Khanty-Mansi Woman Relocates from Surgut to Batumi
She lived in the north for over twenty years, traveled the same routes, and knew every courtyard. At age 23, Vera Kuznetsova packed her bags and moved to Georgia — first for a year, then for life. Why the heroine decided to change countries, how she found work, and what the new life by the sea costs — a firsthand account.
The decision wasn«t made overnight. Over the years in Surgut, Vera Kuznetsova had built a decent career: she taught English, tutored on the side, and learned SMM. But the monotony, freezing climate, and impact on health took their toll.
«I decided to leave Yugra because human health suffers greatly with such a climate, and the city is very small, all the places had been explored by me many times over, I wanted something new,» Vera shared.
Moreover, the girl admitted that living in Surgut required less money than in Georgia — in Yugra, 70,000 rubles (about $700) per month was enough, but abroad, it«s hard to live on that money — most of it goes to rent. However, food is quite cheap, unlike the cost of services in the country.
«Here, 40,000 rubles (about $400) go just for the apartment, rent is expensive. Food is quite cheap, but services are priced high,» Vera summarized.
«It«s Hard to Prove Your Competence»
Today, Vera has settled in the new country: she works as an English teacher in a school, consults on real estate, and runs her own blog. Finding a job wasn»t a problem — proving her competence to employers was harder.
«Finding a job isn«t difficult, but it»s harder to prove your competence. The main thing is to be able to do something, then you«ll definitely find work,» shares the Khanty-Mansi woman.
«Georgians Are Very Freedom-Loving»
After a year of communicating with locals, the Khanty-Mansi woman noted an interesting feature — the freedom-loving nature of Georgians. According to Vera, residents don»t tolerate prohibitions, talk a lot, and openly express their opinions.
«Their speech is inherently louder than Russians«. They communicate in daily life as if they»re arguing, but in reality, they«re having a quite nice dialogue, just emotionally,» Vera shared her observation.
An interesting attitude towards work is another observation of the Khanty-Mansi woman. She noticed that she often encounters lazy Georgians who shirk work during working hours. However, citizens compensate for this shortcoming with their love for holidays.
«They celebrate lavishly: loudly, spectacularly, and often with wine and fatty food,» the Khanty-Mansi woman said.
Advice from the Khanty-Mansi Woman
Come with a safety net — about 100,000 rubles (about $1,000) will suffice for two months of calm adaptation.
Don»t be afraid of the locals — people are friendly, there«s almost no language barrier: many Georgians speak Russian.
To start, you only need a valid passport. The processing of many things is simpler than you think.
And a small life hack: don»t overindulge in khachapuri (Georgian cheese bread) — it«s delicious, but then you»ll have to go to the gym to burn it all off.
Earlier we wrote about how a couple from Khanty-Mansi travels around Russia in a motorhome.
