Worse than the DMV---Information Aqcuisition

Most people thought I was crazy for getting on a plane without any idea where I was living in Gdansk, what exactly the program was going to consist of, and really no one to help me figure it out.

The good news is that I've come to have a much better grasp of the situation.  The frustrating thing is that it really has only come together in the past three days as a result of four different people answering the same questions and me piecing together (what I think) is the full picture.

First, upon meeting other ETAs (English Teaching Assistants) I was informed that we are actually teaching classes on our own.  In American universities, assistant means you assist a professor in his/her class.  From what I've gathered from my interactions with University of Gdnask (UG) I'm going to be teaching at least three sections of Practical Phonetics, or as another professor calls it American Voices.

I will be making my own lesson plans focusing on improving the speaking skills of my students AND exposing them to American culture.  The professor is actually an expat from the U.S. and suggested using things I love about home in my class.  For example, I asked if there is an expat community where I might find football lovers and she said the Superbowl might lend a great time to explain American football to my students...the rules, commercials, and lack of hooligans and violence (except for in Lansing and the Oakland Raiders). 

So it looks as if I will have a significant amount of leeway in my classroom, which will be incredibly fun.  I do have to loosely follow the lengthy syllabus that was written for the Polish government for the phonetics class...but it's unfortunately entirely in Polish.  So I'll be writing my OWN syllabus in ENGLISH for the ENGLISH class I'm teaching.  I've already decided that there will be no Polish language allowed in my classroom...otherwise I'd worry about whether my students are talking about me.

As for housing, I have a room reserved.  I don't know where said room is located and I will apparently be sharing a kitchen and refrigerator with the whole floor.  Although I arrive in Gdansk on the 25th, I'm not entirely sure that I can move in that day...I might have to wait until October 1.  The good news, again, is that I have a room reserved.

All in all...things are shaping up nicely.  I just received an email from a fourth university professor that said one of his colleagues (no mention of who!) is going to meet me at the train station when I arrive. 

I'm marginally frustrated at times with the slow, tortoise-like progression of information, but generally optimistic.  Being a real, full-time teacher should prove rather interesting since I've never stood in front of a class for more than 20 minutes.  It'll be good though...and a great opportunity to see if I'll like teaching!