University Entrants From Gali

Authors: Anonymous

July 2, 2019.

My mother woke me up at 6 a.m. and told me to get ready as quickly as possible. It was July 2nd. The national examinations began yesterday, and my first exam was scheduled for today at 9 a.m.

My hands were trembling from nervousness. I was more anxious about whether or not I would be able to get to the exam center than about the exam itself.

Sitting on the bed, I was spinning the image of the "feast" held a few days earlier. I saw children flushed from sobbing and adults whose faces turned pale from nervousness. I watched my mum attempting to conceal her sadness and anguish, but failing miserably. She assured me that everything would be great, and despite the blocking of the bridge, I would pass the examinations and be a student shortly.

I tried to keep from thinking about it all. I got ready and went downstairs.

I said goodbye to my grandma and sister with vague periods and stepped into my grandfather's car.

I could hear Mom and Grandpa making plans the whole way about how we were going to get beyond the Enguri River. Meanwhile, my heart was racing. I couldn't give up my dream of studying.

As we got closer to the border, my nerves started to rise. We were even more frightened. At the checkpoint, I saw several other entrants besides myself. They appeared to be tense and nervous as well.

I knew that none of us would be released "legally" at this point. The fact that the border was blocked showed that our documents would not be enough.

I recall how Grandpa approached the guard, pointing him at me, and starting a conversation. I watched how he handed over the folded banknote, how the guard nodded and entered the booth. Grandpa approached us and promised us we wouldn't be late for the exam.

Several entrants went ahead of me. I still remember one girl having to cross the border without her mother. I saw her teary eyes. She was intimidated.

My turn came too. The guards checked my bags and documents. They did not finish inspecting, but my mother and I had already been on the other side of the border. These words of the Abkhazian border guard echoed: "They rush there as if we do not have a university."

I tried to keep going without turning around, but I couldn't. At the very least, I looked out at the grandpa behind the border, who was pale and waving his hand at me, his eyes wishing me good luck.

6 months later – preparing for exams

Six months before the national exams, I began preparing. I was training with a tutor in general skills. In my village, there was no teacher. I was going through a three-village area by foot because public transport in Gali moves poorly. From time to time, my grandfather, or sometimes an acquaintance, would take me to meet a teacher.

The main problems for university entrants living in Gali district villages are distance and transportation. Because buses do not have a set timetable, we frequently have to walk. You don't have a head for studying when you get home tired from the teacher late at night. When a guard inquires, we hide our whereabouts and what we learn.

It was most likely the most difficult thing during this period.

Crossing the border checkpoints on the bridge and the examination center

At around 8 a.m. mum and I arrived at the examination center. We were happy. We didn't arrive late. Even though we came on time, I was still nervous. I was worried about those entrants who could not cross the border.

I was frightened, and my hands were trembling in the examination center. But, the fact that my mother was waiting for me outside made me feel better. I was also concerned about the next day: my mother would have to depart, and I would have to take the exams on my own without her support.

I could not write anything for 10 minutes after starting the Georgian language and literature exams. Then I gathered my courage and began writing. The exam was finished, and I ran into a few friends outside.

On that day, I found the story about the girl who injured her hands on the barbed wire while illegally crossing the border. I heard another story about the entrants who had to pay a huge amount of money to leave the border and reach the examination center.

You'll hear lots of similar stories about the entrants from Gali. Before coming to the examination center, almost everyone comes across barriers like this. You must be lucky enough to get to the examination center at all.

The end

Even two years later, these stories have come to the fore. The process of leaving a small village in the Gali district is full of pain and obstacles. My home and this experience motivate me to improve myself, study hard, and use my knowledge for positive changes in Gali.

Today, two years later, I am a university student who has had to work much harder than usual. Despite all of the obstacles, I am working hard today to make my dream a reality, and that is the most important thing. I go home rarely, but most importantly, I can still go home. I missed being there so much that the anguish and tears hit me. Naturally, everyone adores their own home and the memories linked to it. But, I never forget why I'm where I'm now. At no time should I forget that my prime goal, together with the people of my generation, is to build a brighter future for Abkhazia and its people.