1. Prologue — The City That Even Immigration Officers Laugh At
When I first entered Georgia, the immigration officer pulled me aside.
“Why are you here?”
“For travel.”
“How long will you stay?”
“Maybe six months… I’m not sure yet.”
“Why don’t you have a return ticket?”
“…I was planning to buy it later.”
His face darkened. The atmosphere got heavier. He called his supervisor over.
“This guy from Korea doesn’t have a return ticket.”
The supervisor asked,
“Where are you going?”
“Gori.”
He burst into laughter. 😆 Apparently, I was the first person he’d ever seen who came to Georgia and headed straight to Gori.
“What are you going to do there?”
“Visit the Stalin Museum and… write my stuff.”
“You know you can finish that in 30 minutes, right?
And you’ll stay six months? What else will you do?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Is that… a problem?”
“No, no. Not a problem. Just… not very ordinary. How much cash do you have?”
They finally let me through after I showed them $7,000 in cash. And here I am—50 days later—writing and running a YouTube channel. Life here is… surprisingly good.
2. Why Gori Is Actually Great for Creators
(1) There’s no stimulation, and the rhythm of life is slow.
Gori is quiet. No trendy cafés. No events. No Instagrammable vibes. No nightlife. No tourists. Nothing. This kind of stillness—living on the periphery—gives you a different pair of eyes. Gori has that “edge energy.” The creative force that comes from the outskirts, not the center.
(2) The cost of living is incredibly low.
Unless you’re an already established creator, being broke is normal. Gori helps you survive that phase. Magti’s unlimited mobile plan is about $10. A freshly baked shoti (Georgian baguette) costs $0.30.
Butter, milk, and a few slices of sulguni cheese make a solid meal. If you know how to cook basic pasta, you can live here—rent included—on $500/month. When your survival isn’t threatened, your mind becomes free.
(3) It’s a little inconvenient — in a good way.
Power outages? Pretty common. Last Sunday, electricity was gone for six hours. No YouTube. No laptop. The only 4K content left was a goat outside my window. 😭
The shower pressure is weak. If you’re expecting Korean or American-level pressure, forget it. Soviet-era buildings are like this. Black pepper at the supermarket? Out of stock. Came back after two weeks. Nothing is fast. Wi-Fi dies pretty often. And yet, nobody here complains. Everyone just lives.
You realize how fragile you were in your “perfect system.”
(4) People don’t ask questions.
Gori locals are polite but indifferent. They don’t ask where you’re from. What you do. How much you earn. They don’t see you as competition. If you pay your bill, that’s the end of it. If you like working alone, this city gives you absolute freedom.
(5) People actually like English speakers.
The Gori Facebook community is full of posts looking for English tutors. Unfortunately, I’m the only East Asian guy in town, so the opportunity doesn’t apply to me. 😅 People over 40 speak Russian fluently. But the middle school kid I met at the basketball court knew less Russian than I do. Russian is becoming a relic. Kids want English, but there aren’t many who can teach it.
(6) If you speak a little Russian, people treat you warmly.
A baker asked where I was from. I said Korea. Then I answered in Russian, and he smiled wide and asked more questions. Of course, I didn’t understand half of it. But it didn’t matter. He gave me the biggest khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Pizza) in the shop.
Same at the currency exchange. They looked at my passport and asked if I was North Korean. I laughed and said I was from the south. They were surprised—“You speak Russian?” I said I’m learning. I didn’t understand the rest, but I understood enough: “Come again.”
Gori is that kind of city.
3. Five Patterns of Why Foreigners Fail to Adapt to Gori
(1) You think Gori is a vacation destination. Wrong.
Gori is not Bali, Bangkok, or Prague🇨🇿. There’s nothing “digital nomad hipster” about it. Young people? You’ll see them only near Gori University. If you come to have “fun,” you’ll run out of things to do in 3 days.
(2) There’s no American/Japanese-style friendliness.
Gori people don’t smile at strangers. They don’t say hi ! first. They are stoic during first encounters. But once they recognize your face and a connection forms? They treat you incredibly well. You just need time. If you get hurt easily when strangers don’t greet you or smile back, Gori might not be for you.
If you love casual socializing, you might suffocate here.
(3) Without a daily routine, you will drown.
Gori is not a “fun city.” So you need your own routine. Writing, Bodyweight workouts, Reading, Walking, Basketball, Fishing. If you don’t have a personal anchor, the day disappears instantly. I’ve had days where I watched webtoons all day and hated myself.
(4) If you like customizing food, you will suffer.
After 6 years running a restaurant, here’s what I know:
Some people eat what they’re given. Others want to customize everything.
If you belong to the second group, Gori will torture you. No pull-up bars. No Bolt Food delivery. No Amazon. No fancy alternatives. If it’s not available, you either go to Tbilisi or you adapt. If you constantly compare— in Seoul this was like this,.. you’ll be miserable. Gori flows at its own pace. You either match it, or you suffer.
(5) If you get sick easily, Gori is not for you.
In Seoul, you can find a clinic every 500 meters. Catch a cold? Just walk in. Health insurance covers almost everything. But here? I’ve seen one dentistry under the Gori Fortress. Specialized internal or general medicine? Didn’t find them yet. Probably military hospitals or Gori General Hospital.
If you need regular medical care, Gori may be difficult. There are many pharmacies, but the medicine you want might not exist. I had to visit two pharmacies to find a Russian antifungal cream. It worked though — shoutout to Tunazol.
4. Epilogue
Gori gives creators exactly one thing: “A space where you can fight with yourself without external noise.”
That’s all. And for the kind of person who understands the value of that, this city is— surprisingly, quietly— perfect.
#Gori #Gori life #Georgia #Endorphin Life #Saltnfire #Phenomenology
If you enjoyed this article, you can support the project – thank you!