Suitcases ready, uff, they are heavy. The last check, OK, I think I have the necessary, then the rest I’ll see. I’m in the car, heading for the airport, go!
Seven hours of flying. I get off the plane and finally catch a glimpse of the unmistakable flag with the five red crosses on a white background: I have arrived.
Ciao! I am Sofia from Rome and I am volunteering for Aicem in Tbilisi.
Yes, I’m in Georgia. It’s almost a month now, although, in all honesty, there are days when I still don’t realise I’m in the Caucasus. I’d like to justify it by saying that I am a citizen of the world, but maybe it’s because I can’t get my head around this unexpectedly diverse place with its welcoming people: it’s sometimes rich and sometimes crumbling, sometimes bright and natural and sometimes grey, decadent and full of smog.
It’s ancient and has a fascinating and decidedly complex history that has made Georgia aware of the countless dominations that have subjugated it over the centuries, but being able to look beyond this, managing to be firmly attached to its roots, strong in its particular culture. It’s a land lived by a proud people, who continue to experience ethnic and religious contrasts, and who hope, one day, to live in peace in its territory, with the great aspiration of joining the European family.
I feel it both near and far.
I don’t know if you have ever walked around Tbilisi, the capital, but Georgian, Ukrainian and European flags are omnipresent: they occupy balconies, are hung on the gates, are glued on the cars and painted on walls.
I would say that this is a clear statement.
But let’s go back to the story of how I ended up here.
No, it is not just because of the fantastic Georgian cuisine, although, as a good Italian, it is something I have carefully weighed up.
I am an incurable enthusiast of people and traditions. I love to hear stories and observe customs, and I find it wonderful when two or more cultures meet and dialogue, that is why I aspire to become an intercultural and interfaith mediator: it’s about interacting with what it’s most fascinating for me, that are human beings and their roots.
Moreover, allergic as I am to office work, dynamism and creativity are two elements that I consider indispensable in everything I do.
Therefore, having taken a master’s degree in International Studies, I started to gain work experiences that interested me transversally. One day I decided to register on the ESC portal and started finding an avalanche of projects I liked. I immediately found myself sending applications, and, not even having the time to realise it, I found myself at the Institute of Italian Culture in Tbilisi. The latter is an NGO that aims to enhance the link between Georgia and Italy by working in the areas of culture, education, and media literacy.
We ESC volunteers have a very interesting and broad project, which asks us to create a network between young people, organisations, and local realities to involve them in intercultural activities.
For now, I am only at the beginning, but the challenge is looking interesting and a great opportunity to make acquaintances, learn and travel in a super stimulating environment.
Among our first works, we went to universities to organise short seminars. This was because, at one point, my colleague and I had a doubt: Europe is a strongly perceived reality in Georgia, but how many people know about the activities it offers for young people? And then, after all, it’s precisely because of a European project that I am here, it’s nice to share it.
Our ice-breaking question in the classes immediately puts the students off: what do you think the European Union is? Silence falls. Slowly someone ventures an answer: an area of the world... United countries... A group of nations that helps each other...
This confirms our initial doubt. We tell them about Europe, the European Solidarity Corps, and the Institute of Italian Culture. No one had heard of them before, but everyone seems to want to take part following our presentation. It’s the first rewarding experience; this is cooperation for me: networking, getting involved, and sharing the means and knowledge so that we can achieve results together.
Beyond the universities, the Italian courses and the involvement in local realities, such as Caritas, are slowly giving us the chance to interact with the people here, understanding the place’s social dynamics and gently introducing us to a sometimes shaggy context. It doesn’t always go smoothly, that’s normal, but I would say that we are getting good feedback so far. If I had to choose, what I think is the biggest success are the classes we have created for the Italian course, in which Georgians, Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians sit at the same desks. At first, some people turned their noses up, but now they are getting to know each other and the prejudice and walls are gradually disappearing.
There is still a long way to go to achieve the goals of democracy, equality, and justice set by the project; however, the experiences I am living are of unparalleled richness and are teaching me to bring a deeper meaning to my life, a stronger sense of purpose which I hope to convey to the people I meet.
Sofia Camaglia