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Oh, how quickly life can change. At one moment I was beginning to fall in love for the first time with a country and its people, and the next moment I was literally being helplessly dragged apart from this love. At first I thought it was a silly analogy when someone compared this situation to a terrible divorce. But the emotions we’ve felt over the past month have proven to be dreadfully similar, I can’t begin to describe.

I won't say much on the situation, other than how terrible I feel for the Georgian people. There was so much hope and excitement, not just for their future in general, but just because we were there. From my perspective as a teacher, for them to have an American and native English speaker as a teacher was very exciting, and I was delighted to be there. After the terrible civil wars and depressions of the 90s, things were starting to pick up and a normalcy was beginning to take hold. And while the picture isn’t always pretty in Georgia, there are the simple things like road reconstruction and a stable flow of electricity that have improved to make life a little more livable. The results of government projects, NGO projects and Peace Corps projects were starting to become tangible. And the children, being as wonderful as children are, had big hopes and dreams for their future. Then a terrible event such as this comes along and changes everything. That is not to say the future is bleak for the children or for Georgia, but oh how quickly life can change.

The hardest part for all of us are the phone calls we receive from our Georgian families and co-workers asking us when we are returning. "The Russians have left our village, the bombings have stopped," they explain to us, pleading with us that it is safe to return. How do I explain to them, in my limited language abilities, that it isn't my decision to return, and that the situation still isn't very safe or stable? Sure, I could return as a private citizen, and many of the volunteers have decided to do just this. But just as life must move on for them, it must also move on for me as well. I even thought about returning to Georgia as a private citizen. But I decided that this would only be a selfish act, and that I couldn't really be of any use. Unlike many of those who decided to return, I don't have the needed language skills, I don't have the contacts or networking, and I don't have the experience of working within Georgia that would make me useful during this trying time for Georgians. I would be more useful somewhere else for now and I think the best thing that I can do for Georgia is to educate others of my amazing experience in this wonderful place.

I hope that some time in the future I will find myself starting over in Georgia, but for now, unfortunately, my life must take a small detour. As I have so abruptly discovered, life can change without notice. Maybe next time that change will be for the better. Maybe someday life's winds will blow me back into Georgia. As the Georgians have showed before, they are optimistic and resilient. A war has happened and the political situation has drastically changed, but eventually they will begin to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives. I hope that one day I can be a part of this again. One thing is for certain, when I do return, I will be greeted and accepted as part of their family. ჩემი ქართველი მეგობრები, ძალიან დიდი მადლობა. მშვიდობის გაუმარჯოს! საქართველო გაუმარჯოს!