Faces of Migration - Sogdiana (44) and Shamsia (45), Uzbek friends living in Batumi

Sogdiana left Uzbekistan to work as a house cleaner in Turkey and Russia, but she did not feel safe in either of the countries, as she often experienced issues with the police and locals. Some friends advised Sogdiana to move to Georgia. She arrived in Batumi in 2017.

In the beginning Sogdiana found life in Batumi challenging - she did not see many similarities between Uzbekistan and Georgia and, she felt quite lonely in a foreign country. It took a year for Sogdiana to adapt to the local lifestyle and feel comfortable in Batumi. She does not have any difficulties in communication with locals, as majority of Batumi’s residents speak Russian.

When COVID pandemic broke out in Georgia, Sogdiana did feel unsafe for a while, but adapted to the reality after some time. She received support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) last year when she needed medical assistance. Sogdiana enjoys her life in Georgia and hopes she will be able to stay here. In addition to local friends, now Sogdiana also has her best friend Shamsia here, who arrived in Georgia in 2018. Like Sogdiana, Shamsia was working as a house cleaner in Russia and Turkey, but she decided to follow Sogdiana’s steps and moved to Batumi. 

Shamsia finds Georgian hospitality impressive. She says she has everything she needs for her and her daughter to live a happy life in Georgia. Shamsia says working in Georgia is more comfortable and easier than in its neighbouring countries and living with the best friend and a daughter in a city full of extremely hospitable people makes her enjoy her life even more.

According to Sogdiana and Shamsia, things would be easier for them if there was Embassy of Uzbekistan in Georgia, as reaching out to Uzbek authorities through diplomatic mission in Baku is currently really challenging. Even though Sogdiana and Shamsia do not have any problems communicating with locals, they are still learning Georgian: “We have no problem communicating with locals, but together with my daughter, we are still learning Georgian alphabet and adding new words to our vocabulary every day.”
 

Photo by Eric Gourlan