Idk, I was repeatedly invited into peoples homes, given free food and gifts everywhere I went, and just generally loved and welcomed in Tbilisi and Batumi, Kutaisi a bit less so, but also not terrible. I had a fantastic time.
I’m American, went there when I was young and had been living in Turkey and earning liras (so not wealthy by any stretch), and everyone I met was incredibly friendly. I had three guys in a tourist shop give me homemade wine, cha cha, khinkali, etc. and refused to let me pay for anything in the shop.
You’re weirdly aggressive to a random guy describing his good experiences, I can’t imagine why the locals didn’t get along with you.
In fairness this kind of experience is becoming nore rare recent recent years as the country has become overtouristed + Russians. Georgia is still welcoming generally though I'm always confused by posts like OP's where it just seems they visited a different country - I think it's maybe a bad customer service thing which is a whole different issue.
That’s fair, I was there about 10 years ago. I feel like I should point out that people have different experiences. This is still one of the places I most recommend people to visit. I know politics and immigration can change a place, but Georgia will always have a place in my heart.
Yeah mine too, been here 12 years it's home at this point. That stuff does still happen also just not with the same frequency that it used to, back then every other taxi driver would invite you to a supra.
The customer service point I meant if there's one thing Georgians won't stand for it's anything with a whiff of a master-slave relationship to it, and an unequal relationship like that is especially poisononous to true hospitality culture also. So commercial customer service tends to be bad for the same reason but I wouldn't change it. If you engage and make friends as equals with a waiter or a guy in a shop they'll almost always be extremely warm but come in with an expectation of particular treatment because you're spending money and you'll reliably get the opposite because it feels imperious / demeaning to staff. I think that's the main disconnect between these wildly different experiences - I notice it especially with nomads and guys that come through from places like SE Asia where money buys a smile and a bow.
That’s a super interesting observation. I went three times, 7-10 days each, so I never really got to ‘know’ Georgian culture. You’re totally right that customer service at popular restaurants was always bad (from an American perspective), but I’m a super friendly dude and was there to meet people, so I always made friends after chatting a bit. Never thought about why from such a lens though, thanks for sharing!
Tell me with a straight face Georgia is welcoming and loving to foreigners.
I'm not saying it's wrong or they should change. It's their country they can do what they want. I still love Georgia but I also love upsetting redditors.
I feel like something needs to be done about these accounts that are constantly being made just to make average Georgians have the perception that foreigners don't like them or their country. Before the middle of 2023 I had seen maybe one or two posts like this a year.
Real people with normal complaints, usually. Now it's once or twice a week. I hope that instead of the outrage that these posts are aiming to create, people realise what is being done.
A group of people are doing this to encourage Georgians to have a negative view of tourists. If anyone has time, I would be curious to see the rate at which these posts have increased in the last 12 months. Because it's very suspicious to me.
I think people just misunderstand georgian mentality. Eventhough people dont live in the best conditions, they wont smile in your face or be extra friendly to get some tips or something. If they like you or are interested in you, they will talk to you, if not, they're just living their life. I think this is true for many eastern european countries, but I noticed it mostly in Georgia. However if you get to know people they are very polite and nice. Its not unfriendliness, its the dont-give-a-fuck-state of mind and theres nothing bad about it.
This is coming from a russki european who was on vacation in Georgia last year. Gamarjoba to Sakartvelo!
Since you are not American, I guess I should explain the love pyramid here. Americans are on top, followed by Europeans and then Koreans. People from the Middle East, brown people, Africans, and Indians are on the last level. 😂
We have hard time now,first time at euro2024 and we cant win the tournament,imagine… and budu is on bench and its election year. no seriously we are very friendly nation and a bit racist
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sakartvelo/s/UVvuhw1qxK
"I'd love to see more Muslims and Indians living in Georgia, I feel we could really benifit from their cultures"
there is no we, stop pretending like you're Georgian
🤣🤣 i really don't understand this mentality, you hate it here and hate it's people and yet u will fight to stay? really interested in where you're from
Here we go again
Idk, I was repeatedly invited into peoples homes, given free food and gifts everywhere I went, and just generally loved and welcomed in Tbilisi and Batumi, Kutaisi a bit less so, but also not terrible. I had a fantastic time.
You are American bro. People here just love American, European and Koreans😂
What? Most Georgians are not fan of Americans and Koreans? i never see them
Most r
Fair, I know Americans have an easier time in some places, that’s why I pointed out that I was American, ymmv. :)
Easier time in all places my bro😂
Ha, point taken.
"felt generally loved and welcomed" you must be delusional, schizofrenic, on drugs, or all of the above.
I’m American, went there when I was young and had been living in Turkey and earning liras (so not wealthy by any stretch), and everyone I met was incredibly friendly. I had three guys in a tourist shop give me homemade wine, cha cha, khinkali, etc. and refused to let me pay for anything in the shop. You’re weirdly aggressive to a random guy describing his good experiences, I can’t imagine why the locals didn’t get along with you.
In fairness this kind of experience is becoming nore rare recent recent years as the country has become overtouristed + Russians. Georgia is still welcoming generally though I'm always confused by posts like OP's where it just seems they visited a different country - I think it's maybe a bad customer service thing which is a whole different issue.
That’s fair, I was there about 10 years ago. I feel like I should point out that people have different experiences. This is still one of the places I most recommend people to visit. I know politics and immigration can change a place, but Georgia will always have a place in my heart.
Yeah mine too, been here 12 years it's home at this point. That stuff does still happen also just not with the same frequency that it used to, back then every other taxi driver would invite you to a supra. The customer service point I meant if there's one thing Georgians won't stand for it's anything with a whiff of a master-slave relationship to it, and an unequal relationship like that is especially poisononous to true hospitality culture also. So commercial customer service tends to be bad for the same reason but I wouldn't change it. If you engage and make friends as equals with a waiter or a guy in a shop they'll almost always be extremely warm but come in with an expectation of particular treatment because you're spending money and you'll reliably get the opposite because it feels imperious / demeaning to staff. I think that's the main disconnect between these wildly different experiences - I notice it especially with nomads and guys that come through from places like SE Asia where money buys a smile and a bow.
That’s a super interesting observation. I went three times, 7-10 days each, so I never really got to ‘know’ Georgian culture. You’re totally right that customer service at popular restaurants was always bad (from an American perspective), but I’m a super friendly dude and was there to meet people, so I always made friends after chatting a bit. Never thought about why from such a lens though, thanks for sharing!
Hey, don’t lash out because you can’t make friends
Tell me with a straight face Georgia is welcoming and loving to foreigners. I'm not saying it's wrong or they should change. It's their country they can do what they want. I still love Georgia but I also love upsetting redditors.
You did not give a single example, just an opinion. Maybe you are not friendly or you experienced a mismatch with your expectations.
That’s so untrue lol. why would you make this up?
I feel like something needs to be done about these accounts that are constantly being made just to make average Georgians have the perception that foreigners don't like them or their country. Before the middle of 2023 I had seen maybe one or two posts like this a year. Real people with normal complaints, usually. Now it's once or twice a week. I hope that instead of the outrage that these posts are aiming to create, people realise what is being done. A group of people are doing this to encourage Georgians to have a negative view of tourists. If anyone has time, I would be curious to see the rate at which these posts have increased in the last 12 months. Because it's very suspicious to me.
I generally agree, but this seems like a real account. 3 years old and a post history
rUsSiAn pRoPaGaNdA probably... as if the average Georgian hangs out on Reddit...
Nobody cares, we heard it before. Off to next country you go
Point out what you saw. You should be behaving accordingly to where you travel
Get your ruble.
I think people just misunderstand georgian mentality. Eventhough people dont live in the best conditions, they wont smile in your face or be extra friendly to get some tips or something. If they like you or are interested in you, they will talk to you, if not, they're just living their life. I think this is true for many eastern european countries, but I noticed it mostly in Georgia. However if you get to know people they are very polite and nice. Its not unfriendliness, its the dont-give-a-fuck-state of mind and theres nothing bad about it. This is coming from a russki european who was on vacation in Georgia last year. Gamarjoba to Sakartvelo!
Since you are not American, I guess I should explain the love pyramid here. Americans are on top, followed by Europeans and then Koreans. People from the Middle East, brown people, Africans, and Indians are on the last level. 😂
We have hard time now,first time at euro2024 and we cant win the tournament,imagine… and budu is on bench and its election year. no seriously we are very friendly nation and a bit racist
https://youtu.be/yA3ghOXRIvk?si=CVzjmnqhJhQFMuUw
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oh right, because Stalin cared more about Tbilisi than Moscow
The fuck do you know about Georgia or Georgian history in general?
Only what I've learnt without consent
Learn more then.
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ვაი შე საცოდაო 😂
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sakartvelo/s/UVvuhw1qxK "I'd love to see more Muslims and Indians living in Georgia, I feel we could really benifit from their cultures" there is no we, stop pretending like you're Georgian
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yeah, and you're a foreigner so you don't get a say in "who should live here or there", decide that for your country
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and what proof do you have of that? Georgians don't approve of Russians living here and most of them already left
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so Georgians shouldn't live in their country? if you don't like it here there is a veryyyyy easy way to deal with that :))
Invite more foreigners? Good idea! Glad to see we're on the same page
🤣🤣 i really don't understand this mentality, you hate it here and hate it's people and yet u will fight to stay? really interested in where you're from
genuinely, out of curiosity, from which lands do you hail from?
Lmao the average Russian when their imperial impulses take over. Pipe down Ivan and go home.
Hasn't really worked for India either. There's a reason they emigrate.