I think it is always a good idea to take a look back in your life and, it can bring so many warm and deep emotions.
As I wrote in my intro post, I am Georgian, but I was born and raised in Russia, Chelyabinsk city. My parents moved there, I think somewhere between 1992-1993 when the Abkhazian war started in Georgia. They literally had to start everything from scratch and, luckily, there were some friends of my father already living in the Ural region (Chelyabinsk is the center of this area), so they decided to move. There was a street that started to be referred as a Georgian hood in Chelyabinsk, this is a place where my parents started their new life after they escaped Gagra (a city in Georgia, one of the epicenters of war in Abkhazia, where my father worked).
Ah, if you have not checked the intro post, here is the link, it may help you understand what is going on here:
Gena Qarchava
I was born in 1997 on the 28th of August and I have lived a fairly happy and joyful childhood. My pops, his name is Omari, was always out there hustling to get back home with everything needed for his family - me and mom. My mother, her name is Nani, focused I think like 1000% of her attention on me. By the time I got like 8-10 years, things were going pretty well. Father was running a business, he had 4 grocery stores across the city, I was riding with him in the mornings to get the cash out of there and buy needed products to put them back on the shelves in those stores (buy cheaper, sell higher - simple cycle). I was always fascinated by his courage and ability to get up every morning at 6 o`clock and go get there: no days off, no "let it all go on its own", just a clear idea, that everything was in his hands. This was one of the reasons, why I dedicated so much time and energy to studying - I could never let him down and mom, of course, she is another type of hero.
I am completely mummy`s boy, I always listened to her and was a good kid, as she says now. My curiosity about learning, reading, and studying - was all her credit. Since the 6th grade (in Russian schools there are 11 of them) I had like 3-4 extra activities - Maths, English, Sports (Judo-Kickboxing-Boxing), and Reading. When it all started, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information I had to digest in my brain and how intensive working out 3 times a week can be. Still, as time went by, I started to realize, how many advantages those activities are giving me. Most of my friends and peers were out there walking around the block for hours, partying, while I was getting up at 6:30 AM, going to school up until 1 PM, then going back home for lunch, then heading to the extra classes, then training and, finally, doing homework in my room. I was free somewhere from 8-9 PM, and what do you think I was doing this time? Of course - reading!
I am not trying to represent my childhood, as forced labor, conversely, I liked it all, not from the start, but, eventually, all those intense hours of work were helping me to become a better version of myself. I realize this now, but when I was in school going through all this "get smart and jacked or die trying" lifestyle (a little 50 cent reference here), my parents kept me going with all the support I needed, the love they gave me was infinite.
Being a part of a Georgian (to be more precise - Megrelian) community in Russia was always an interesting experience. In the same week, I could be talking to some local thugs , athletes from the national team, drug abusers, politicians, dancers, etc. This was all due to the fact, that people from our region in Georgia (which is called Samegrelo), who left their homeland, because of war, were trying to stick together, help each other and just live normally, that's it. I am getting goosebumps every time (kudos to Travis Scott) when my mind thinks back about those moments, people, talks, and situations, that I have gone through in my early days in Chelyabinsk.
Thanks for reading this little sneak peek into my childhood, I hope you found here something entertaining, or at least you smiled. I will keep posting stuff about my growing up, I believe, it may resonate with some of you. Have a good day, cheers!