Georgians offer perspective on country's turmoil

Giorgi Zurabishvili is a freshman at the University of Richmond who is studying business, plays on the soccer team and actually enjoys the dining hall.

But as quiet and normal as life seems here at school, at home it's quite different: Zurabishvili came to Richmond from Georgia.

This summer, Zurabishvili, 18, was in Georgia when war with Russia broke out in August. He and his family live in the capital, Tbilisi, but he spends the summer in a neighboring village to escape the heat of the city. Zurabishvili had to return to Tbilisi to catch a plane to Richmond. To do so, he had to travel through Gori, where he witnessed bombings and burning buildings. Flights from the capital were canceled, so he took a train to another city to get a flight out of Georgia.

"It is worse that everyone knows about my country because of war," Zurabishvili said. "I would be glad if they knew about the good things that Georgia has: its long history, a lot of great culture, a lot of great everything."

Despite the controversy at home, Zurabishvili is enjoying his time at Richmond.

"I have interests in everything," Zurabishvili said. "I can try everything here. That's why I like the American system."

Zurabishvili is not the only Georgian at Richmond. Alexander Kordzaia, the conductor of the University Orchestra, left his home in Tbilisi in 1991 to study at Mannes College of Music in New York City. But he did visit Georgia three weeks before the war began.

His family still lives there and is anxious about the Russian troops occupying parts of Georgia. Georgians have withstood Russian aggression and occupation before. Kordzaia's grandfather was killed by the Russian Red Army in 1922.

"Russia has been preparing for attack [on] Georgia for a long time, and when I was there, Russia was provoking Georgia by shooting ethnic Georgians in villages," Kordzaia said.

It is important to recognize that everything about the Georgia-Russia conflict has both a deep history and entwined dynamics, said Jeffrey Hass, an associate professor of sociology. Although the Georgians triggered the conflict with their invasion of South Ossetia, the Russians were ready to storm, he said.

"The Russians really believe this is all American-planned," Hass said. When Hass visited Russia during the summer, a poll was taken that named the United States as Russia's No. 1 enemy.

On the other hand, Georgians greatly appreciate U.S. involvement in this conflict. The United States recently delivered $1 billion in humanitarian aid to Georgia to help rebuild the country.

"We are thankful for the support and humanitarian aid," Kordzaia said. "One in 35 Georgians has lost their home -- the magnitude of human suffering is immeasurable."

Contact reporter Brittany Combs at brittany.combs@richmond.edu