thank you for saying that. I felt pretty riled up today. To be clear, whatever lukewarm, self-serving strategy the Georgian government displays, the Georgian people see the war in Ukraine as a war on their brothers and sisters, and there is a full contingent of Georgians that volunteered to fight there. The Georgian economy is held together with duct tape, and is terribly fragile, yet they absorbed so many Ukrainians and placed their children in schools, and have created countless support programs for them to live and find work. Their generosity is beyond explanation. Why? Because Georgians know what it is to have to do this with zero help. Their generosity is like nothing else in the world.
Meanwhile, even the US embassy in Georgia said nothing about the anniversary of the war today (and they have in the past) so it just throws salt on the wound, and being forgotten.
This is gut wrenching. Yes, where were we then? I think you're absolutely right on about the paper tigers. Social media caters to the unquenchable thirst people seem to have for image projection. It doesn't translate into boots on the ground.
THANK YOU Stella. fascinating that I have very very few reactions to this piece, especially on FB. It is maddening and even laughable when I witness people proclaiming on FB in this faux fierce manner, preaching to their friends, the converted, then patting themselves on the back with such satisfaction. This is one of the most difficult things about being an expat - seeing this behaviour for what it is (and isn't) is truly alienating - from the exact tribe you used to belong to.
Right, as if just putting the blue and yellow flag on your profile picture and sharing alarming articles once in a while translates to wearing a badge of honor for standing in the right camp. Ugh! What a disconnect.
I often dream of pursuing an expat life because of how alien I feel here It’s interesting to hear your perspective on this.
I just gobble up everything you write. The tempo of your work is so appealing to me. Just the right amount of tension. I want to learn from you. (I AM leaning from you- I want to live up to it.)
From what I gather from your recent posts, your life in Alaska was/is pretty "outsider". But now you are in Texas?
I try not to "go there" with the behaviour of people back home too often. Who am I to judge? I try to hold every culture up to the same expectations. Just after we moved to Tbilisi, where I always wanted to end up, I watched a guy kick the hell out of a dog. No place is perfect. No people either....
Excellent, brutal, heartbreaking piece.
thank you for saying that. I felt pretty riled up today. To be clear, whatever lukewarm, self-serving strategy the Georgian government displays, the Georgian people see the war in Ukraine as a war on their brothers and sisters, and there is a full contingent of Georgians that volunteered to fight there. The Georgian economy is held together with duct tape, and is terribly fragile, yet they absorbed so many Ukrainians and placed their children in schools, and have created countless support programs for them to live and find work. Their generosity is beyond explanation. Why? Because Georgians know what it is to have to do this with zero help. Their generosity is like nothing else in the world.
Meanwhile, even the US embassy in Georgia said nothing about the anniversary of the war today (and they have in the past) so it just throws salt on the wound, and being forgotten.
This is gut wrenching. Yes, where were we then? I think you're absolutely right on about the paper tigers. Social media caters to the unquenchable thirst people seem to have for image projection. It doesn't translate into boots on the ground.
THANK YOU Stella. fascinating that I have very very few reactions to this piece, especially on FB. It is maddening and even laughable when I witness people proclaiming on FB in this faux fierce manner, preaching to their friends, the converted, then patting themselves on the back with such satisfaction. This is one of the most difficult things about being an expat - seeing this behaviour for what it is (and isn't) is truly alienating - from the exact tribe you used to belong to.
Right, as if just putting the blue and yellow flag on your profile picture and sharing alarming articles once in a while translates to wearing a badge of honor for standing in the right camp. Ugh! What a disconnect.
I often dream of pursuing an expat life because of how alien I feel here It’s interesting to hear your perspective on this.
I just gobble up everything you write. The tempo of your work is so appealing to me. Just the right amount of tension. I want to learn from you. (I AM leaning from you- I want to live up to it.)
From what I gather from your recent posts, your life in Alaska was/is pretty "outsider". But now you are in Texas?
I try not to "go there" with the behaviour of people back home too often. Who am I to judge? I try to hold every culture up to the same expectations. Just after we moved to Tbilisi, where I always wanted to end up, I watched a guy kick the hell out of a dog. No place is perfect. No people either....
https://impressionsofanexpat.substack.com/p/the-dog
So true. Everywhere, humans are human. There’s no geographical cure for that!
ever so human. that's all of my work, in a nutshell.
Me too!