When in 1993 the Dutch national of the Kingdom of Sandra Roelofs met with a lovely Georgian student Mikhail Saakashvili, one could not imagine that in the future it awaits the fate of becoming the wife of the President of the Caucasian republic.As First Lady of Georgia, she never openly interfere in politics, but at the same time has always been a reliable support for your spouse.
Education and hobbies
Sandra Elisabeth Roelofs was born on December 23, 1968 in the Dutch town of Terneuzen.By nationality it - Flemish.As a child Sandra wanted to become a writer.His early stories were published under an assumed name.She studied at the Institute of Foreign Languages (Brussels) and the International Institute of Human Rights (Strasbourg).By profession - a lawyer and an interpreter.In addition to his native Dutch language is fluent in English, German, French, Russian and Georgian.He enjoys playing the piano and flute, is well versed in the art.
meeting with Michael and wedding
first visit to Georgia Sandra Roelofs took place before exploring the spouse.After graduation, she got a job at the Red Cross, and in 1992 visited Kutaisi on a humanitarian mission, bringing with him 20 kg of garden seeds from the Netherlands.Next year prepared Roelofs fateful meeting with a young handsome Georgian.Michael and Sandra met in Strasbourg in the student café Institute of Human Rights.There's the future president of Georgia, an intern, and she attended courses before working visit to Somalia.Posing Sandra Saakashvili said he had come from Georgia (as in English is the title of his native country), but not the one in America.Tall and distinguished man immediately fell Roelofs to taste, and she fell in love with him at first sight.Since that time, young people almost never parted.
A few months after the fateful meeting, flew to New York, Sandra Roelofs.Biography of this period of her life very rich: it combines work in the branch of a major Dutch companies and human rights from Columbia University and is preparing for the wedding with his chosen one.Marriage of young people was registered November 17, 1993 in New York.The ceremony was modest, to the bride and groom were ordinary clothes.Crowning the couple arrived in Tbilisi, in the same place and magnificent wedding.Honeymoon Sandra and Michael was held in the Ukrainian capital, where young husband studied at the Faculty of International Relations University.Shevchenko in Kiev.
Moving to Georgia Sandra
In 1995, Saakashvili became a father for the first time: the wife gave him a first-born Edward.A year later, the happy father brought a young wife with her son in Tbilisi.There's a woman got a job at the Dutch consulate and a branch of the Red Cross.Sandra learned the Georgian language and quickly adapted to life in the homeland of her husband.From 1999 to 2003 she lectured in French at Tbilisi University.In 2005, she gave birth to a second son.The boy was named Nikoloz.At the same time she published her autobiography, which tells about his acquaintance with her husband and living in America.
life in the status of the first lady
After returning to Georgia, Mikhail began to take an active part in the political life of the country.In November 2003, Georgia's Rose Revolution took place, after which the State President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned.Saakashvili was one of the most active of the organizers.It was his January 25, 2004 the Georgian people elected their president.Sandra Roelofs became the first lady of the country.From that moment she began to feel the increased media attention to his person.
Always elegantly dressed and restrained, like the wife of Saakashvili Georgians.She did not climb in politics, preferring to deal with children and charity.Trying to show their closeness to the people, Sandra went to work as a nurse in the hospital.From time to time Roelofs recognized Georgia's love, which helped raise the authority of her husband.But society has become gradually disillusioned with Mikhail Saakashvili.A wave of discontent rose in the country when it became known that the first lady with children resting abroad, spending every day for 15 thousand dollars from the public treasury.The credibility of the presidential family began to fall.The media began to emerge various nasty rumors about his wife Saakashvili.Sandra attributed Jewish origin, filming in porn films, the work of intelligence services in the United States.To refute such allegations was difficult, so many people prefer to believe them.
During the presidency of her husband Sandra Roelofs established nongovernmental charity fund "Soho", engaged in helping children, the disabled, pensioners and other categories of persons in need of protection.In 2007, the wife of Saakashvili in Kyiv received the award "Woman of the Third Millennium", awarded to the most distinguished ladies of today.
Departure from Georgia and the fate of
title of first lady Sandra wore almost 10 years.November 17, 2013, exactly two decades after her wedding with Roelofs Saakashvili wrote in his resignation.After that, the ex-President of Georgia together with his wife and children flew to Brussels and then in the United States.In 2014, in his native country, Saakashvili was filed several criminal cases and seized property and bank accounts of his family.After leaving Georgia Sandra wrote on the social networks, hoping that in the near future to come back to the country, which became her second home.But while her wish was not fulfilled.
the summer of 2014 it became known that Roelofs together with colleagues at the World Health Organization was going to fly on a working visit to Australia on the Boeing, which was shot down in the skies over the Donbas.At the last moment she changed her mind and decided to stay in Holland with her son, and that saved her life.All her colleagues, flying to the infamous plane died.This Saakashvili said in Ukrainian broadcast channel.
Life Roelofs today
now former president of Georgia is trying to make a political career in the Ukraine.Sandra was still engaged in social activities and supports husband in all his endeavors.In the spring of 2015 the Dutch director J. Smits made a documentary about Roelofs "Being the President."In it the audience is presented biography of Sandra's personal life at the time when she was the First Lady of the Republic of Georgia.After watching the film it becomes clear that, with this strong-willed and ambitious woman her husband was able to become president.
