Mikheil Tsertsvadze, New York City, musician, @misho_tsertsvadze About the move My family and I won the Green Card in 2017. Since then we have lived in the USA. There were many reasons for the move. The most important is the difficulty of life in the post-Soviet countries. We started everything…
Georgians in the USA about moving, first job and goals
Mikheil Tsertsvadze, city – New York, musician, @misho_tsertsvadze
About moving
My family and I won Green card in 2017. Since then we have lived in the USA.
There were many reasons for the move. The most important is the difficulty of life in the post-Soviet countries. We started all over again, but every year we come to Georgia.
There were many difficult moments before the move. It took a lot of money and energy to get all the documents and prepare for life in the USA.
The adaptation was easy. Georgia gave me an excellent school education, I knew English well. In the States, I had to finish my last year at High School. But compared to programs in Europe and Central Asia, it was much easier to study here.
There are many things in the USA that are difficult to get used to at first. Some of them make sense, some don't, but you have to accept it.
No need to worry when moving. There is nothing in the US that you cannot live with.
About Georgians in the USA
There are many Georgians living in the USA. For many years after the collapse of the USSR, people were looking for work and money, and for many, immigration was a good solution. No one dreamed of leaving Georgia, but everyone wanted to help families and build a future.
Many Georgians live in the USA
I live in the Brooklyn area of New York. There are many Georgians, Russians and Ukrainians here. On Brighton Beach, all immigrants are from post-Soviet countries, so the Russian language is common here. I also know many families and friends from Georgia who live in other states.
We meet with local Georgians during holidays in churches. In Brooklyn, they heard about Tbilisob, where almost ten thousand Georgians arrived. It's great when you see all these people with whom you have a lot in common.
I miss Georgia. There is no country in the world that would replace my Motherland.
About plans
The plans are simple – to be the best at what I can do. I want to gradually become a good musician. Plans to study producing in order to open his own studio.
Kate Gochashvili , 51 years old, city – New York, restaurant owner , @ cheeseboatbk
About moving
I moved in New York five years ago. She opened the Georgian restaurant Cheeseboat in Brooklyn. We did a BBC cooking show, Insider and Times wrote about us.
There were many reasons for moving.. First, I love change. Secondly, all three of my children studied at US universities and live in New York, which was the main reason.
The difficulty of immigration lies in the change of environment. But the USA is a comfortable environment where free people live. Here I feel confident. The values that the United States carries in itself were close to me, so I easily adapted.
The values that the United States carries in itself were close to me, so I easily adapted
The success of my business is the merit of the children. When I came here and decided to open a restaurant, my eldest daughter, a marketer by education, my son and younger daughter, financiers, created a convenient business platform. Therefore, the difficulties associated with immigration did not arise.
In Georgia, where I lived, the rhythm of life was slow. New York is fast. Here everything needs to be planned in advance, as time literally flies by.
“Before moving to the US, be sure to learn the language.” This is the advice I would have given myself five years ago. The country is open to immigrants, but it is better to prepare.
About Georgians in the USA
There are many Georgians living in the USA. They mostly live in Brooklyn. We communicate, compatriots come to our restaurant.
About plans
Cheeseboat popular with Americans. Therefore, we plan to open branches in the USA, Georgia, Kazakhstan.
Levan, 28 years old, city – New York, musician, @ levan . artist
About moving
I have been living in the USA since 2014. After receiving a bachelor's degree from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, I received an invitation to study for a master's degree in Europe and New York.
European culture is closer to my identity. Most of your favorite philosophers, writers, composers or artists are Europeans. But today all roads no longer lead to Rome, Paris or Berlin, but to New York. It is a multicultural city and there is high competition. Large scale and challenges push to move forward. That's why I chose New York.
I sent my portfolio to one of the best universities with the Master of Fine Arts program in the USA. Soon he received a scholarship from the New York Academy of Arts and a grant from the International Education Center. He became the first Georgian graduate of the New York Academy of Arts. Then he continued his artistic career in the United States, participating in events, art projects and exhibitions.
I am the first Georgian artist of the Brooklyn Museum, my works are exhibited along with Egon Schiele, Dürer, Picasso and others.
I play the piano every day. I like to infuse urban rhythms into music. New York is jazz, full of improvisations, where it is impossible to predict tomorrow, and at the same time, you need to have a lot of energy, spiritual readiness and confidence to achieve future goals. Thanks to music, I easily survived the adaptation period. Learned more about myself. I have also been drawing since childhood.
It is impossible to describe the US based only on the New York experience. New York is like a mini-model of its own world. Some older New Yorkers miss past times when the city had its own soul.
About Georgians in the USA
From the first day of my life in the USA, I was busy. There was no time to get acquainted with local Georgians, but there are many of them here. Some came to study, many work.
I have several Georgian friends who graduated from New York, Columbia, Yale universities
I have several Georgian friends who graduated from the Juilliard School, New York, Columbia, Yale. They have good relations with the Consul General of Georgia in New York. They organize useful and interesting events for Georgians.
About plans
I do not linger in one place for a long time. Traveling to new places is important and necessary for a creative mind. Despite the fact that I live and draw in New York, my art projects and exhibitions are held in Europe, Asia, and in their homeland in Georgia.
