Olga moved to Tbilisi two years ago. A native of Belgorod (Russia), she lived most of her life in Moscow but grew increasingly tired of the megapolis, its harsh weather, the aggressiveness of many people there. More and more of her close friends moved to Tbilisi and when she visited herself she instantly fell in love with the city and with Georgia as a whole. “I remember how pleasantly surprised I was when I crossed the border to Georgia for the first time: A convenient customs procedure, smiling officers and the flag of the European Union next to the flag of Georgia.”
After that, she spent all her holidays in Georgia until she realised it would be easier just to buy a one-way ticket. “Soulfulness and soulfulness in every detail, in every word” that is how Olga sums up what she likes so much about Georgia. “Georgians would not pass by a person in need of help. I remember how a random girl suggested to stand with my dog while I was shopping, I remember how it surprised me then. Now it doesn’t surprise me so much anymore, it seems to me that it should be that way. Always. Everywhere.”
In Moscow Olga used to work for a fashion designer, now she is working in import-export, mainly helping Georgian companies to enter the Russian market. “All my close friends had already moved from Moscow to Tbilisi before me, so it was really easy for me to adapt when I arrived. And of course, it is full of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians here. Georgians still speak Russian or at least try very hard. I keep repeating that Georgia is a maximally comfortable place for emigrants from Russia.”
During the last few years, Georgia and especially Tbilisi have become fashionable destinations for young, creative and liberal Russian expatriates. While many Russians used to be living in Georgia since the country was absorbed by the Russian Empire in the 18/19th centuries and especially during Soviet times, most of them had left after the collapse of the USSR.