New Heights

Well, this is a blog post looooooong overdue. One could argue that most of them are, but this one really takes the cookie cake (Mmmm cookie cake, but only the white icing, please). Not only did I return from a glorious trip home to Texas, but a lot of changes have happened for yours truly since coming back to good old Georgia.

First comes first: the trip. Part of the reason I feel so bad for not writing before is that I feel it disservices my friends and family who took such great pains to take care of me back in the Lone Star State. Although I will (probably) never be a rich woman, one day I hope to compensate for the friends who paid for airfare, accommodations, lunch, dinner, adult-type beverages, gifts, and gas. Yeah, THOSE ARE SOME VERY GOOD FRIENDS. I love you guys. No snark involved because I really mean it. You are the best.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see everyone I’d like to, but there’s always the ultimate return, which should come at some point in the next year or so (vagabonding is not an exact science).
It was also great to see my family, which included extended family and significant others, which was accomplished through a good bit of hoop jumping, long hours traveling and of course your standard animal-sacrificing ceremony…wait, that’s in Georgia. Scratch that last one.

So, to sum up: my 3-year-old niece is the best, factually and with no bias; the river, the beach and Texas in general are relaxing and awesome; Tex-Mex and Whataburger can’t be beat (sorry In-N-Out fans. PS, I’m not sorry); free refills and condiments at restaurants are one of America’s greatest inventions; movie theater popcorn is still deliciously sickening (I think I ate a whole bag in one sitting); and lastly, everything good I am I owe to my family and friends. I’m so proud of my friends who are doing good things for people and really making a difference, and I’m happy to have a family that cares about me and worries for me as I’m traversing the land of khinkali and wine.

Speaking of which—and then I came back…

Upon my landing back in Tbilisi, I knew that I was headed for a new site for my last year as a PCV. This is a very exciting change and so far, I couldn’t be happier with the move.

The place I now call home is Lagodekhi, a small town far in the east that borders Daghistan and Azerbaijan. You may remember it from my post almost a year ago, which you can see here. Though pretty different from my old village, all of the changes so far have been pretty positive.

Where before I saw a flat landscape with few trees and a barely-functioning Soviet grain mill looming over the horizon, now I see majestic mountains towering above the skyline, dotted with trees that become lost in the tops of clouds. Even 2 weeks in, I can walk down the street and the beauty takes my breath away. The National Park, waterfall, river and hiking trails don’t hurt either. Plus, my friend Tom is my sitemate! So we have a lot of fun and projects to look forward to this year.

As for my job, I’m still teaching English, but now I’m placed in a public school, which is another name for a cacophonous flailing of appendages housed inside a building. I teach 7th-11th grades, and so far I’m really impressed by my students’ knowledge of English. My counterpart is a great teacher and she really loves her job, which makes such a huge difference in the classroom environment and the students’ learning. Needless to say, I’m really excited about the possibilities this year and the positive impact I hope I will have on my community.

I’ll leave it here for now, but I do hope to be posting more good stuff soon. In the meantime, enjoy the Fall—I know I will.

-Lauren