A.S.: Grassia, can you tell me a little bit about you and how you came to Ariha?
V.T.: I was born in Vozrozhdeniya in 1932. My father was a fisherman but our family later worked in cotton production. I married and came to Tbilisi in 1957. My husband was an engineer and we had a apartment in Tbilisi. In the late 1976 my husband was granted a dacha here in Ariha for his work in Prypjat. We then stayed all the summers until my husband's death in 1987 in Ariha.
A.S.: What happened then?
V.T.: After my husband died I mostly stayed in Tbilisi and didn't feel like spending the summer without him here. And after the Soviet Union collapse noone went back to the dachas.
A.S.: And why did you decide to come back to Ariha?
V.T.: When our house was getting too small for me (laughs). I moved to my daughter's house in 2003 to help her with the household and the younger children. 5 years ago my granddaughter gave birth to her children and the house was getting smaller. Then I heard that people were moving back to Ariha and that the old houses were still there. I thought it was a good idea to go back to were I spend my happy days. Tbilisi is growing and is too busy for people in my age now. Here I have my small house, young people around me and I can help them out with small things. I miss my family but I feel more happy with the nature here and the young village. Even if I don't understand most of what all the young people say (laughs).
