Six months in America

I left Georgia 6 months ago, I have been missing the country of sharp mountains for a long time, and after going through several stages of life in a foreign environment, I realize that it is impossible to compare everything. There are things whose individualism is so different that you cannot find an analog at all. In half a year, I gained enough experience to be able to find the cultural and qualitative characteristics of people based on a detailed analysis.
The rules of life in the perennial, commercial-capitalist system are mainly based on the rule of law, and human moral behavior in many cases depends on individual mental or national habits. Urban life in the States is radically different from European or Eastern European cities, a foreigner obsessed with Hollywood romanticism needs a few hours to understand that there is nothing beyond real space.
However, everyone is busy here, no one cares about anyone, and no one judges you in the concrete jungle. Day by day, life here goes at lightning speed, if you fall behind even a little bit, you will fall and become just a wall. Many cannot stand this stress and chaos and live in the suburbs, where everything is the opposite, time passes so slowly that people hardly grow old, they live in forest massifs permeated with fresh air and learn to live in harmony with nature.
The war is far from here, therefore the sound of shells is not heard, here they just know that Ukraine is suffering under Putin’s fire and America condemns it.
Representatives of the academic circle routinely work with students, in old beautiful buildings, part of the professors clouded by linear thinking do not realize that they are killing the interest of young people with the monotonous routine of the study program, in high drone schools.
what about the home city? what’s the difference?
Hometown is ideal in our thoughts, even the smell of street dust from the dirty asphalt on hot summer days reminds us of carefree years spent with loved ones. A city where everything is familiar and as if it’s yours, every little dusty corner belongs to you. But maybe those city streets covered with dust and smog are not mine anymore?! Maybe when I inhale, I will no longer feel the heavy air that is associated with happy years in me?! A city built of gray concrete, rectangular slabs, with ugly old communist buildings that give the city a color from the past.
Unfortunately, the narrow streets of the small city of Tbilisi are full of cars, the air is filled with harmful emissions and nihilism. The only hope of Georgians tired of hopelessness remains God, who lives there in the old churches.

Situations in Ukraine and Georgia, throughout the recent war in Ukraine, the view of Georgian student, Nikoloz Gvasalia.

Hello, my name is Nikoloz Gvasalia, I am a student from Georgia. I was born and raised in a small post-Soviet country, Georgia, I finished school in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and then I entered Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Humanities. I have loved humanities since childhood, especially history. My grandfather, Avtandil Menteshashvili, was an academician, the head of the Department of Russian History at Tbilisi University, he is the author of several interesting cognitive books, which mainly deal with the history of the origin of conflicts in the Caucasus and other former Soviet regions, my grandfather was one of the first Soviet professors who came to the United States of America on a business trip And he conducted research on the First Republic of Georgia at Harvard University in Massachusetts. Based on his research, in 1991, Georgia declared the Act of Independence and established the Second Republic. Unfortunately, my grandfather died in the same year I was born, that’s why I know these stories from my childhood, it always saddened me that I couldn’t meet him, because of his tragic death, my grandfather couldn’t finish a few of his papers, maybe that’s why I chose history for my future career because I always I had a feeling that I should continue to finish it.
I believe that getting an education in America is the best way to achieve my academic goals. I have been here for more than 6 months. Fortunately, Fermata Art Foundation, a non-profit organization, the founder of the organization, Nikolai Synkov, and the executive director, Tatyana Ishutkina, have generously allowed me to live temporarily, At the Fermata Art Foundation building in Avon, Connecticut, have been providing reimbursement for my living expenses until now. With the help of the organization, I was able to hold several presentations about the history and traditions of Georgia and the Caucasus region in libraries.
My every morning starts with a workout, thanks to the donation of F45 gyms, I can exercise for free, and after an hour of exercise, I have breakfast, my diet consists mainly of home-cooked meals, which the members of the organization prepare with their personal funds, after breakfast I start academic activities, mainly writing, I try every day I update my blog, on my site, and at the end of the day I make changes to my activity log by day. I have a 2003 Honda Civic car, and the car needs standard fuel, due to financial instability, I often fill it with fuel through a donation or simply with the fuel bought by a friend.
My greatest desire is to be allowed to pursue a formal academic education so that in the future I can be closer to my goal of conducting research on post-Soviet, new, and recent history and completing my grandfather’s unfinished business. Of course, all this is unfortunately impossible without basic financial support.
In my opinion, researching military conflicts and problems of recent history with historical documents will allow us to prevent future military crises in Eastern European countries. The obtained and confirmed facts will allow us to conduct a constructive dialogue between the conflicting parties based on historical reality.

Everything started when the sun darkened in the Georgian sky and the moon rose in its place.
According to the legend, in the 4th century, the king of Georgia-Iberia, Mirian III, went hunting with his followers, on the way the sun darkened in the sky, and the moon rose in its place, the frightened riders and horses dismounted, and began to pray the idolatrous religion of that time, the prayers did not help them. That’s why King Mirian decided to try to pray for a new religion, Christianity, the prayer paid off and soon the sun rose again in the sky of Georgia, after that he never deviated from the Christian path of Georgia.
Of course, Georgian cultural history is much older, and that’s why everyone who comes to Georgia soon falls in love with this small country.
The history of Georgia is full of many negative events, this small country of the Caucasus has always been a victim of people with imperialist ambitions, and nothing has changed until today, Georgia, like 1000 years ago, is still fighting to preserve its history and culture in the world.
The battle is the same, but the rules have changed, now physical destruction is no longer relevant, and today’s main weapon is erasing the nation’s history and culture.
Society is rich and promising if it remembers its past, what will happen to us if we forget Shota Rustaveli’s ” The Panthers Skin”? Or Saba Orbelian’s fables? We will go back to where we came from, the first age of development, where everything is primitive and monotonous.
Along with the Georgian culture, the Georgian mentality is rich with its positive aspects, since ancient times we have been distinguished by hospitality and most importantly, Georgians have always been tolerant towards women, religions, and nations, these qualities have made us an oasis in Eastern Europe throughout history.
It is always useful to talk about the past, but it is important not to forget the current situation in the world, especially with the beginning of the computer nation, world events are changing very quickly, and the industrial revolution has introduced a completely new way of life in the world, political priorities have changed, new rules of the game have appeared, which if you do not obey, you will be lost in the infinity of the past.
What is the new in the new century?
The evil intentions of the empires have not changed even in the new century, the expansionist missions are still active in foreign countries, and the new democracies emerging from the Soviet ruins in Eastern Europe are in reality the sources of disguised corruption that work with a full load, enriching the rich and impoverishing the poor even more. Eastern European governments, delighted with the idea of capitalist order and freedom, greedily devour the funds sent from the West.
”Thanks” to the activity of Putin’s regime, in almost all the republics of the former Soviet Union, frozen, ethnic conflicts have been renewed, and active wars and destabilization of regions have started, the situation in these regions is complicated by acute social problems, the only thing left for young people is to leave their country because there is no future perspective for them.
Putin’s open, military aggression, my country first felt in 2008, when we sat in our houses with bloodshot eyes and waited for tanks, then no one thought of escaping, we just sat and waited. The tragedy of the war lasted for almost two weeks, Putin won, then no one stood up for Russia, and the politicians got incredibly rich, those who came into politics with no money, are now oligarchs, and those who defended the country unfortunately still exist, the houses are still destroyed and the displaced people still live in huts.
what’s happening today There is still a war today, but now in Ukraine, the scale is much bigger, so the victims and the money are more.
It has been done by Putin for 20 years, putting the population of his country to sleep, by destroying education as much as possible in the country, it is much easier for a dictator to keep the reins of management, by destroying education, the Russian king Putin is trying to simply destroy civilization, this is a direct murder for Russia and other post-Soviet countries. The establishment of the Stalinist cult of one person began with the transformation of man into a herd, the population must live, but nothing else must reduce them to a primitive level so that they can be turned into animals, and the police regime can easily handle the herd of people.
What do we do in the background of all this, despite the active cooperation of the Western institutions, the war started in February 2022 with the government of Ukraine, and the population received hard- times in the first days of the war. The priority of the members of the Ukrainian government should have been the evacuation of the population from hot spots of war and their safe transportation to peaceful regions, however, due to corrupt high-ranking officials, women, children, and the elderly were left in the face of bombs and rockets, and no one is responsible for this. Against the backdrop of humanitarian inactivity, members of the corrupt government are actively asking for financial assistance from the West, of course, because there is no financial benefit from evacuating the population, who will spend money to save the common people when you can use this money to build a luxurious palace in some prestigious resort, the war will be over and everyone will forget, and a member of the corrupt prince, will go to the resort and relax.
Due to the war, there are many humanitarian problems in Europe, and millions of Ukrainian refugees are trying to escape the misery of the war in the West. It seems that the European structures were not prepared for the crisis of refugees, which is why in the advanced countries of Europe, Ukrainians are simply left to their own devices, for various meaningless reasons, they are unable to find employment, residential apartments are either in poor condition or simply do not exist, the situation is so severe that Ukrainians Some of them chose to go back to Ukraine from Europe and continued to live there.
Unfortunately, the main pillars of Western democratic values – the personal freedom of a person – are under threat today. If it is not possible to successfully fulfill this humanitarian mission, Putin will win, he will win because his ideological principle is that there is no man, there is society, and numerous victims in society are mere statistics.
It is vitally necessary that the advanced countries of Western democracy realize that their actions should be developed with the right priority line, first of all, it is necessary to develop a well-organized, humanitarian mission, with the perspective of all kinds of development, safe evacuation of people and subsequent rescue, solving social problems.
Talking about the need for military aid should be replaced by the need for public aid. Military-industrial facilities are working at maximum capacity today to be able to produce deadly weapons as soon as possible, having military paraphernalia is necessary for every country that defends itself, the origin of the history of weapons was by people from prehistoric times so they could protect their families from the enemy, the situation in this area is not very It has changed and the weapon remains a faithful friend of man during the war, but here too we must think about what we want a weapon for, today’s weapon is not a sword, today’s weapon is massive and dangerous, even in the case of professional use, injury or murder of a civilian, and the death of the population is a loss of the war. Equally, this is exactly Putin’s policy and game. That is why it is most important to recognize the mobilization of military paraphernalia as a secondary problem and the initiative to organize humanitarian missions as the main priority.
To see the scale of the problem more clearly, it is necessary to name the numbers. Since the start of the Ukrainian refugee crisis, 8 million people have left Ukraine, more than 90% of whom are women and children, a quarter of the total population of Ukraine. Men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave the country.
7.2 million Ukrainians are taking refuge in European countries, the vast majority of them are women and children, unable to find employment due to the language barrier, and receiving only minimal government assistance. According to data, 225,000 Ukrainian refugees are in the United States of America today, despite minimal financial assistance, unfortunately, there is no specific program that would help integrate the population into society.
We must not forget the millions of Ukrainian citizens who are still in Ukraine and are still waiting for evacuation and saving their lives.
Of course, we should not forget Georgia, when it was the victim of Putin’s first active, expansive actions in 2008, hundreds of thousands of people became refugees in this small country, but unfortunately, the history of refugees in Georgia begins in the early 90s, as a result of the separatist conflict that began in the Abkhazia region of Georgia, up to 300,000 people It has been displaced, the displaced Georgian population has been waiting for decent living conditions for 30 years. Unfortunately, despite the allocation of numerous financial grants, the monthly pension for refugees is $20.
Due to the mercantile policies of the governments, the Eastern European countries are suffering doubly as a result of Putin’s aggression, the only way to get rid of this is the reform in our minds, the reform that there is not a single mechanical weapon in the world that is more important than human life and freedom.

February 14. 2023

Entry tree

Hello, my name is Nikoloz Gvasalia, I am a student from Georgia. I was born and raised in a small post-Soviet country, Georgia, I finished school in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and then I entered Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Humanities. I have loved humanities since childhood, especially history. My grandfather, Avtandil Menteshashvili, was an academician, the head of the Department of Russian History at Tbilisi University, he is the author of several interesting cognitive books, which mainly deal with the history of the origin of conflicts in the Caucasus and other former Soviet regions, my grandfather was one of the first Soviet professors who came to the United States of America on a business trip And he conducted research on the First Republic of Georgia at Harvard University in Massachusetts. Based on his research, in 1991, Georgia declared the Act of Independence and established the Second Republic. Unfortunately, my grandfather died in the same year I was born, that’s why I know these stories from my childhood, it always saddened me that I couldn’t meet him, because of his tragic death, my grandfather couldn’t finish a few of his papers, maybe that’s why I chose history for my future career because I always I had a feeling that I should continue to finish it.
I believe that getting an education in America is the best way to achieve my academic goals. I have been here for more than 6 months. Fortunately, Fermata Art Foundation, a non-profit organization, the founder of the organization, Nikolai Synkov, and the executive director, Tatyana Ishutkina, have generously allowed me to live temporarily, At the Fermata Art Foundation building in Avon, Connecticut, have been providing reimbursement for my living expenses until now. With the help of the organization, I was able to hold several presentations about the history and traditions of Georgia and the Caucasus region in libraries.
My every morning starts with a workout, thanks to the donation of F45 gyms, I can exercise for free, and after an hour of exercise, I have breakfast, my diet consists mainly of home-cooked meals, which the members of the organization prepare with their personal funds, after breakfast I start academic activities, mainly writing, I try every day I update my blog, on my site, and at the end of the day I make changes to my activity log by day. I have a 2003 Honda Civic car, and the car needs standard fuel, due to financial instability, I often fill it with fuel through a donation or simply with the fuel bought by a friend.
My greatest desire is to be allowed to pursue a formal academic education so that in the future I can be closer to my goal of conducting research on post-Soviet, new, and recent history and completing my grandfather’s unfinished business. Of course, all this is unfortunately impossible without basic financial support.
In my opinion, researching military conflicts and problems of recent history with historical documents will allow us to prevent future military crises in Eastern European countries. The obtained and confirmed facts will allow us to conduct a constructive dialogue between the conflicting parties based on historical reality.

Jerusalem of Peace

Almost a year has passed since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, tragic events began on February 24, 2022, when the Russian army crossed the border of Ukraine and an active armed conflict began. However, we must say that the war in Ukraine started much earlier in 2014 in the eastern regions of the country, namely in the Donetsk and Luhansk districts.
Here, the Russian special services supported the local separatist regimes with their usual tactics, the ordinary population suffered the most, and the population of the eastern cities of Ukraine lived in fear for 8 years, in the Donetsk region, artillery fire was gradually taking place from both sides, and once large and safe cities became a training ground after 2014.
In February 2022, the war resumes, but this time the war is much larger, as the armies of the two largest European countries are fighting in the conflict. We can safely say that the war is going on in the entire territory of Ukraine, along with the increase in the radius of hostilities, the number of victims among the civilian population has also increased, Millions of Ukrainians were left without a home, and due to the unstable environment in the country, millions of Ukrainians decided to save themselves by emigrating.
About 5.2 million Ukrainians are registered as refugees in European countries, and 2.5 million Ukrainians have taken refuge in Russia. At the same time, the events in Russia are developing dramatically, where in September 2022, general military mobilization was announced.
This means that the armed forces are allowed to call up almost all healthy men from the age of 18 to the age of 55 for military service. These events, of course, caused great dissatisfaction among the Russian youth, and from the day of the announcement of the mobilization, the population began to flee the country. Unfortunately, Russian sources do not allow us to state the exact number, although according to unofficial data, 4 million people left Russia.
Russian and Ukrainian migrants, of course, choose countries with strong economies for migration, that is, mainly Western European countries, but it seems that for the displaced population, only the economic situation is not important, although the economy of Georgia is not very strong, there are about 200,000 Ukrainians in our country and more than 400,000 Russians entered, As a percentage, if we compare these numbers with the population of Georgia, we will realize that this percentage is a very large number.
Why do Russians and Ukrainians choose Georgia?
In my opinion, the most real reason is the geographical location of Georgia, it turned out that Georgia directly borders the Russian Federation in the south-east, and after arriving in Georgia, almost all directions are open for Russian citizens, Georgia is not far from Ukraine, especially for those Ukrainians who took refuge in Russia after the war. The second solid reason is the closeness of mentality, although Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia are inhabited by different ethnic people, our mentality is quite close to each other, during the Soviet Union, generations grew up so that all three republics were part of one whole country, therefore upbringing, religion, mentality, makes it easier to adapt to a new environment and makes life in emigration much easier.
If we look at the statistics, 75% of the population entering the country is 32 years old or younger, and the majority of those entering choose Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, to live in. Why do Russian and Ukrainian young people like Tbilisi? Well, Tbilisi is a historical, ancient city, but we can also confidently say that Tbilisi is also a modern European city. Living in the city is cheaper compared to other countries, the city is always alive and full of entertainment activities, and the nightlife culture in the capital of Georgia has been actively developing since the 2000s today it is even called the Berlin of Eastern Europe.
First of all, there is freedom in there, you can freely hold a protest, and wear the clothes you want, this certainly causes a great cultural shock among the newly arrived Belarusian and Russian youth, and because of this they soon fall in love with Tbilisi. It is a small freedom island in a region.
Hospitality is a big part of the Georgian mentality, it seems to be in our genetic code, there is no more fortunate moment for a Georgian than when a guest expresses satisfaction, that’s why our country is one of the favorite places for tourists from many other countries.
Tbilisi is the Jerusalem of peace for the youth tired of war, politics, and fighting, here you won’t find foreigners who fight each other because of politics, where everyone is surrounded by love for Georgia and eats delicious Georgian dishes.
the capital of youth, this is also a kind of art, the art of peace, which is established not by bombs but by love.

1. Letter from the school received on 02/03/23:

We didn’t know about the Fermata Art Foundation and this project.

As it seems,it is very important project for students to develop their abilities.. I think this project is really important to show them the opportunities that do exist around them. It is very important and useful for students with typical development.But I want to know about our school and students.It is the special school with the various disabilities students. Some of them have mental and physical disabilities. All of them are students with special needs.

I don’t know how much they will be able to get involved in this project. If our students can draw such this thematically drawings, we will be happy to participate in this project…

2. Reply to the school sent on 02/03/23:

Fermata Arts Foundation Office <office@fermata-arts.org>	7:02 AM (1 hour ago)		to Akhaltsikhe7

Dear Lali,

Thank you for your letter.

Thank you for your students participation in creating their drawings.

We will be happy to accept your drawings in any quantity, small or large. Once we receive them, we will mail certificates of participation to every student and teacher involved.

These drawings will become a recommendation to request a meeting with the President of Georgia.

Thank you, again.

Sincerely,

Tatyana

Tatyana Ishutkina

Executive Director

Fermata Arts Foundation Inc.

NOTE. Memory Stick with photos and videos from the trip to upstate NY on 02/01/23 and a memory card for the Canon camera can be located on the dinner table.

Please take a picture of a newly installed “Discussion club” poster engraved on a wooden panel and hanged on the “Berlin Wall” left from your father’s drawing. Fix the hanging if it was damaged by wind. Email me a couple of pictures for Tweeter posting.

Interview Questions to the Students Participating in the

Fermata Arts Foundation Cross-Cultural Events

1. What is important about having civic ambitions?

2. What is the role of your country in the equilibriums of the World?

3. How do student and teacher effect cultural development in their own family? In their own country? The World? In one’s internal world? What role can events like concerts and exhibitions play in this?

4. How can we preserve peace through artistic activity and art?

5. What is, or what do you think should rank as most important in the world of art? Depth of understanding? he nature of one’s object? Virtuosity? Self-realization? Academic progress? Something else?

6. Does social truth in art derive from isolating oneself from, or immersing oneself in, society? How would you isolate or immerse yourself?

7. Is it important to follow to professional conventions in art?

Student Name: _____________

Student Age: _____________

School: _____________

We are looking forward for your participation in this project!

E-mail your questions/comments to our office at: office@fermata-arts.org

Sincerely,

Fermata Arts Foundation Team

Communication with a special needs school #7 in Akhaltsikhe Georgia.

1. Fermata’s letter sent on 01/13/23 to the school director Lali Karkadze <Akhaltsikhe7@mes.gov.ge>:

CALL FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION

On the occasion of the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Fermata Arts Foundation

(2008-2023) we are happy to announce a new project “Cosmic Path on Earth through a child’s drawing”. The current situation dictated it.

We have currently started this new project and are looking for new participants.

You have many creative students and it is very important to develop their abilities. It is also very important to show them the opportunities that do exist around them. They will broaden these opportunities through participating in this project.

Your students are invited to participate in the project and draw thematically “Cosmic Path on Earth through a child’s drawing”

Drawings can be made individually or in small teams

Drawing techniques: no limitations

Most of the drawings we receive are 11″ by 17″ (432mm x 279mm). Sometimes there are exceptions: smaller or larger.

The traveling exhibitions made of children’s drawings from this project are traveling around New England public libraries from May of 2023 until January of 2026 (two months in one library).

Project updates will be shared with you as soon as they become available.

Fermata Arts Foundation Questionnaire is another element of this project.

Please take a moment to share your thoughts about YOUR COUNTRY and ART by answering Fermata Arts Foundation questionnaire.

Your answers will become a part of the Fermata Arts Foundation book “Let’s Build a Roof over the World” that is now under development. Once published (planned for October of 2024), it will be sent to the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington DC.

Women in Georgia

Many important turning points in the history of Georgia are associated with women’s names. Among them with kings and queens to peasant females. If we adhere to periodicity, the first one that can be remembered is a somewhat mythologized episode – the story of the daughter of the king of Kolkheti, Ayeet Medea. He is not a vengeful face alone, a man of tragic fate, a girlfriend of Argonaut’s leader Jason, who retaliates her for betrayal by killing her children. All of this is preceded by the passion of the Golden Fleece from Colchis to Medea by the same aeronauts.

Even if a woman can govern the country no less than a man, and more Georgians have known since ancient times to turn her into a politically economically powerful state, the example of Giorgi IIIs daughter Tamar also testifies. The 18-year-old young queen had to overcome difficult obstacles, including dealing with the feudal willingness to restore rebellious, lost privileges, which manage to regulate relations again as a result of the diplomacy of women, Kartli Eristavi, Rati Surameli’s mother, Kravai Jakeli, Then was the defeat of the Muslim army in the Battle of Shamkori, a victory against the army of the Rumi Sultan at Bassian. During Tamar’s day, Georgia was a political-economically and culturally highly developed state.

Since Georgian culture is patriarchal, women are assigned a knightly form of respect. A woman can have the role of “breadwinner and housewife” together. Most home affairs are done by women. By gender, there is no apparent division of labor except in the fields of physical labor.
The statue of the mother of Georgia (“Kartlis Deda”), which stands on the slope of Tbilisi (the capital of Georgia), overlooks the whole city from above and perhaps best expresses the national character: in his left hand holds a wine-filled slab with which he hosts friends and holds a sword in his right hand with which he fights enemies.
The most important figure in Georgian culture and mentality has always been the mother, Mother has been perceived in Georgian culture since ancient times as a starter, and a symbol of everything important, this was primarily reflected in the Georgian dictionary, for example, Mother Earth, Mother Tongue, Mother Nature, all these words are naturally created and officially so used in the Georgian language.

The cult of respect for a woman is reflected in the Georgian National Ballet, where a man does not establish physical contact while dancing with a female dancer and from afar tries to prove his loyalty and show him the masculine force that will subsequently protect him, the woman at this time, with gentle movements, looks at the man and his eyes. As a portrait of strength as a woman was often created, Georgian artists, a prominent sculptor of the twentieth century, Merab Berdzenishvili, who has made many masterpieces, clearly showed us in his sculptures, showing us the moral strength of a woman through their eyes, Best of all, this is reflected in one of his works “Medea”, which is now located in the occupied territory of Georgia,(Abkhazia) in The Eyes of Medea, along with despair and fear, power and courage are visible.
Also of course Shota Rustaveli, an XII-century Georgian poet who is perhaps the best example of describing a woman as an independent strong individual, was the source8 of inspiration from the poet Tamar King, who at that time was the ruler of Georgia, Rustaveli shares a peculiar vision of the mightiness and wisdom of Tamar, after reading the ”panthers skin”, you realize that you have learned everything, although you still have doubts that you perceive something differently and cannot understand the thoughts of the poet. To summarize, throughout Georgian history, the glory of Georgia was never represented without a woman, a woman has always been recognized as family, love, or the warmth of a mother.

presentation question answers

Unfortunately, the strengthening of Russian imperialist influence in Georgia began in the 19th century, Georgia’s strategic location helps Russia to control the entire Caucasus.
Currently, Russia occupies 20% of Georgia, historical Abkhazia, and Samachablo, (South Ossetia), Russian troops are still stationed in the occupied territories and hold military exercises once a year.
Today, there is no active conflict with the occupied territories, although illegal arrests and abductions of the local Georgian population in the occupied territories by the separatist regime often occur.
Georgia has always been active in world history, Georgia participated in both world wars, in the First World War it participated as part of the Russian Empire, the main battles with the Turkish Ottoman Empire took place in the Caucasus region, in the Second World War on the side of the Soviet Union, 300,000 people from Georgia fought, of which, unfortunately, more than half did not return.
The territory of Georgia is not so big, speaking in numbers, the total territory of Georgia is 26641 square feet.
Georgia has very little oil reserves, as oil is practically not mined on the territory of Georgia, but other rare useful minerals are mined, such as manganese, coal, and phosphate.
Georgia has been an ethnically diverse country since ancient times, today the ethnic majority of the population of Georgia are Georgians, in second place are the neighboring Azerbaijanis, then the neighboring Armenians, there are also many Kurds, Russians, Ossetians, and Jews.
The education system of Georgia has been similar to the Russian education system for years, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the goal of the education reform was to move the Georgian education system completely to the German model, now we can say that Georgia has a European education system.
The connection between Iberia cannot be scientifically explained to this day, despite the similarity of the name, both Iberia has polyphonic sounding songs that are very similar to each other, and our wine cultures are almost identical.
The term Caucasian, i.e. with white skin pigment, comes precisely because of the first homo-sapiens found outside of Africa as a result of the archaeological excavations of Dmanisi, that is, it turns out that the first human-like creature outside of Africa was found in Georgia.
Climate change is a global issue in the world, the annual temperature increase is naturally observed in Georgia as well.
The red crosses on the white flag of the nation are an ode to St. George. The red cross represents St. George, Georgia’s patron saint. The smaller red crosses also represent St. George. The smaller crosses on the flag are bolnur-katskhuri crosses, also known as Georgian crosses.

trip to the Mountain View Orthodox Church

Yesterday, February 1, 2023, the Fermata Arts Foundation visited the Russian Orthodox Church in Schoharie, New York. On the way, I looked at the river polished by the cold, and I tried to imagine what the life of the Native Americans would have been like before Columbus discovered America, it is very interesting how the Indian tribes used the resources of this richest nature and how they transformed the environment into their home.
Soon we arrived at the destination, on the hill to the right of the road appeared a simple building with a Russian rounded church dome on top, whiteness, cleanliness, and silence all around, only the sound of our car engine could be heard, it was difficult for us to go uphill because of the snow, but the most important thing is determination, especially if you are going to the temple. on the way to the hill, I noticed the American and Russian flags waving in sync in the wind, the first time I had seen a Russian flag outside the Russian Embassy, ​​much less with an American flag. We walked up to the church doors. A beautiful view appeared of the mountains, and this view was made even more beautiful by the frozen snow of white February, looking at the dome of the church in this beautiful snowy environment, I thought we had come to Dostoevsky’s Russian world, but we were on a small Russian Orthodox island in this huge western ocean. Archbishop Andronik Kotliaroff met us at the church, and we greeted him, after a while, he offered us a small excursion to the church, and we of course happily agreed, overall the church building was huge, heating of the monastery could not be provided due to lack of funds, that’s why the clergy prayed in a small room. The main hall of the church was unusually simple and beautiful, the temple seemed to lack nothing, and it was perfect with beautiful frescoes, luxurious icons, and a dome, there was also a spiritual father, but it seemed that something was missing, the house of God was not like it is in Georgia, then I realized in the church It was the aroma of emptiness. The congregation, congregation is the heart of God’s house that gives life to the walls and creates spirituality. During the detailed inspection, the archbishop took us into the sanctuary, it was my first time entering the sanctuary and I was very nervous, there was a small window on the ceiling of the vault, and from the window, the sun shone directly on the fresco of the Trinity and created a beautiful mystical environment in the silence.
Bishop Andronik Kotliaroff’s past and work are full of interesting facts. He was born in China, in a family of Russian immigrants who fled the Bolshevik terror and took refuge in China. When he was young, he and his parents moved to Australia. At the age of 16, he came to America and entered the theological seminary, and graduated. he later served in the Holy Land as well, and finally, his destiny turned out to be America.
After the excursion, we entered the dining hall, where the bishop entertained us with tea, I soon started my presentation about Georgia, and after reading part of the presentation, the bishop asked me a question about the role of the Georgian people in the events after the crucifixion of Jesus. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Bishop Andronik was competent in this part of Georgian history.
Later we all sat down and started talking in a cozy environment, I couldn’t wait and asked the bishop:
– Do you think God has a favorite nationality?
he told me:
– No, God loves everyone equally.
I was a little surprised by this answer because I have often heard in the Georgian Orthodox Church that God’s favorite nation is the Jews, and He chose the Jews to establish a direct connection with the mortal world.
We also talked about the financial side of the church’s support, we asked him how he thought about collecting funds to create basic conditions, the bishop did not give us a specific answer, although his principal position was that he would not cooperate with any state structure. The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad is a separate institution that tries as much as possible to avoid central control, from the Patriarchate and any state, such a policy allows them to make independent decisions.
What is needed for a huge diocese to survive, is neither funding nor advertising, only God and hope, the hope that tomorrow will be better than today.
On the way back I had a strange feeling, we inspected the temple in detail and talked for 1 hour with the local spiritual leaders, but it was as if I did not see much and did not understand, as if it was all a vague dream that you remember badly in the morning. A small island of Orthodox spirituality stands on the land of the Indians and stubbornly waits for the parishioners who will find honey and spiritual growth there.

Training and labor

From: Fermata Arts Foundation Inc.

P.O. Box 197

Avon, Connecticut 06001

Letter: FAF-020923-016

Date: February 09, 2023

Re: Donation Request: Place of temporary residentce for a student from the Republic of Georgia Nikoloz Gvasalia

To Whom it May Concern

Dear All,

We study the life of a representative of the centuries-old country of Georgia.

Your proposals for the temporary residence of Nikoloz Gvasalia in his apartments to create a model of Georgians in America will be considered and accepted to activate the settlement process on your property. The temporary period of stay in the field of activity is a student with the subsequent development of a journalist in Georgia.

The number of offers is not limited. Settlement will take place in all the proposed places for a greater vision by the representative of Georgia of the asset of the socio-systems of the participants in the program “Art Design of Georgian Forms”.

Contractual document for accommodation – see below.

I, Nikoloz Gvasalia, undertake to keep in integrity, safety, cleanliness provided to me by

_________________________

(fill a name)

a place for residence (a room)

area of ____________ (sq. f)

floor ______________

address: ___________

until I make a decision that living on this property is over

which will be indicated on this contract form or will be presented to the owner of the property

__________________________ (indicate the name)

Nikoloz Gvasalia, Volunter Journalist

Fermata Arts Foundation