They are so kind and welcoming that they have a reputation for it throughout Europe.
Right now many of them are eating from trash to survive. Over half the country lives far below the poverty line. There is truly no medical care there to speak of, and many of them suffer a great deal. Last winter the pipeline was blown up which supplied them with heat, and the entire country went without during one of their coldest winters ever. The press was unable to find one to quote who complained, from my reading.
I routinely overpaid for everything when I was there last year and once had a woman through her arms around me in gratitude when I gave her five dollars.
I have emailed some Georgian people online and they always offer me their homes to stay in when I return to their country.
Blaming them for Stalin is similar to blaming us for Klintoon. When I was abroad during his time in the White House it was embarrassing, but the people did not blame me for his office.
No its true, I haven't to my knowledge met anyone from Georgia. However, I have followed events in Georgia and it was heartening when the "Rose" revolution enveloped the proud, plucky, nation of Georgia. Abkhazia has been a thorn in the little nation's side for years. While reading a bit about shamil baseyev, the chechen terrorist ringleader, I was surprised to learn that he was recruited by the Russians back in 1994 to fight the Georgians in Abkhazia. My point being that the Russians have stirred up trouble in Georgia for some time, dating back to the Yeltsin years, and I don't think things have changed under rasPutin's tutelage. When I remarked about the Russian paybacks concerning Stalin, I wasn't making a value judgement about Georgia and it's people. I wonder however if this isn't in the back of the Russian psyche, that's all. I think the far more important thing for the Russians is the fact that Georgia has always been a part of Pax-Sovietica for most of the 20th Century, and I don't think the descendants of that odious regime are happy that Georgia has escaped from the Russian straightjacket.
Once again, I wasn't blaming the Georgians for Stalin. History has shown that Stalin was as brutal if not more brutal to his own people in Georgia. I was merely remarking about what I had found when I was in Russia in 1993 and 2002. There's still a lot of hatred for and love of Stalin on the part of the Russians. I found the people that hate Stalin are rabid haters of Stalin.
Thank you for your interesting post. I didn't realize the depth of the poverty. Sometimes reading the statistics doesn't have the same impact of hearing first hand stories from those that have actually experienced that poverty and misery. I commend you for your interest and compassion, and hope that you go back to Georgia soon. When you go back to Georgia, I hope you will let me know what you experienced. Once again, thank you for taking the time to send me your thoughts.