Nakhvamdis Georgia

About the author: Andrew Gerges’25 is an FSI Global Policy Intern with the Economic Policy Research Center. Andrew is currently majoring in Economics and International Relations at Stanford University.

My time in Georgia has now concluded, and it is hard to imagine a way it could have been more fulfilling or how I could have led a more interesting summer. I have seen things I had read about for years, met amazing people from all over the world, and explored the politics and history of an incredibly fascinating yet unfortunately forgotten country.

A group of expats I went on a beautiful hike with. Unpictured is the German Shepherd from the village below that guided us up on the mountain! Georgia has a high number of stray dogs (that are treated by government vets and communally cared for) and on a lot of hikes, village dogs would randomly guide groups.

The town of Mestia in the Svaneti region. These towers, built between the 9th and 12th centuries, were used by different families as homes as well as defensive bases.

A stunning landscape in Svaneti.

The Chronicle of Georgia, an impressive modern monument depicting the history of Georgia and the life of Christ.

A striking mural on a Soviet-era apartment block from a lively park. I always found dichotomies like these intriguing.

For my last day, I went on a run back to Turtle Lake, as I had done on my first day in Tbilisi. Here is the other side of the view, which is reminiscent of Lake Lagunita and made me realize how excited I was to return to campus life.

I also had the opportunity to visit nearby Armenia and Istanbul, which were amazing experiences in their own rights.
Professionally, working at the EPRC was an incredibly fulfilling experience. I completed my research project exploring the effects of Chinese involvement in Georgia on their EU-Atlantic aspirations, and am currently working with the team on edits before publication. I found that this project was able to combine a growing interest in China I’ve found at Stanford, my newfound interest in Eastern Europe and the Post-Soviet world, and understanding how economic development looks like on the ground and is fundamentally intertwined with security.

Everyone at the EPRC was so welcoming, and I am so thankful for their guidance and the opportunity. I found it especially important to hear their personal stories about Georgia’s transition from Soviet control to its democratization today, something I cannot imagine I could have gotten to such a degree any other way. While Georgia still has a long way to go, contextualizing its progress over the past three decades shows the sheer determination that Georgians have to achieve something great for their country. I am eager to take what I have learned this summer at the EPRC, as well as from living abroad, and bringing it to the classroom and my future experiences at Stanford.

Nakhvamdis Tbilisi!