War in Georgia: Let Not History Repeat Itself

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Let Not History Repeat Itself

I found this archive from 1924: a plea to the U.S. to stop Russian invasion of Georgia. http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/viewArticle.arc?articleId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1924-09-27-08-001&pageId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1924-09-27-08&manualTopicId=false

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Family Update, September 3, 2008

I apologize for being out of touch on the blog. Reading the news and getting daily updates was taking its toll on my psyche, so I had to stop for a while....

G's family is still safe and as well as can be expected. They're back in Tbilisi, although they recently went to the village to celebrate Gocha's birthday.

Jumber is living in Tbilisi with other refugees from Gori.

Dad took Keto on a vacation to Jerusalem until the U.S. will give her a visa. The last I heard, her petition was approved (step 1), which gets them an interview. Hopefully they will both be able to return safely in the near future.

Our cars are still somewhere in the Black Sea.

Russia remains a strong force in Georgia (including closely monitoring the port where our cars need to land) and doesn't look like they'll be leaving any time soon.

If you have the time, take a look at the timeline to your right. It gives a more comprehensive timeline of events leading up to the conflict. It might shed better light on the complicated nature of this war and serve to answer some of your questions about identifying the original aggresser and/or wondering why Georgia doesn't just let the South Ossetians have their own country.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about this amazing little country!
-Sally

The War Continues... August 16, 4:00 p.m. CST

I spoke with our friend Jumber this morning, who forwarded the photo and video to the left. The photo is of Georgians examining the remnants of a Russian Bomb and the video shows some of the destruction in Gori. Jumber is currently in Tbilisi living with 22 people in his cousin's house. There are approximately 60,000 refugees from Gori now.

Jumber tells me that Russians, Ossetians and Kazaks are now coming into Georgia as "War Volunteers" to loot villages and have taken many Georgians back to Tskinvali to work as slave labor and rebuild the city.

Another story surfaced regarding a minibus traveling from Western Georgia going to Tbilisi on August 13. Apparently a group of men (likely Ossetians because of their broken accent) kidnapped the prettiest Georgian girl off of the minibus and exclaimed that they'd use her for "entertainment" that night. They then took only valuables from the rest of the passengers and let them be on their way. No one has heard whether the girl has been found, as people fled from Gori soon thereafter.

Jumber tells me that Russian troops continue to occupy Georgian cities and villages and today have bombed the main railway bridge in a town called Kaspi, finishing off their apparent plan to disable any East-West travel in the country (the main highway goes through Gori, and the railroad goes through Kaspi -- now the Russians control both towns). Travel to Tbilisi from the West is now next to impossible.

Jumber's father is just outside of Gori between Gori and Kaspi and Jumber has not heard from him. We continue to pray that he is well...

Gori is approximatley 70 km from Tbilisi and Kaspi is about half way between them. This means that the Russian troops are now approximately 35 km from Tbilisi.

The Russians continue to say that they'll leave, but won't say when. Thus far, their actions have failed to reflect their words.

RUSSIA STILL IN GORI August 15, 4:10 p.m. CST

We just spoke with our dear friend Jumber, who is in Tbilisi and can no longer reach his father in Gori. Russia is apparently still surrounding and controlling Gori and the main East West road through Georgia. This, of course, means that they also control the pipeline.

G spoke with his brother earlier this morning and they are still in the village waiting for news of safety. I tried my father but haven't been able to get through. I will assume he's safe in Keto's village until I hear otherwise.

We just got back from KSTP studios, where we did a short interview to be seen on the 6:30 news tonight. Tune in if you can!

RUSSIA CONTINUES ITS ATTACKS AFTER CEASE FIRE -- August 13, 7:45 a.m. CST

We've been on the phone with friends in Gori, and Tbilisi, and following Georgian news.

The news confirmed that RUSSIA IS STILL ATTACKING GEORGIA: they continue to bomb and shoot tanks in the villages surrounding Gori and continue to destroy Poti (the Georgian port where, incidentally, we have cars, which are now likely at the bottom of the Black Sea). Saakashvili was on the news today saying that they have sunk all Georgian cargo ships as well as military ships.

Russia also continues to roll taks through Abkhazia, attacking Zugdidi and the surrounding area, apparently moving out of the Abkhazian region and also into Georgia proper.

Gori (which is OUTSIDE of South Ossetia and the one major city that is between Ossetia and Tbilisi) is demolished and abandoned. Our dear friend who once lived in MN is one of the only Georgians there. G spoke with him yesterday afternoon and he informed us that people are trapped in the rubble and he's pulling them out one by one, some dead, some alive. He's driving the injured to the hospital, where a doctor will give instructions and turn them away, as there's no more room. He must then take the injured back to their houses to follow the doctors' instructions.

Ossetians are now coming into Gori and looting the abandoned homes. Our friend witnesses this. He also has had refugees come out of the woods for rescue when they see the Georgian license plates on his car.

I spoke with two other friends yesterday and this morning and learned that the airport has been closed and the Ministry of Defense has now closed. Buildings are being abandoned all over the city.

August 12, 5:40 a.m. CST

The news is conflicting to say the least: Russia appears to have agreed to end the agression, but is apparently reservin the right to continue it. They are also in regions other than the separatist regions and appear to refuse to leave. Their talk is pretty, but not really in line with their actions.

I recently found a blog from the Georgian government (apparently Russia had disabled Georgia's internet capabilities, so they've found a way to get some news out via blogger!) Here's the site: http://georgiamfa.blogspot.com/2008/08/timeline-by-12th-of-august-0700.html

August 11, 12:00 Noon CST

Dad and Keto are safe in Tbilisi and under the impression that the war will soon be over. G's family continues to be well in Khaheti.

As far as we know, Georgia has pulled troops out of South Ossetia and the EU has sent French emissaries in to negotiate a peace treaty. Georgia is on board but, of course, the big question is whether Russia is interested.

Russia has now bombed Georgia's radar towers, making it impossible for Georgia to track the Russian planes. And we wait.

Today, the famous quote from Martin Neimoller continues to run through my head. I thought I'd share it with you:

First they came for the Communists
but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists
but I was not one of them, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews
but I was not Jewish so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out for me.

August 10, 10:23 p.m.

G's entire family is now in the village where they should be safe for now. G finally reached Dad and Keto, who made it back to Tbilisi via taxi, and will also travel to Khaheti to stay in Keto's village there.

I read an interesting NY Times article from yesterday that I thought I'd share: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/world/europe/10diplo.html
It discusses the reality of politics in this world game and how Russia has the West's hands tied to do anything.

As some of you may know, Russia bombed a Georgian ship in the Black Sea and it appears that the Ukraine is standing up in a way: saying that they won't accept the Russian ship back at their port in Crimea, which is where the Russian ship was stationed.

August 10, 10:15 a.m. CST

We've been following the news again this morning. Russia continues their aggression and Georgia apparently has withdrawn troops in the interest of protecting civilian lives.

We spoke with G's brother late last night (early morning their time) and they were getting ready to drive into the village.

We've tried to reach Dad and G's family this morning to no avail. G will continue to try to reach them throughout the day and hope that the problem is faulty cell service rather than anything dire.

When we spoke with the family last night, however, they verified that Russia had bombed an airplane manufacturing faclity in Tbilisi, very close to everyone in the city. George's cousin Waseco was there this morning helping to clean up.

August 9, 6:30 p.m. CST

Giorgi spoke with his brother a few hours ago (it's the middle of the night there now). They'll be moving the family to the village either now or in the morning. Giorgi's dad must first pick up his grandmother, who is in another village that had a bombing nearby.

The trip to Batumi has been cancelled because too many roads are bombed out to make it safely there. We're hopeful that the family who is there will be safe from harm, as they will need to stay.

My sense is that the Georgian people have conflicting emotions: fear of Russia's huge military power coupled with a strong desire to oust Russia from their borders once and for all.

I'm getting conflicting reports about the state of the country: George's brother says that banks are operating and Tbilisi is largely business as usual, with the airport running on schedule and Georgians doing well in the war, keeping control of the capitl of South Ossetia and strategically trapping many Russian tanks by bombing out the road on either side of them. He's getting his info from Georgian news and his own experience driving around the city. Another friend says that Tbilisi is shutting down major shopping centers and more public gathering places. Both could be true, but the messages seem to conflict.

Other friends say the airport is shut down and the Embassy is making plans to evacuate. Some news reports that are coming out of Moscow say that Russia retains control of South Ossetia and the Georgians are retreating.

The upshot of this is that it's difficult to get any reliable news out of Georgia or Russia at this point, as both are not free from propagandizing themselves.

This will probably be my last post tonight, as Georgia is hopefully sleeping...

August 9, 10:55 a.m. CST

We continue to be in touch with family and friends. The latest scare was a rumor that Russia would bomb Tbilisi at 18:00 Georgian time (09:00 CST), but so far nothing has happened.

Giorgi met a friend at the MSP airport this morinng who was going to fly back to Tbilisi and even though I was urging him not to go, the friend got on the plane anyway. Fortunately for him, another friend called the MSP airport and had the plane stopped on the runway to get them off the plane, as Tbilisi's airport is now officially shut down, with limited flights in.

I also hear that the U.S. Embassy is preparing to evacuate Americans.

August 9; 9:00 a.m. CST

Our Georgian family remains in Tbilisi, but has plans to travel to the village soon. G's dad plans on driving to Batumi to pick up his nephew's children who were on vacation there.

My father and Keto are in Borjomi, a small tourist town in the mountains. They can't get back to Tbilisi because the road goes through Gori, which I'm sure you've heard has been bombed multiple times by the Russians. I also believe that the main thoroughfare has been bombed, so the road is completely out should anyone even want to use it. George is on the phone with them as I type trying to find a way to get them safely to the village as well.

It appears that the Magti (cell phone company in Georgia) tower has also been bombed, so communication is difficult at best, but we are finding ways to communicate with family and friends there anyway - thank goodness for the internet!

The government continues to assure Georgians that Tbilisi won't be bombed.

They're calling for more blood in the hospitals.

Here is a good article giving an overview of the situation: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/europe/july-dec08/georgiaclash_08-08.html

The Cyst

To add excitement to our wedding week, G developed a painful pilonidal cyst. His fever hovered below 102 for 3 days and plans for fun sightseeing with our American guests and dance lessons for the wedding were thwarted. Instead, we had to send the guests off on their own for large portions of their days here while G rested and I drove around this crazy city looking for antibiotics and pain killers (not unlike hunting for car parts, hunting for medical supplies was trying at times, as not all pharmacies carry the same products).

Ultimately, G had to get the cyst lanced. Before resorting to Western medicine, however, there was a brief interlude when everyone wanted to have a look at it and offer their own solutions. Not surprisingly, G’s mother and our friend Manana were the most involved (and the most curious to view and “help” it’s progress).

One morning, I went to visit with my father and his cousins, leaving G home to rest. Or so I thought. G, however, decided that the pain was too great and called his mother after I left and told her to come over and cut the cyst out, which she was only too happy to do. It appeared that he had also called Manana and told her the same thing. This, of course, was just what the women had been hoping for, and they were over in only minutes. Manana brought some of her homemade medicine and needles and, and G’s mother brought his father.

I returned home from my morning visit to find something not unlike a birthing scenario: Soso was pacing in the living room like an expectant father and the women in the bedroom with a screaming patient. I went into the bedroom to find G in bed, bum exposed, and Manana stabbing the cyst (which is really an abscess, I’ve learned) with a needle and Irina watching. The fact that this method of stabbing and squeezing (as if dealing with a large pimple) didn’t work the first, second and third times did not stop them from trying for a fourth and fifth time. Manana finally showed some mercy and refused to stab another time even though G’s mother wanted to do it in secret just one more time. G, of course, had now thought better of his decision to call the women, but all of his screams couldn’t stop the ball he had placed in motion. I was helpless to save G from this situation, so I did the only thing I could do at that point: I cried. It seemed to have the desired effect because I pulled focus away from G’s bum and onto myself. The event, however, sparked Manana to think that we were dealing with something more serious than she had originally diagnosed, which of course would call for more serious medicine. For this, she needed to pull out the big guns and make a more potent medicine for which she needed to find a special ingredient: rabbit fat.

Pleased to be free of the needles, G, who hates to say no, embarked on a search for this ingredient in Manana’s guaranteed cure. After a few phone calls, he found a cousin’s neighbor in the village who was willing to sacrifice his rabbit for the cause. The neighbor saved the meat for himself, but donated the rabbit’s fat to G’s cure. Getting the rabbit fat to Tbilisi was the next obstacle to overcome. Fortunately, G’s cousin was willing to borrow his brother’s car and drive it into the city to make the important delivery. By that evening, a rabbit had been sacrificed and its fat had traveled to Tbilisi in G’s cousin’s car.

Meanwhile, G’s fever was blazing while we were trying to have a supra for our American guests at G’s parents’ house without his translating skills. Gocha and I did our best to translate as G shivered in his childhood bed, waiting for a cure.
Losing something in translation of a request made of me (I thought they were asking me to pick up the medicine), I chose not to participate in the rabbit fat frenzy, and remained at the supra instead of taking the precious cargo for its final leg to Manana’s house. So, Manana picked it up herself and made the cure.

Thankfully, G made it through the night and I went to Manana’s house the next morning, per my instructions, to pick up the new medicine. Manana gave careful instructions which I diligently obeyed for 3 days: I carefully spread rabbit fat medicine on G’s bum per everyone’s collective belief that it would do the trick. It didn’t help.

Manana finally agreed that we should resort to Western medicine. (Post-Soviet style.) Manana gave us the phone number of her daughter’s friend’s father (a surgeon here) and he agreed to lance the cyst during his free time at the hospital. Once at the hospital, we walked down crumbling stone stairs to a large corridor tiled with large blue tiles on the floor and ½ way up the walls with plastic siding on the other ½ of the walls and ceiling. We found the doctor’s 2-room office (one room for his desk and the other for surgery) where he was negotiating with other patients. We waited, looking out the open windows at ground level (the parking lot dirt and pollen likely weren’t as much of a pollution problem as the cigarette smoke inside the room). Eventually, he took G into the 2nd room, not allowing Manana and me in. This didn’t really pose a problem, as we easily walked back up the stairs and out into the parking lot, where we could view the whole procedure from the open window. G was in considerable pain, but after the lancing, he finally began to feel better.

After rallying and performing as best he could for the wedding, G’s cyst started to get worse. This is likely because he decided never to go back to the surgeon based on the pain he felt there and he stopped taking care of it. I never got a clear instruction on how to take care of it, likely because G let it go in one ear and out the other when at the hospital. I decided it was time for me to take matters into my own hands. I called my dear friend Kathy in the U.S., who told me exactly what to do (she has handled hundreds of these situations as a nurse), and with the exception of more pharmacy stops than one might like to make for curing an ailment, things are looking good.

Sometimes Western medicine really does work better than home remedies.

Family Expansion

Next to hosting guests, the Georgians’ greatest pleasure and desire is to expand their family. Of course, the pressure to procreate is a strong one, but here, they have other ways to add family members at an exponential rate. For example, the first time I came to Georgia in 2000, G’s friend Levani adopted me as his sister and I continue to think of myself as such: as someone who’s always dreamed of having a large family, this works quite nicely for me.

Complication comes when the church rules get involved. Georgian Orthodox tradition holds that members of a wedding party must not start as family members because they and their families become sisters and brothers of the bride and groom after said wedding, thereby immediately expanding the family unit. This gets quite tricky if a) you are the last in a group of friends to get married (because you’re likely already related to all of your good friends after having been in their weddings), or b) you have “couple friends,” both of whom you would like to be in your wedding (because, of course, brothers and sisters cannot be romantically involved). It took me approximately 3 weeks to figure out the ins and outs of these rules, but I think I’m getting the hang of it now. We did have a scare for a while because my Georgian maid of honor was in a wedding with G’s best man and we were concerned that because they were already “related” from the last wedding they might be precluded from being in our wedding together now. We found out, however, that such involvement was acceptable, since neither were yet related to us and they were not a couple.

So now, our family has been expanded to include G’s best men Giorgi and Zura and their families and my maids of honor, Theo and Suzanne and their families.