Probably the most common question we get when talking about our recent adoption adventure in the Republic of Georgia is, “Where is Georgia?” We’re not talking about the state of Georgia in the U.S., but rather a sovereign country in Europe. Georgia was one of the 15 republics that formed the Soviet Union, along with Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and others. Georgia was one of the first republics to break away from the Soviet Union and elect its own president. Geographically, Georgia is located in the Caucasus Mountains to the south of Russia and to the north of Turkey. Its current boundaries include nearly 27,000 square miles, about one-third the size of Minnesota. It is roughly as far south on the planet as Iowa, and its capitol, Tbilisi, is directly north of Baghdad, Iraq. Georgia is located on the Black Sea, and is considered to have a subtropical or Mediterranean climate (similar to Greece or Italy). Georgia’s chief crops are grapes (for wine), tea and citrus fruit. Because of its elevation in the mountains, it does snow in Georgia, although it only rarely snows in the capitol. The remote mountainous areas are infamous for deadly avalanches. The skiing is said to be fantastic just an hour or so out of the capitol – mountain skiing, of course. Historically, Georgia is thousands of years older than Russia. Ancient Greece, invading Turks and Tamurlane (from Central Asia) have all played a part in Georgia’s history and development. Georgia is believed to be where wine was invented, about 8,000 years ago. It is also the land where the fabled Jason and the Argonauts landed, the land of the Golden Fleece (if you know your Greek mythology). The Georgian language has its own alphabet, one of the 14 alphabets in the world today. It is about a thousand years older than Russian, and much more like Farsi (spoken in Iran) than any Slavic language. The Georgian people are the original “Caucasians” (living in the Caucasus Mountains) and tend to be dark and swarthy. There is a famous (and modern) statue overlooking the capitol of Tbilisi: a woman holding a cup of wine in one hand and a sword in the other. The wine is for Georgia’s friends and allies. The sword is for her enemies. Georgians are well known for their hospitality, and they have a lot of friends. Author’s note: Our experience by no means reflects a “typical” adoption experience. We did not use an agency, and were dealing with a country rife with corruption and whose laws change weekly.
