Georgian government official GELA R. BEZHUASHVILI, a mid-career student at the Kennedy School of Government, watched events unfold on television as the Georgian president stepped down last month.

The nation of Georgia was embroiled in a “bloodless coup” last month, as its president resigned due to public protests against corruption and economic problems. But rather than participating in these historic changes, Georgian government official Gela R. Bezhuashvili, a mid-career student at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG), shared an insider’s perspective on the political turnover with his classmates.

International students like Bezhuashvili must often view such major events in their home countries from afar. Some face personal turmoil and deep ambivalence about being at Harvard during these times. But these challenging moments also facilitate more sharing of first-hand experiences in the classroom and in the dorm.

On Nov. 23, President Eduard A. Shevardnadze, who helped to bring about the end of the Cold War as foreign minister under Mikhail S. Gorbachev before Georgia became independent in 1991, stepped down as president of Georgia under pressure from public protests over corrupt elections, opposition groups and the military.

Bezhuashvili watched the events unfold on CNN and the BBC, like any other Harvard student—except he happens to be the country’s deputy defense minister, a post he’s held for three years.

“I couldn’t sleep for three to four days,” Bezhuashvili said.

He said the momentous period in Georgian history marked a turning point in his plans. “My intention was not to go back to my former job because of stagnation and not properly developed public policy in Georgia,” he said.

Georgia’s population of five million has lived under a sunken economy and extremely poor government services under Shevardnadze’s nearly 12-year rule. But, according to Bezhuashvili, the coup represented an affirmation of the power of the vote and the strength of Georgian civil society and institutions.

“I have no doubt I’ll go back now,” he said, noting that he wants to partake in the opportunity for change and modernization of a developing former Soviet Republic.

Some undergraduates also know the experience of being hundreds of thousands of miles from home when major news breaks.

“In a way I’m happy here, because I don’t have to live with it and deal with it everyday,” said Nilanthi D. Gunawardane ’05, an international student from Sri Lanka, where the president declared a state of emergency in assuming wide executive powers, in an internal political struggle, in early November. “But because my family is there, I worry about them all the time.”

Growing up with political instability in their native countries for most to all of their lives, though, the international students often have experience in coping with such situations.

“I’ve been affected by this all my life,” Gunawardane said. “I’ve been to a school where we’ve had to get checked for bombs all my life.”

“My parents called me that night,” said Kamilka Malwatte ’07, the other Sri Lankan international student at the College. “For all of us, we’ve kind of grown up with it. And I know it really shocks people when I tell people that we had drills on what to do in case of suicide bombings,” she added, “but it didn’t feel shocking to me.”

International students acknowledge that Harvard has no official support network for them during particularly troubled times in their home countries, and some say there’s no need for one, crediting fellow students with providing support.

“I was actually surprised by how many people were aware of what is going on, things I didn’t necessarily expect someone who wasn’t from the country to know,” Malwatte said.