Over my two years in Georgia, I’ve come to notice that there is a large pattern of the types of questions Georgians ask me and other Peace Corps Volunteers.
1.”Do you like Georgia?”
The first question tends to be, “Do you like Georgia?” Thankfully, Georgia does hold a special place in my heart and forever will. Therefore, I feel comfortable answering the question truthfully. Oddly, the reasons that I like Georgia are reasons that take Georgians by surprise. For example, I love Georgian dance and folk music. When I say this, they are surprised or shocked. Their facial expressions imply that this is not a reason that is deemed worthy.
2. “Do you like Khachapuri?” and/or “Do you like Khinkhali?”
What is deemed worthy as a reason to love Georgia? Well, their second question would suggest why I should love Georgia- Khachapuri. Georgians will almost always follow the “Do you like Georgia?” with, “Do you like Khachapuri?” In the beginning, this question did not bother me. Now, I try so hard not to roll my eyes. This topic is controversial. Georgians love cheese. Georgians love their Khachapuri. If you do not love Khachapuri, you are almost a traitor. I think the best analogy I could come up with is if an American does not like Pizza or Hamburgers. Even vegetarians and vegans in America will partake in Fourth of July BBQs with a veggie burger. Personally, since I am lactose intolerant, I prefer Lobiani over Khachapuri. Lobiani basically means “bean-y” which is a bread with beans in it, so essentially bean bread. It is probably one of my favorites.
3. “Do you have a husband/wife?” “Do you want a Georgian husband/wife?”
I have yet to come across a female Peace Corps Volunteer who has not been asked this question. I believe men also get this question, but I’m not sure if it is as frequently. Thankfully, I do have a husband and so I do not have to turn down their offer for them to find me one. Marriage is a sacred goal in Georgia.
To choose to stay unmarried raises eyebrows and questions. My family comes from a different culture that has very similar attitudes as Georgians in regards to marriage. Therefore, I can understand where this question is coming from.
4. “How do you know Georgian? Why are you in Georgia?”
This is a fair question. I have yet to meet a single foreigner that speaks Georgian that is not a Peace Corps Volunteer. I think this is because my site is mostly ethnically Georgian and few foreigners live in my site. However, other villages and towns in Georgia have more diversity. For example, there are Peace Corps Volunteers that are placed in villages that have a large population of Armenians and/or Azeris. The other Peace Corps Volunteers have told me that non-ethnic Georgians speak Georgian, but their level of fluency is not uniform across the board. Some speak it fluently and others speak only a few words. Of course there are expats in Georgia; however, they tend to reside in Tbilisi, the capital. Similar to the non-ethnic Georgians, I’ve heard that there are expats that speak Georgian and some that don’t. The pattern does stand that Georgian is not as popular to learn as Russian among non-native Georgians.
As for us, Peace Corps Volunteers, we gain so much respect from the community by learning and speaking Georgian. They appreciate the effort and it definitely helps us integrate. More on that in this old blog post of mine.
5. How come you do not speak Russian?
Ironically, when I speak Georgian to Georgians that I just met, they will respond in Russian. I will repeat in Georgian that I do not speak Russian, but I speak Georgian. They will still speak in Russian or they will ask me “how do I know Georgian?” In the Soviet times, Georgians (with the exception of top government officials) were not allowed to travel outside of the Soviet Union. According to my counterparts and friends, Georgia was isolated and everyone only knew what was within the Soviet Union. Therefore, they assumed that everyone knows Russian and this thought carries into the present.
Supringsly, some Georgians will think that many Americans will also know Russian. I tell them that Spanish is the second most common language in America. I will tell them that I understand a lot of Spanish and Georgians are shocked- why Spanish??? Why not Russian??? I tell them that if an American speaks Russian, more often than not, they are immigrants or first-generation Russian (or Russian speaking nations). If not, then they chose to learn in university.
6. How much money did and/or do you make?
This is probably one of the most culturally different question that Georgians ask me that Americans just won’t. In the United States, it is considered rude and invasive to ask someone how much money someone makes. In Georgia, this could literally be one of the first questions they ask when they first meet me. Yes, I’ll say it again- many have asked me this during our first interaction.
I try to deflect my answer by using this as an opportunity to talk about Americans as a whole. I’ll say something like, “yes, we make more money than Georgians, but our living expenses also cost a lot of money. Therefore, we, too, do not have a lot of savings. The average American is now in the working class and our middle class is shrinking.” I give this answer because a common misconception is that Americans are rich. My host sister during PST joked that I should smuggle her in my suitcase and that she will be my maid in America. When I told her that I lived in one bedroom apartment for years in California, she did not believe me. She also did not believe me that I told her that I have been working since high school to help support myself.
At the end of the day, a huge part of our job as Peace Corps Volunteers is answering these types of questions. They may seem simple, but we are combating misconceptions. Our answers can help bridge a gap of knowledge and increase the foundation of friendship between the United States and Georgia.