Georgia: Poti blog 13-15 August, pepsikolka

pepsikolka — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:42:17 +0100

3 August 11:00 am I'm at work

I thought our internet access here was good. But it turns out that our satellite link came through Moscow, so all contact's been broken off and I'm back on dial-up.The dogs are alive and well and have got enough food for the time being.My colleague Giorgy is sitting beside me. A shell splinter got him in the finger.So everyone's laughing, calling him a ‘hero'. The fact that they're laughing means it's all alright.Thanks everyone for the comments, I can't answer them all, but I'm reading them and I'm grateful to you for just being there.And tell me about Kikabidze, I don't understand. (Ed: On 13 August, the singer Vakhtang Kikabidze cancelled his Russian concert tour and refused a ‘Friendship' medal due to be presented to him by President Medvedev.)

13 August 7:03 pm

The internet hasn't been working all day. But I've seen it all today. Here are some photos taken from my study window. Don't ask me what they mean, they are what they are, but it's not every day you see things like this out of your window.

13 August 8:44 pm My Georgian friends don't want war

Some time ago I posted something about Georgian banquets. How the first toast is always for peace. Georgian toasts aren't just an excuse for getting drunk, it's a whole art form. And the first toast they drink is always to peace.

14 August 10:49 am It's unbearable, unbearable!

Zombis everywhere. On the internet, in real life. Everyone yelling, foaming at the mouth! ‘We won' they croak. Even in a peaceful forum of ‘classmates' they're all at each others' throats, defending their governments.

I'm sorry, but they're just morons. There's no justification for a single one of these deaths. None at all.

A curse on this war and on all others!
It's not over, it's just started with new force! In our heads!

I'm afraid we'll never be able to go back to the way it was before

I'm sorry.

I'm disgusted

I'm ashamed.

It hurts.

I call on you all, don't trash the world

It's unbearable, unbearable

14 August 2:08 pm War or no, let's have breakfast on time

It's crazy, folks!! I just got this parcel of books sent by the internet shop OZON. While all this is going on!!!

Like a greeting from a past life.

And somehow it made me hopeful. We must, we must learn how to live on this earth of ours.

15 August 10:51 am Poti online

The town's in a state of panic. There rumours of looting, but they all contradict each other. So far no one in Poti knows anything for sure. But people are really worried. Afraid of everyone and everything. Once or twice foreign journalists have rung me to ask what's going on. I told them the same as I've been writing, that people are scared, that there are tanks moving round, but that they haven't touched anyone. They're destroying the military installations.

We keep working as usual.

Today they promised to come and get our internet connection working.

The usual rubbish on cable tv. I turned over to some strange channels in Italian other incomprehensible languages

Curiosities of war

Yesterday two women were sobbing in the street, saying they were going to be looted and raped. A man walking by laughed: ‘In your dreams!'

Sad news

One of my neighbours, a young guy, died in an explosion at the naval base. They did a couple of operations, but alas..God rest his soul.

15 August 12:07 pm On objectivity

I've said this, in reply to people, and I'll say it here.

I don't write about anything I don't know and haven't seen for myself. If I see it, I'll tell you, believe me. I'm not going to protect anyone, it's not worth it.

Once thing - please keep your comments clean or I'll have to stop all anonymous ones, and I really don't want to have to do that.

Average rating

(3 votes)

open Democracy News Analysis - Georgia: Poti blog 13-15 August, pepsikolka - Comments

Georgia: Poti blog 13-15 August, pepsikolka