Last Monday I bid good riddance to a long, difficult and frustrating October (except for this, of course) by helping put on a Halloween party for a group of kids I’ve just started working with:

I grabbed a scarf, eye patch and a frock from the local theater's costume shop and went as a pirate; McKinze raided my closet and went as a baggy-clothed gangsta.

The kids -- a group of around 25 -- got into it with costumes, face paint and decorations.

There was a pumpkin carving contest...

... a story-writing contest ...

... a mummy-wrapping contest ...

... and, of course, food.

We also watched the Michael Jackson Thriller video, did some word-find puzzles and generally had a good time. This was my first time working with this group and its director, and everything was extremely well-organized and executed. Almost American. Spooky.

This bodes well because starting next week I will be working with this group a couple of times a month, having discussions about various aspects of American culture: traditions, music, food, film, sports. etc. The group is part of the US Embassy’s “Access English Microscholarship Program,” a two-year initiative targeting economically disadvantaged students and conducting after-school classes, summer camps and enrichment activities, specifically about English language skills and American culture.

Yesterday I sat down with the director of what is now officially my new organization — ახალციხის ახალგაზრდული ცენტრი (Akhaltsikhe’s Youth Center) — and had an uninterrupted (!!!) one hour conversation with her about what they needed, how I could help, what I would be doing, etc.  It was a milestone for a couple of reasons:

First, the entire conversation was in the Georgian language, without a translator. It’s one thing to be able to talk about food, the weather and transportation, but it’s another thing entirely to speak about — and understand — the finer points of organizational development and other workplace topics. For an hour. This couldn’t have happened three months ago. I’m not saying I’m fluent, by any means. But this fall, our Georgian lessons have shifted entirely to conversations: no writing, no reading, no homework. We come to lessons and we just talk with and listen to our tutor, in Georgian, about a variety of topics, for an hour-and-a-half. And you know what? It works. Clearly.

Secondly, I now have a plan. I know what my organization wants and needs. I know what I’m going to be doing to help, and when I’m going to do it. Dates and times. Initiatives, both short-term and long-term. The real test will be how this all plays out over the next few months. But I feel like I’m off to a great start… and it was so easy. Mind-boggling how it was so difficult/impossible somewhere else.

I have also been going to the gym again a few times a week. On Wednesday I was finally able to get the gym’s director and my friend together in the same room to work on a project that will hopefully result in a new bathroom and shower facility, replacing the pile of rubble currently in that spot.

This week I met with the director of our American Corner, and am working on a brochure to promote their programs and services. McKinze and I are working with some other PCVs and volunteers on community events for Thanksgiving, World AIDS Day and International Volunteerism Day.

The calendar, once nearly empty, is now filling up.

Plus, there is a Peace Corps conference in a few weeks, and five weeks from today we go to Tbilisi to celebrate McKinze’s birthday before heading back to the States for a couple of weeks over Christmas.

I figured out a long time ago that my life in Georgia is a series of peaks and valleys. After October, which for many reasons was probably my roughest month here, it is nice to finally be on higher ground.