A LE TTER F RO M GEO R GI A
A World Without an Embrace by Anahit Mkhoyan
D
ear friends, because the penalties for those breaking them are It was a day in time! I was driving across very high — or the effect of fear is too great. the border, leaving my beloved family in Georgians are living under intense pressure, as the Armenia to return to my beloved work in Georgia, fear of the virus affects every aspect of their economic, to be among the people who I am humbled to serve psychological, social and spiritual lives. This fear is as the director of Caritas in Georgia. Normally, the not about how many people have been diagnosed border crossing is full of cars and people. Not now. or if or how people are obeying the protocols in It was totally empty. My heart seemed to stop for a place to protect them. Rather, it is a fear of the moment as I sat behind the steering wheel and unknown, as if an invisible substance has surrounded assessed my environment. As I stepped out of the the earth. And while invisible, this substance creates car and walked to the customs office, I began to very visible distancing among people, which for our think how we as human beings think we can control Georgian — and Armenian — culture is antithetical. everything. Until in one moment, when something It starts dictating new norms that are quite artificial, uncontrollable happens, yet people follow because we become so helpless this fear has great power. “Social distancing makes and fragile. There are children of this all especially difficult, The border police Caritas, boys and girls who even artificial. It challenges checked my documents benefit from our many and escorted me to my social service programs, our vocation, our call to be home in Tbilisi, where I am who live at the Caritas a Christian and our very now in self-quarantine. The center, where my home is humanity.” roads were full of police located. These are “my and military personnel as children.” Before the the town of Marneuli, which is located along the pandemic, every time I saw them, they would run way from the frontier to the Georgian capital city, to me, hug me, talk to me. And that meant so much. remains in lockdown. The police escort and the This time, after being with my husband and military check points reminded me of the war daughters in Armenia, and escorted by the police to movies I had watched as a child. ensure my quarantine in Tbilisi, I had to escape my The number of Coronavirus cases is not very high children to avoid contact. But they were hesitant to in Georgia, largely due to the severity of the approach me; they had been warned already of the containment measures imposed by the government. danger of approaching me. Culturally, the Georgian people are not known as To be “dangerous” is not a pleasant feeling. It was generally submissive or compliant. But now they awkward, and my heart skipped a beat for another are observing the rules and protocols, perhaps moment that day. Put simply: I cannot hug my children. We cannot Anahit Mkhoyan, directs the charitable activities of embrace; we cannot approach one another closely; Caritas Georgia. we have to wear protective gear when interacting,
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CNEWA
27
