It’s just another step – or – The beat goes on

Before I get started on this post here is the link to the news story that ran in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia on my life in Muganlo and Peace Corps in Georgia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OmjUiWi-rs&feature=player_embedded

It’s all in Russian, so you may not understand a thing, but oh well. And, no I don’t always sound that bad in Russian either, I was all nervous in front of the camera and the reporter kept asking me other questions in the middle of my responses. It looked good though.

On with the post!

This Peace Corps service has just about come and gone and I wanted to put up a post letting everyone know about my future plans.

My main goal was to come out of this Peace Corps service with not only more experience and a better understanding of this side of the world but also some kind of a plan for the future. Last time I finished up, went home and asked myself, now what? I didn’t want that to be the case this time around and really wanted to do something that would not only let me continue to travel but also use some of the skills that I’ve acquired over four years of service.

With that in mind, I would like to announce to all of you that I have been offered and accepted a position as an English teacher here in Georgia for the academic year of 2011-2012. However, I will not be living in any kind of village and will not be working on teaching the ABCs. I’ve taken a position at a prestigious private school in the capital of Tbilisi and will be teaching some of Georgia’s best, brightest and future leaders. You can check out their website at: http://www.britishconnection.ge/

Yes, it is a British school. No, I will not be teaching the Queen’s English. I decided to take this position because while I have enjoyed (on some level) working with some of the poorer and more disenfranchised people of Georgia, I feel that as far as making a greater impact, I can get a lot more accomplished working with motivated and driven students in the capital. After my second visit to the school I knew that it was the place for me. The students are so bright and so active and really gave me the impression that they will be the next generation of leaders in Georgia.

Why Georgia? I said it back in 2009, “I can think of no better place to be and no better time than now.” This country has a ton of problems to be sure. However, it has a ton of potential as well. Georgia is regionally important but could one day be a major player internationally as well. It’s unstable. True. It’s had a tough road since the fall of the Soviet Union and has not always done the right thing to correct those problems. But, I think Georgia is on the right path due to its current leadership and its willingness to integrate into the western world. Learning English is one of the government’s top priorities for the children of Georgia. They want every child to be proficient in English so that the entire economy can grow as more and more international business comes to Georgia.

I truly believe that the children at this school where I’ll be will be on the front lines of moving Georgia forward and I want to be a part of that. I put in my two years here working in a village and I haven’t seen as much progress in the academic culture in the villages as I would have liked to. However, I do see a lot of progress in the capital and major cities. So why not put my efforts into helping those who are willing and motivated to learn? I want to be a part of helping these children and I want them to be a part of helping Georgia.

Now, I do have selfish motivations as well. I won’t be doing this as a volunteer. I will be getting paid and should be able to put money back every month to grow my U.S. bank account as well. I’ll be living in the capital in a nice apartment with running water and lights and… a toilet and shower! I’ll have access to good food and be able to go out to eat from time to time. I’ll be able to make actual friends and go out and meet people that I might actually want to talk to. I’ll be able to take private students to make extra money and still have time to continue working with the softball team here in Georgia.

Before you all freak out. Fear not! I will still be coming home for the summer. I can’t hang out here all summer and not go home to see my family and friends. My tentative plan as of now is as follows:

I WILL BE LANDING IN ATLANTA ON JULY 26th AT 5:20 P.M.!!!

July 26 – 30; in Atlanta for Dad’s birthday and FOOD!
July 30 – August 11; in Charleston for beach time and FOOD!
August 12 – 14; in Atlanta for Braves games (Dave, if you read this get 5 tickets for Aug. 12th. Do it now! I’ll pay you back)
August 15 – 19; Georgia (location unknown) for time with Elaine and the family and FOOD!
August 20 – September 3; Charleston for more Mom time and FOOD!
September 3 – 6; Atlanta for Labor Day weekend and more Braves.
September 6th; Return to Tbilisi.

Now, this schedule is subject to change of course and I have to work out the transportation logistics. I need to beg, borrow or steal a car for that time so I can get back and forth I guess. So if anyone knows of somebody with a spare let me know!

So that’s it everybody. Sorry for the late notice, but I wanted to make sure this was all set and that it was something that I really wanted to do. It is, so… I’m doing it. I’m sure not all of you will be happy about it, but I’ve got to do what makes me happy and that’s keep moving. Coming back here will give me a lot more opportunities in the future and I think I’ll have a great time as well.

See you all in just a few more weeks!

Oh! A little P.S. here… I got my blood tests back from my final medical exams and I am disease free! Not that I was all that worried, but, better to be STD, TB, and whatever other acronyms there are for all those blood born viruses because you never know what you can pick in the village. Yea health!