Why Georgia?

After years of studying Russian in school and studying abroad in Russia for a semester, I have been asked countless times the question, “Why Russia?” Often, I stare for a moment in silence, contemplating the answer. As far as questions have gone, this one is not the easiest to pinpoint, at least in its origins. I have no doubt that I could probably talk for half an hour or more (probably far more) about “why Russia” now, after having learned so much, and after falling in love with the country and its culture. Similarly, now that the news has spread that I am going to the Republic of Georgia on a Fulbright teaching grant, I have gotten the question again, but this time it is “Why Georgia?”

First and foremost, my interest in Georgia and the Caucasus was born out of an interest in Russia, even though, at the time in 2004, my sights were set relatively firmly on Germany. Russia had always been present in the back of my brain as my interest in other cultures began to develop. I loved history, especially contemporary history and nothing sparked my interest more than World War I and World War II. I was particularly interested in both Germany and Russia's role in these wars. As far as Georgia and the Caucasus are concerned, the event that captured my interest started with the horrific tragedy of the Beslan School Siege in 2004 in the semi-autonomous Russian republic of North Ossetia-Alania. A year after that event, I began writing a story about Russia and decided I wanted to have a character come from the Caucasus and so I began to research the region. Since then, I have never looked back.

When I entered college at the University of Montana in 2009, one of my Russian professors mentioned to me the Fulbright Program. At the time, I had not really considered Fulbright to be an option for a number of reasons. For one, I just did not think I had the academic chops to make it; secondly, I was fairly certain I did not want to teach; and thirdly, although you could conduct research which I absolutely love doing, my perceived lack of competitiveness held me back. The amount of self growth that I experienced in college is a whole other topic all of its own, one that I will not go into here, but can say is integral to me winning a Fulbright Fellowship. I chose Montana because I thought the mountains would give me the chance to find myself and to become the person I was meant to be. It took hard work, determination, and help from professors, family, friends, and Missoula to make the progress that I did both academically and personally. At the start of my senior year of college, after having spent a semester in Russia, my professor again mentioned Fulbright to me. This time, my attitude was far different and far more positive and I decided to apply.

Another reason that is so integral to the “Why Georgia?” question is my career interests. Since high school, I had been interested in working as a diplomat, with an emphasis on geopolitical analysis with a specialization in Russia and the Caucasus. College only helped to expand that interest to also include cultural analysis. My professors helped me to understand how important culture is to a society and how it lays the political foundation in that society. People have asked me many times why I decided to major in Russian language and literature, and not political science, and I explain to them my reasons. Through courses I took and research in my own time, I incorporated the Caucasus into my studies. During my senior year, I had the fortune to be able to write a research paper on the history behind the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Writing and presenting on this topic was a dream come true for me and gave me the confidence that I had made the right choice in applying for a Fulbright teaching grant to Georgia. The opportunity to go to Georgia will give me the experience, skills, and credibility on the region when I enter a career in the future.

An important aspect to include, that goes hand in hand with my career interests and simple love of learning, is the chance to learn a new language and improve on another. Georgian is the official language of the Republic of Georgia. The language is part of the Kartvelian language family and is related to no other language in the world. Their alphabet is comprised of thirty-three letters and is one of the oldest alphabets in the world. Just those facts alone are enticing to me, but also enticing is the fact that having a knowledge of a regional language will help me to better understand the region. I say this will help me understand the region better despite the fact that in the span that the Caucasus Mountains stretch, five hundred miles from the Black Sea to the Caspian, well over one hundred languages are spoken. However, it is a step in the right direction. So, this summer, before I embark on this adventure, I am teaching myself Georgian. I hope that by the time I arrive in Georgia in what I assume will be September (I have not yet been placed), I will have memorized the alphabet and will be able to have a basic vocabulary with the ability to speak some survival Georgian.  In addition, since Georgia once belonged to the Soviet Union, that not only will my knowledge of Russian come in handy, but that it will improve while I am over there. Time will tell.

This is a long post but there are two other reasons I have for choosing to go to Georgia and simply put, they are natural beauty and roads less traveled. Georgia is a country roughly the size of South Carolina and is composed of breathtaking natural beauty. The mountainous geography of Georgia and the culture of Georgia are inextricably linked. I have always felt a special, often spiritual connection to the mountains and I have always been intrigued by cultures and peoples of the mountains. The fact that many people in America do not know that this country and region exist is another reason why I am going there and why I want this area to be a part of my career. Too often, when I have told people of my plans, they look at me curiously and say: “Atlanta?...Well, I suppose their English can be improved.” I want to end statements like this; I want people to know the beauty of this region; I want people to know its culture, its history, its languages, and its contribution and importance in the world.

So, there you have it, in not so many plain terms, about why I chose Georgia. It is hard to say for sure what will happen in the ten months that I am over there; I am sure some of these reasons will both change and evolve for the better.

 In closing, I do wonder, as a fellow Fulbright Fellow to Bulgaria pointed out, if anyone ever asks the question, “Why France?”

Expect a lot more to come in the months ahead.