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Posts Tagged "Batumi"

Roco: Batumi Shoe Repairman

Roco: Batumi Shoe Repairman

BATUMI, GEORGIA: Roco, 50, works in a small shoe repair kiosk with two other men roughly his age in the Georgian port city of Batumi. An Armenian by nationality, he was born in Batumi. Roco said his father made shoes during WWII, joining a local factory at age 14. Roco said the shoe repair business is dying. ''Young people want to play with computers, not work with their hands.'' People are buying cheaper, lower-quality shoes and the cost of repairing them is not much less than buying new ones.

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Davit: Georgian Chef

Davit: Georgian Chef

BATUMI, GEORGIA: With his dreadlocks, Davit looked more like a musician or skateboarder. The 24 year-old Georgian said he was hoping to go to the US to work for a few years to gain kitchen experience. ''Then I will come back to share the experience here,'' he said. Risotto, kharcho and mtsvadi, a Georgian shisk kebab, are among his favorite dishes. Davit said that Batumi has changed a lot over the past decade. ''If you look at photos from 10 years ago, it looks like a village. So much has been built in the last few years,'' he said.

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Valerian: Career Soviet Officer

Valerian: Career Soviet Officer

BATUMI, GEORGIA: Valerian, 83, was sitting with a friend along the Batumi shore dressed in camouflage coat and hat. He said he grew up in Batumi and recalled how when his dad went off to serve in WWII, he would fish by himself along the shore before school started. Valerian said he was a career officer in the Soviet Army, having served in Germany and Armenia among other places. Like other people of pension age that I met, Valerian was disappointed with the bad relations between Russia and Georgia, saying that neighbors ''have to find a common language.''  

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Marina: Batumi Convenience Store Owner

Marina: Batumi Convenience Store Owner

BATUMI, GEORGIA: Marina (left), 32, was knitting baby clothing in her Batumi convenience store as she talked with three older friends. Marina, who is married to a Turkish man, joked it was a little Soviet Union - she is Ukrainian while her friends were Armenian (right), Georgian & Russian. (The Georgian and Russian women left before I could take the photo.) Marina invited me to chat about life, and the USSR of course came up. They lamented the collapse because their is no job stability like there was in the USSR, they said. People can't survive on their pensions, they said. "Life is difficult - we work hard, but have to dress in second-hand," said Marina, her Armenian friend adding, "We had a life then. Now we simply survive. Ask anyone my age and they will tell you the same thing."

Irakly & Raul: Batumi Wood Craftsmen

Irakly & Raul: Batumi Wood Craftsmen

BATUMI, GEORGIA: Irakly & Raul, 54, were heading out to Irakly's small wood-working shop where they produce such things as doors. Raul, who lived 10 years in St Petersburg making parquet floors, said he doesn't have steady work in Batumi. He thought of emigrating, but feels he is too old. The wood craftsmen differed slightly on the current economic situation in Batumi. Raul said 80 percent of people were facing a tough life, while Irakly felt it was significantly lower. "There were fewer problems during the Soviet period. We didn't think about eating. Yes, we now have democracy, but there is no work," Raul said.   Irakly, though, has done well. He saved money & opened his own shop. He sends his 2 children to an English school. "I do my all so that my children study," Irakly said to me.  

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Oleg: Working in Turkey’s Tea Fields

Oleg: Working in Turkey’s Tea Fields

BATUMI, GEORGIA: Oleg, early 20s, was hanging out at an outdoor market in Batumi when I noticed the tattoo on his neck. It read: "Life goes on" with a heartbeat line beneath the words. He said he was born in Moldova, but moved to Batumi as a boy. He said his Russian father then died, his mom began to drink and mismanaged their money. Thus, he left school to pick tea leaves in nearby Turkey sometime around age 14. He said the other Georgian men whom he traveled with in those days protected him. A divorced father with a small knife scar on his stomach, Oleg said he still travels to Turkey to pick tea. He said the tattoo reflects he isn't giving up despite the tough life. 'God put me here on this earth after all for some reason.'  

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Qethy: US Peace Corps Host

Qethy: US Peace Corps Host

ADJARA MOUTAINS, GEORGIA: While driving in the Adjara mountains, I passed students at a village (pop. 200) bus stop and paused to chat and take photos. A few spoke decent Russian. I didn't expect anyone to speak more than a few words of English. Then Qethy stepped forward and talked in excellent English about her dream to become a lawyer and Georgia's need to improve its rule of law if it wants to join the European community. I asked how she managed to speak so well. Qethy, who was waiting for the bus to take her to an English language discussion group, said her family has been hosting US Peace Corps volunteers the last 2 years. She hopes to study in the USA, but added she "will work for her country" to improve human rights, especially women's rights.

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Timur: Georgian Taxi Driver

Timur: Georgian Taxi Driver

BATUMI, GEORGIA: As Timur drove me to the moutains, he said ''I won't tell you one thing and a Russian something else. I will be honest with you.'' He then said that it was more important for Georgia to have good relations with Russia than with the West because Russia is a natural market for Georgian goods like mandarins, wine, ect, as well as a labor market. A father of three - including one by a Russian woman -  he recommended I watch "Father of a Soldier," a WWII film about Georgians and Russians. He was telling me the tragic movie plot, when he suddenly went silent. Tears were in his eyes. "I have a weak heart," he said. Timur finally told the movie plot, stopping two more times due to tears.