What They Don't Tell You In Orientation

What They Don’t Tell You In Orientation…

  1. You need to buy the phrasebook they have available unless you already have your own.

-    The way it was presented to our group, it seemed like a halfway decent idea to pay the 25GEL for the book. In my opinion, buy the book. I was on the fence about it, but I have already used the dictionary in the back 1,003 times (yes, I’ve been keeping track), and it’s made itself worth it.

   2. Although, in theory, it is great to have conversations with your host family about the school, privacy, holidays, etc., if they don’t speak English, you’re lucky if you can get across that you’re tired and want to go to sleep.

-    My host parents do not speak English, so if I want to have a conversation regarding … anything…I must piece it together via my phrase book-dictionary combo or find someone who speaks English, although it’s probably going to be the first option.

  3. Teachers may or may not be available for you to tag along with on your first day of school.

-    When I arrived at school this morning, I had yet to hear from a school director or co-teacher. I was told to go to school, so to school I went. My school director was pointed out to me by a 12-year-old, and I introduced myself awkwardly. She eventually figured out who I was and led me to a room, which I later discovered is the teachers’ lounge. I tagged along with an English teacher for the morning until she was finished with classes and went home, which I also did.

   4. Your first day of school does not, in fact, have to be the first “school day” you are in the village.

-    Halfway through the day, I received a text message that said I am not expected to teach until I have had a meeting with my school director and co-teachers at the ERC location in my region. I have not yet had this meeting, nor had I been a similar meeting would take place. Later that day I was texted the date and time of my meeting, so I’m assuming my teachers and director received the same information.

   5. It may or may not be convenient to use the school’s computers for Internet.

-    Although my school has computers with internet available, during school hours classes are held in the lab. Therefore, if I want to use the computers, I find it best to wait until after school is out. However, I never teach past 1:00, so unless I want to hang out in the teachers’ lounge for an extra hour, an internet café is a much better option for me.