... in response to Georgia, posted by david hagar on Nov 24, 2003[This message has been edited by Jersey Mike]
My ex-wife is from Georgia, and I have been to Tbilisi. The people are very warm and friendly, and they pride themselves on their hospitality. They really know how to party and have a good time - Georgia is known for its wine. Having said that, I would definately NOT try to travel around the country without a native guide/interpreter. The countryside has lots of problems, particularly in the northern part which borders on Russia's Chechnya region.
Personally, I found some of the women to be very exotic, but most were not that attractive to me. (My ex is half Russian/half Georgian, and looks more Italian or Latin than Georgian. Tall and leggy, she could pass for a Victoria's Secret model, IMO!) Very dark hair, fairly light skin, rather large noses are typical features of Georgians. They are very traditional in their culture and religion generally, although times are changing. I don't think that their culture is very conducive to any kind of agency action or internet dating.
Georgia is fairly separatist in both politics and culture from its neighboring countries, including Russia. The political relationship between Russia and Georgia is pretty frosty, and the USA has peacekeeping forces there to the chagrin of Putin. Georgia is trying to forge much closer relations with the west and with the USA in particular, which provides it with substantial finacial aid. Georgia has its own language and alphabet, which is completely different from Russian, although most Georgians speak fluent Russian of course.
My problems with my ex have nothing to do with her Georgian heritage, and I continue to have a close realtionship with her that is more like brother and sister than ex-husband/wife. All Georgians I have met are very nice and warm. Most Russians, however, do not think much of Georgians, and Georgians consider Russians to be very cold and rude. Like many of the smaller FSU republics that were dominated by Russia, there is a lingering resentment towards Russia. Most Georgians long for the good ol' days of pre-Gorbachev communism, because the country has really suffered economically since the early 1990's. When you see how diverse the cultures of the various republics of the former Soviet Union are, and how many of the people of the various republics dislike or distrust each other, it is a wonder that the FSU held together as long as it did.
