Getting To Know AAT's International Students - Anna-Maria Kand
March 31, 2025
While most of GZAAT’s student body is made up of Georgians, there is a significant chunk of international students within the community. The GZAAT Gazette has decided to explore and share this diversity, getting to know these students and their cultures.
Senior Anna-Maria Kand is Georgian on her mom’s side, Estonian on her dad’s side and has lived in the Netherlands. She and her family moved to The Hague from Tbilisi when she was three years old, staying there for five years. Anna-Maria attended elementary school in the Netherlands, where she learned to speak Dutch and made many new friends. “I went to an international school in The Hague, so I was surrounded by people from all kinds of backgrounds, which was very new to me. In Georgia I was never in such a diverse environment. In that sense, I’m really glad I spent that part of my life in the Netherlands,It taught me how to speak English, and most importantly, I learned communication and the importance of meeting different people from different backgrounds.”
Anna-Maria returned to Georgia at eight years old and has lived in Tbilisi since. She has mastered many languages throughout her life. Currently, Anna-Maria is fluent in Georgian, English, and Estonian. Anna-Maria’s father is from Estonia, and while she has never taken language classes, they always speak in Estonian. This is how she learned Estonian - by communicating with her family. Anna-Maria has also studied Russian in school and, as mentioned, used to speak Dutch in her childhood.
Anna-Maria often visits the Netherlands and Estonia. Her family has a house in Estonia where they usually spend a few months during the summer. Additionally, they try to visit the Netherlands during the spring as often as they can. “There’s three cultures, the Netherlands, Georgia, and Estonia, which I consider as my home and as part of my identity. I think my friends in the Netherlands and Georgia are what contribute to my feeling of being split. I’ve experienced both cultures and have people I love in both countries. As for Estonia, it’s more just an innate feeling of attachment, even though I never lived there for long periods of time.”
Anna-Maria said that Georgian and Estonian people are very different. The people in Georgia are more closed-minded than the Dutch or Estonians. However, the people in Estonia are super reserved and not really friendly, whereas Georgians always hug each other and are very expressive and outwardly kind. Annamaria feels like she’s in the middle. “I have both sides in me, and it really depends on which side I choose to express more.”
If Anna-Maria had to choose, she’d probably say Georgia is her home, but that’s only because she’s spent the most time here. For Anna-Maria, home isn’t necessarily where you’re from, rather, it’s where you spend the most time and the type of people you meet. “I met a lot of friends in Georgia, and I think I know the Georgian people a lot more, which is why I’d say this is my home, along with the Netherlands and Estonia.”
