The Family without borders

Russia the most difficult, Georgia the loveliest

Brave and adventurous young married couple decided to give a piece of world to their baby daughter Hanna and spread her and their own view. European Union countries are more and more similar to each other, shopping windows are the same everywhere, so the Black Sea route supposed to reveal life in eastern part of Europe


By LJILJANA SAMARDŽIĆ (ljiljana.samardzic@wavemagazine.net)
from Sombor, SERBIA


It is not the first time that somebody showed how parenthood doesn't mean that you are bored, caged by your home and household obligations, tighten by baby's needs and that your social or any other sphere of life is over. Anna Sulewska (a journalist from Poland) and her husband Thomas Alboth (professional photographer from Germany) decided to undertake a family project which includes 9 countries, 6 months and 3 people (Anna, Tom and Hanna - their baby daughter) and to continue their life as always dreamt of.

They are still on the move and WAVE magazine got its story straight from Georgia, the most wonderful country, according to Anna Sulewska.

How long do you plan to stay there and do you have any agenda regarding how many days you'll stay in any country?

- We knew that we have six months and nine countries, some bigger some smaller, so we made a small draft about each country. But, because everything started later from Poland (we had to repair the car), we were two weeks late from the beginning. Then in Moldova we stayed much longer, waiting for visa to Russia and Azerbaijan, so we had to be quite flexible.

In Georgia we feel very good so we decided to stay a bit longer and then shorter in Turkey. Still some 1,5-2 weeks.

Is it expensive to make a trip like this one?

- No! I will tell you why: in everyday life you pay mostly for eating and sleeping. We would eat at home too, and here it's even cheaper. Regarding sleeping, we rent for this six months our flat in Berlin, so we have no costs there. Most of the time we sleep in the car, which we prepared very much for it, or at friend's. We also have tent but we still didn't use it, so we paid for sleeping maybe 10-15 times since April (also not more than one night in our rented flat).

And what is important is that we have a baby, so we get money from German state for 14 months for a baby, which is our "income" in these six months. For what we have to pay is: petrol, visas and tickets to see things.

When you sleep in your car where do you park? Aren't you afraid?

- First night (in north Romania) was a bit scary. Some shepherds came in the middle of the night, knocking and screaming, they were not sleeping so wanted us also not to sleep. But after seeing baby they've stopped. It was the only "uncalm" night adventure.

We usually try to find a place a bit further from village, not to be so visible and we close the car from inside, so not much can happen. We can drive away anytime. Ok, I was afraid last night, because in Georgian mountains, they told us that around waterfall we wanted to stay at, is a bear, running around, so I was afraid of going out at night.

How do people differ in countries you've visited from people where you live?

- They are different, but that's why we decided to go east, not west. But then I have to talk about each country separately. Any concrete one?

Please, say something about the country that most affected on you.

- Transnistria, not recognized by any country, state in Moldova, the poorest part of the poorest country in Europe. While sitting at the lake we were invited to stay for the night at some family, in old block, in small town in this state, so we could really "feel" it from inside: small boy, playing with our camera, having camera for the first time in his life (and after 24h deciding that he will be photo reporter). It is a very poor family, in a small flat. They gave us their wet bed and everything they had in the fridge.

Russia was the most difficult, Georgia is the loveliest.

Why is Georgia the loveliest to you?

- As parents we have very much this "throughout baby" perspective and Georgians are absolutely crazy about blond Hanna. I'm even a bit worrying if she will not get totally spoiled. Everybody wants to kiss, hug, play - cannot walk by without touching her, but it's in general so nice! Police stop you, because you make something wrong, see the baby, and ask boy or girl, name and you can go and nobody is so hospital as them, helpful, a lot to say, only good things!

And what was the hardest thing during your trip?

- Russian police and driving in Russia with Polish car plate. We were stopped every hour for sure in Russia. We had transit visa, for 4 days from Crimea to Georgia. Those were four crazy days of driving and stress because police wants money and will find millions of reasons why you should pay. Awful, awful and awfully unfair, and they have such a power! And again baby was helpful...

And the end was also not funny. After four days we arrived at the border near Vladikavkaz. It was 7pm, so not much time left on this day and they told us that this border is closed for EU citizens, which was the opposite of our sources on the Internet where we found in March news that the first Russian Georgian crossing is open for foreigners. They disclaimed it and gave us two options. To go by Chechnya and Dagestan to Azerbaijan, which is first of all dangerous and secondly also not sure if EU citizens can cross, or drive to Sochi and take a ferry to Turkey and drive to Georgia, which means almost 1000 km, being stopped by police again and again, money spent on the ferry and punishment that visa had expired. That was the most down point of our trip.

We decided drive to Sochi, where we met one Russian official, who felt sorry for our driving and postponed visa almost for free, so we got a ferry just three days later and got very well trained how to talk with police. NEVER go to Russia with foreign car, seriously!

Are you making plans for any activities (when you get back home) which will spread this ideas and experience?

- That's the difficult question. We always had in mind this dreamt future journalistic-traveling, but with this trip we decided at the beginning that we will not make stress and have real holidays for the first time and not necessarily publish things. But, it's a bit pity. So, I can't tell you yet, I guess after coming back home it will come to us what to do. It's difficult, because it could be for: travellers, parents, reporters... everybody and nobody - hard to find a real target group.

Did you have any problems for being foreign journalist?

- No, it only helped actually! I didn't want to tell it at the beginning, we were hiding camera, but later on somebody told us to use it as weapon, so I had camera in my hands when they were stopping us telling - Oh, we have such a journalistic excursion through Russia and they were even not trying to ask for money after seeing Hanna (which was hugging the policeman).

Regarding Hanna, how will she benefit from this trip?

- I hope all the time that something will really stay in her, even if she will probably not remember. She is totally not afraid of anybody, sharing cookie (feeding) lady in Russian bank, kissing Turkish captain of the ferry, smiling and waving to everybody. She is very communicative, which is great, we are also laughing about the fact that all cows, sheep and donkeys she got to know from morning nature TV programme (by window of the car) instead of from books.

But, she, for example, cannot be alone. When we are at friend's, in the flat, she is crying when she is alone in the room, because in the car, or around the car, we wouldn't leave her without attention, so this is minus for sure, but colors, smells, languages - I believe it can only spread her small head that from beginning on she knows how crazily diverse world is.

Are you considering alike projects in the future?

- We see that it's possible, I guess even with two kids. I think it's the best you can do in this first year of life - being together, baby, mama and papa all the time, that nobody misses anything. And we want to have another baby, with not big age difference, so I guess we will make another trip, now it will be even easier when we know how to warm up milk, talk with cows... and grandparents know that they will survive [smile].



(Published: 10.08.2010.)