap of the years when we were apart.

Of course, I also miss my country. My country for me means the people whom I love and miss. I’m proud that I’m Georgian. Georgian roots are very strong and to realize this you have to live far away from your home. I arrived in Georgia after 5 years, and when I returned back it was much more difficult for me. The first time I was in Calabria and as soon as I had a chance I was walking on the beach. The smell of the sea reminded me of my country.

Adaptation is very difficult, when you don’t know the language and you feel yourself as a stranger, the culture is also very different.

Sometimes I used to wander in the streets to make resemblance with the strangers and my child.

The 8^th of August was a real disaster, the outbreak of the war in 2008. I was determined to flight back to Georgia. The officials at the Embassy adviced to change my mind, but I couldn’t. All the flights to Georgia were cancelled. The Venice Airport blocked me 3 times. Then I decided to go to Turkey and then get to Georgian border by bus. The Turkish government gave me the shelter for several days in Istanbul. 3 days later I arrived in my homeland. I needed to come back, there was no other way. Fortunately, the war ended soon but the pain and fear caused by this disaster was awful and scary.

Recently I got an offer from a job in Georgia. I’m still thinking of it, if it doesn’t work I’ll stay abroad as the immigrant again."