peacetraveler22 | Life transitions - volunteering abroad (Reply)

It seems the time has come. All my life, I've constantly thought about it. Packing my bags and moving to another country to live short term. Long term for me isn't an option for one simple reason. I'm too close to my family - they are my emotional support system in life, and my main social circle. To be half-way around the world from them for an extended period of time will not work, nor be beneficial to my emotional health. Where to go is the main question, and how to support myself while I'm there?

I'm already on my third career in life, and have grown bored with it - now I'm ready for the fourth. Working in the legal field has run it's course, and after 15 years the downsides now outweigh the upsides. Being a lawyer has been intellectually stimulating, challenging, and of course provided me with a very high salary during the last decade. However, money has never been a driving force in my life, and I'm really a simple person, not craving many material possessions beyond the basics. I began to research possible options and discovered one program that seems to fit all my parameters...

TLG

In 2010, the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia implemented a program called "Teach and Learn with Georgia" (TLG). The purpose is to recruit native English speakers, and throw them into the villages of Georgia to work with local teachers in elementary schools. There's a slight chance you will be placed in a main city like Tbilisi or Batumi, but most teachers are positioned in more remote parts of the country. You live with a local host family, and are totally integrated into their daily life. Almost everyone who has worked in the TLG program says there are huge language barriers, which make the transition of living with a new host family challenging. This is all part of the experience.

The threshold requirements to apply are very minimal, and it's not even necessary to have TESL/TEFL certification, although I can easily obtain either certification by attending local courses. The program is attractive because it's short term, unlike the Peace Corps or some other humanitarian organization where you have almost no control over the country into which you're placed, and you must commit at least 2 - 3 years of your life living there.

I've completed my application for acceptance into TLG, and there is only one piece to finish before I push the "send" button and electronically transmit the data to the main offices in Tbilisi. It's the part I struggle with most - a personal essay about myself, and why I should be accepted as a teacher in the program. While I find it easy to write about others, it's sometimes difficult to formulate accolades about myself. And, of course, there are huge hesitations and worries about accepting the position if it's offered to me.

The first is that I've never been to Georgia, although I'll travel there in October. Second, am I really ready to give up almost every modern convenience to which I've become accustomed here in the USA? I've read almost every blog written by Westerners who have worked in the TLG program since its inception. They all echo the same sentiments, especially the female volunteers - the villages into which you're placed often have limited running water, the villagers will treat you like a queen and you will be an extreme curiosity to them. If you're single - they will bring every eligible Georgian bachelor and introduce you to him, as they can hardly fathom that a woman is not married in her mid-20's. And how will they treat a 43 year old, single female? :)) There are many other cultural distinctions and frustrations they write about, but this is the reason you work in such a program. To feel, breathe and experience another way of life...

The pay is also an issue, as you work for a pittance - 750 GEL/per month, after taxes it equals 600 GEL. However, I will have to pay my host family 200 GEL, which leaves less than $200 per month. Perhaps this is a huge wage for Georgia, but it is nowhere near enough to cover my monthly student loan repayments for my doctorate degree ($680/month). I'm still waiting for confirmation these loans can be deferred for a short period of time if I'm engaged in volunteer/humanitarian work.

So, what do you think? Am I crazy? Would you move to a foreign country without first visiting it?

I'll keep you updated on the progress of this situation, which has been time consuming both mentally and paper-work wise...stay tuned. :)