I went in to this trip completely overwhelmed with thoughts of baby, engulfed in to-do lists to make travelling as comfortable and safe for the new little human who was growing at exponential rates inside of me- our little human. It was our first adventure together, after all, and at 20 weeks, he was hearing, feeling, and moving more than ever. Oh, I loved him so much, already. If you had opened my google search engine, you would have found things like “how to fly while pregnant without getting swollen feet and blood clots”, or “hospitals in Tbilisi” or “Georgian foods for pregnant ladies” instead of the usual “Georgian culture”, “best hikes in Georgia” or “day trips from Tbilisi”. In my carry on before even leaving Amsterdam, you would have found enough healthy snacks to get me through an entire week, compression socks for the flight, the largest water bottle of all time, and a whole beauty case of prenatal vitamins, supplements, pain relievers, and first aid. I had officially packed my first mom kit.
Becoming pregnant is like adding a whole new personality to what you thought was an already whole self. Silly me to think I was so whole. It’s become obvious to me now that you’re never completely whole. Each new experience we have, each little person whose grip tightly wraps and squeezes our fingers, completes us in ways we can’t even comprehend yet. It’s the reason we travel, seek experiences that help us grow, and well, have children. Life is simply the process of becoming whole and it takes a lifetime. Even being set on holding on to the same, adventurous and flexible self who I were before- I am still changing and growing. While I like to hope I will greet each adventure with the same excitement and laid back attitude I always have, being pregnant and anticipating becoming a mom simply makes me more aware. More conscious. More thoughtful of your every move and how it might effect others. Do other places in the world have healthy moms, babies, and pregnant ladies? Do they access to the same means of nutrition and vitamins? Places to go for help? Yes. It’s silly to question or worry about these things when it comes to travel or maintaining the same life you led before… but regardless, there’s no stopping a new mom brain from going there (even if it’s just a little). But hey, all the snacks I packed were gone by day 3 so I can’t say this newfound “mom kit” or awareness was a negative thing.
Luckily, by the time we arrived in Tbilisi and hopped on public transportation to our adorable hostel, I was worry-free. Somehow travel has this effect on me. I find sitting on a bus of locals who are speaking a language I have no ability to comprehend, weirdly relaxing and enjoyable. Hearing the chatter and motors of a chaotic street surrounded by the colours and smells of a new culture is just the rejuvination I need from normal life. I love everything about the people; the way they interact with one another, acknowledge my strange presence, celebrate and greet one another; the lines of the varied architecture and decaying walls of their oldest parts in town. I love challenging myself to try and capture all of these things through a single lens. I love learning from them; learning how the same religions can look and be practiced very differently around the world. How differently the same type of foods and spices can be combined to create a completely new taste. How different styled clothing can inspire new ideas of what is cool or how catchy music you can’t even really understand can be. I love remembering that despite the chaos, hardships, and negative in this world- despite how different cultures or people might appear to be- for the most part, cities all around the world are functioning to make large groups of people feel at home. There is positivity and beauty to be found in absolutely every one of them. That said, I had no idea what type of beauty or chaos to expect from Georgia, thanks to my distracted research. Was it as European as some people had made it sound? Was it more Asian, like the continent it “technically” was associated with? Or was it more Russian, impacted by years of political complications? Or was it it’s own entity, entirely?
What I would find is that Georgia is indeed, it’s own identity, made up of so many micro-identities. Elements of it’s vast history can be found embedded within all parts it’s culture, from the Anatolian, European, Persian, Arabian, Ottoman and Far Eastern cultures, enriching Georgia’s identity as one of the most unique and hospitable cultures in the world. A tolerant and accommodating people, Georgian’s are known for believing that every guest is a gift from god. Needless to say, it’s a country that welcomes tourists with open arms (though it is also one that has also not experienced mass tourism, quite yet). No matter where we went or how little we could converse in a shared language, people were helpful and kind. Georgia’s strategic geographic location between Europe and Asia is partly why it can maintain such diversity while still having such distinct, cultural features. Historically, it’s vector on the Silk Road welcomed important trade connecting the north, south, east and west. This junction of commerce along with Georgia’s own bounty of resources came together to form a definitive amalgamation of cultures.
While many European countries, such as our beloved Netherlands, have seen religious adherence fall in recent decades, the Orthodox Church in Georgia is booming. Attendance, adherence and respect for the Church all continue to grow, with over 80% of Georgians belonging to the Church and its head, Patriarch Ilia II, the most respected public figure, with popularity ratings over 90%. It makes sense. Since the 4th century and during the Soviet Era, the Church helped Georgia to keep its ancient musical traditions and has been central to Georgians' maintaining a sense of themselves since independence. What I found interesting was how different christianity in the Orthodox Church looked, whether this meant it was celebrated and worshipped drastically differently, I am not sure. However, for women to have to wrap a scarf around their head and even their lower body if they were wearing pants was very different than the christian churches I stepped foot into in America. To have to kiss the ancient photos and statues out of respect, seemed like an ancient practice in itself. Women in the church were dressed in full length black dress, very similar to those in Islam. I suddenly was so much more curious about protestant christians and how the modern day practice of christianity (specifically in America) had evolved to be so lucid in these same traditions while still following and/or believing in Jesus Christ. But that’s a discussion for another day.
