I’ve been asked this question in Georgia and in Austria, by friends and family, and by myself repeatedly. And in a way it doesn’t make sense for one guy who can live anywhere in the world, can have a fulfilling tech career, and who has more freedom than most people, to move to a 200.000 inhabitant city in a developing country that’s 20% occupied by Russia. Despite all its wonders, Georgia is still a developing country and most young people would love to leave it.
It makes even less sense that he is moving here with a friend who also has lived in the most beautiful places on earth. But both are excited about starting a life here, so there must be something to it.
One night, in the alleyway behind the bar they used to rent, it became clear that it’s the lucky combination of a few factors that lead to this. On the one hand it’s things that makes Kutaisi special, on the other hand it is that the aims for the future are compatible, namely that the will to lead a good life and being respectful is more important than having financial resources. And that therefore everyone can and should have the chance to spend a few months abroad to learn, create, or work on meaningful projects.
What makes Kutaisi the right place to start is that:
- It’s affordable, and living here on a budget allows us to do 10x more or stay 10x longer than in Central Europe.
- It has a rich cultural history, full of diversity and arts 🎭 , and people are proud of it. There’s a theatre, an opera house, public parks, small museums, a hip hop history, and more.
- My favorite club in the world is here. Not necessarily the best, but it’s small and feels like a ravers family. I love the energy of young people here that they rent an art nouveau mansion in the center, turn it into a night club, and run it in the most respectful and high-quality way. I’ve lived in quite some places, but this energy is amazing
- Related to this, there is freedom in Georgia 🇬🇪 and people are proud of it. It has moved away from being a Soviet dictatorship that murdered almost every artist, Nobel person, intellectual, activist, and religious leader with morals in the 30’s and the 50’s. Every (Russian) visitor should check out the top north floor of the National History Museum in Tbilisi and see all the names and faces with their execution date to understand why Georgia loves freedom and hates Russia (which by the way has not taken ownership of the Soviet crimes yet in a way like Germany did after their horrendous crimes. I’m reading Gulag Archipelago right now).
- And then the people and the amount of things I can learn from them here, how they deal with problems, how they are hosting guests, how their drinking culture is about story-telling and honoring the things that matter in life. It makes me feel like the cultures I’m from are superficial and about minding your own business. People here know about a much wider range of life experiences and they’re willing to share what they’ve learned if you treat them with respect. And respect I have for the people that went through communism and the 90’s. (Unfortunately I lost most of what I had for the Russians. If they’d know how to protest like Georgians, Europe would be a much better and safer place right now)
- There are many young people that want to work in Germany or Poland, or become artists, or have a career in IT, and we just happen to have the right skills to help them.
- And there is an international airport with flights to most European countries for less than 100€.
- And it even feels a bit meaningful to be so close to the conflict between the east and the west, and show our solidarity with the shit situation.
What makes it the right place for starting something right here right now, is that through technology, certain things have become possible that may lead to a new form of freedom and creativity. Starting something in Vienna, or Melbourne, would be impossible without rich parents, a large investment or a government grant. And the point is to prove that young people can also live free without this dependence. Also the social impact of economic opportunity for young Kutaisians is very high. So in a transparent way, we will build the following here:
- An academy where we learn how to collaborate, to code and design and edit videos, while building the infrastructure of a simple learning system that helps people to be productive without external pressure (something that’s quite hard in my experience).
- A governance system that is flexible and transparent, and able to manage spaces, with proper documentation and responsibilities. So that one day we can move to the next country and extend the network of the academy.
- An environment with the space and media equipment necessary to create products, services, and art in the 21st century.
- A place where people can live together for little money, while sharing infrastructure and services in a way that the quality of life is higher than what would be affordable in Europe.
I don’t think we want to stay here forever, but it is the right place to start. And with our language teaching skills, we have something to offer right away to the local population. Learning Georgian and making friends here is an honor and I feel grateful for having the opportunity to share time and space with such kind, strong, and courageous people here. Let’s see what we can learn from each other, and thanks to everyone that has made every time I return better than before. I wouldn’t be here without you.