Snapshot from Georgian village

[peacetraveler22]

This is one of my favorite photos from the road trip in Georgia, taken in motion from a car window while passing. However, it's very symbolic of life throughout the country. Outside of Tbilisi, Batumi and a few other larger cities, Georgia is one big rural village, immediately transporting you to a different time and place. For all its beauty, the country is very poor, employment opportunities are limited, and people are tied to a simple existence without a lot of luxuries to which most of us are accustomed. This is part of the country's beauty and fascination, at least for me - an American coming from a middle class, stable environment. A woman who has had plenty of opportunities to achieve almost anything she wanted in life. Nothing has been handed to me, for everything I worked quite hard -  getting various degrees and a high education, fighting for positions at work, numerous other things...

I tried to find some statistics about average wages, but they are inconsistent. Figures released in 2015 show that women in Georgia earned an average salary of 697.3 GEL ($270), while a male earns 1,126.8 ($440). So, we can see that men earn substantially more there, regardless of business sector. The average pension is about $75. There is free health care, but nothing is really "free", and more favorable care can be arranged by getting private insurance costing from $10 - $50/month. With such poor wages, this seems almost impossible for most citizens. Georgians pay a flat tax on salaries and fees - 20%. If annual income exceeds 40,000 GEL ($15,600), the State will require additional taxes which are determined by the value of real estate owned by the family. At least, this is according to current information available here. Due to the fertile nature of Georgian soil, food is quite cheap - fresh fruits, vegetables and grains are all produced locally. With meat is another issue - sometimes expensive, and not the best quality, unless you like fatty dishes.

I can't really say how living in Georgia is different than life in Russia. In some ways, the systems are the same and village life in each nation mirrors the other based on my experience of traveling in remote parts of both nations. Cultures certainly differ in their openness, friendliness and tolerance for diversity. Georgians by nature are quite animated, friendly and talkative; Russians more cold in appearance, and less animated as a whole. But people are just people....:)

What do you think? Could you live in such a village? This is something I continually ask myself... and the answer remains inconclusive.

Comments

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

"
I'm in the top 5% of earners in the USA
"

But still you don't feel yourself rich and cannot do what you want.
You earn more and spend more, in the capital.
This is how capitalist economy works and puts us to a squirrel cage.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

"Rich" - this is a subjective term. What does it mean to be "rich"? If you're speaking solely in a monetary sense, then I'm definitely not there. However, my life has been very "rich" with experiences, explorations, diverse encounters around the globe...this is what matters to me. :) I'm in no squirrel cage, and my job is quite flexible. I can't travel the world with no money. There are things I hate about my profession, but I hate the thought of not being able to go places more...:) And it is not only a "capitalist" society - people all over the globe are working to obtain "riches" and "things" - most of which will not bring them happiness long term.

[qi-tronic.livejournal.com]

For me it's when you can "just live", do whatever you want, not thinking about money.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Just doing whatever you want...yeah, sounds perfect. But who will pay our bills? :))