I lived in the country of Georgia for almost 5 years, here’s why I fell in love with it.

Different – the people – opportunity

It’s Different…

I moved to the country of Georgia Dec 31st 2015 so I usually just count from 2016.

It’s the country I talk about moving back to every year and I communicate daily or weekly with the people I know there.

I particularly remember riding the train from Tbilisi to Borjomi. It was January 2016 and the train is slow, it takes about 4 hours, whereas by car it’s a 2-hour trip.

I passed by mountains and snow-covered villages with smoke coming out of chimneys. I just remember that moment so intimately.

I fell in love with Georgia and wanted to go to the villages and spend time with the people in their cozy homes.

When l moved to Borjomi after a month in Tbilisi cows were walking down the streets, everyone grew vegetables and flowers, buildings looked run down on the outside but inside every home was a palace.

Outside of the window of my apartment was a large range of mountains since Borjomi was in a valley.

Wisconsin is totally flat is all of the Midwest so this was one of my first experiences with a mountainous country.

I spent 4 years staring out that window at the same mountain, never getting tired of the view.

There are open markets.

Tbilisi had historical buildings and grocery products in German, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian and Georgian.

Georgian Christmas songs were playing and the whole atmosphere of my first impressions stick in my mind to this day.

I have never wanted to visit any country that was even remotely like the US.

I swore off Western Europe for that reason and was unimpressed by my 3 months in Germany (until I got to the Rhine River and saw more traditional villages).

I never wanted the norm, large cities, night clubs, name brand shopping.

I wanted the exotic.

Something so supremely different than the way I lived.

When I visited Tbilisi and met people there, they would be surprised that I was living in Borjomi. I’m not attracted to what I can get anywhere.

Georgia gave me different.

The People!

If you saw my “principles I live by when I’m abroad” video you know that wherever I live, I want to be with the people.

Well, it’s easy in Georgia because neighbors, marketplace sellers and random people on the street want to get to know you (whether you speak the language or not).

Being black in a completely homogenous country made me stand out.

Georgians are friendly, welcoming and consider every guest as a gift from god.

The real reason I probably fell in love with Georgia is because the people spoiled me.

Its more common outside of Tbilisi because there are no African students, but people used to ask to take selfies with me.

I get called lamazie gogo (beautiful girl) a lot and someone always feeds me.

Fame, Flattery and Food!

Georgians go out of their ways, literally, to help you.

They give, give, give and it’s annoyingly impossible to try to get them to take.

I’ve met people who say it’s because I’m an American or black SO I can’t give an opinion on another perspective.

I’m spoiled.

In Borjomi, I have my Georgian parents Mari and Dato, who helped me when I was sick and always cooked my favorites.

My best friend Keti was my workout and worship partner and did all the translation on my website for my English teaching business (and refused to be paid for it!).

And Beka, a boy who saw me on the street, liked me and made up a weird excuse to get out of his car to meet me, became my boyfriend.

The extent to which he goes to take care of me, when I come to town, is unsurpassed.

All of the jewelry in my box comes from Georgian friends (not an exaggeration). I’m spoiled by the people.

The Opportunities (of course)

This business is all about finding opportunities and if you’ve watched my videos on business ideas, you know that as I get new information, a word, a sentence, anything, I get a business idea.

So being in a completely new and different environment like Georgia did a few things:

1. Made me aware of the fact that I always have business ideas

2. Sparked an interest in me in personal finance and economic development

3. Started me on my journey of entrepreneurial endeavors.

I tried to start an English business in 2018 called XL your English, as a way to give people who know English a simple way to practice it regularly.

I realized about real estate and investing and how much easier it would be to do it in Georgia while employed with an American company.

In a country that continues to develop, there were opportunities to volunteer for NGO’s, village schools and orphanages. I took advantage of these opportunities as much as I could.

I thought about tax residency and resident visas thanks to ‘Nomad Capitalist‘ and registered my business.

I was over excited with possibilities for the country, as the people are themselves, and I think there are ways of investing to the benefit, not only of myself, but of the locals.

Business, volunteering, investing, real estate, tax residency, digital nomading. These are all the opportunities that sparked my journey that I learned about while living here.

I’m still learning a lot of these things and some of them are future goals.

If you are considering traveling to Georgia and want helpful information, you can DM me and I’ll give you some connections.

Otherwise, download my Free eBook on how to see opportunity in everything.