Happy Holidays! We hope that everyone had a fabulous fall and that you’re all keeping warm now that the Christmas season is upon us. Remember to drink your eggnog and rum responsibly, and don’t leave your gift-buying ’til the last minute! Now that December is here and the team at Teach Away is enjoying Christmas carols as we work (well, some of us!), we are excited to bring you the latest edition of the Teach Away Newsletter.
If you are thinking “Gee it’s been a while since I received my last Newsletter from Teach Away,” it’s because we have been very busy helping teachers find work overseas. Since our last correspondence Teach Away has successfully created new partnerships with schools all around the globe. View our most updated list of international teaching jobs.
In this issue:
Top 10 Tips for Making the Most of your Teach Away Experience
The Importance of Travel Vaccincations
Top 10 Tips for Making the Most of your Teach Away Experience
1. Don’t Panic
Your first days can be intimidating. You may be fully illiterate for the first time since you were a child. You may stick out like a sore thumb and experience long stares from the locals. You may not know how to purchase orange juice or toilet paper, and don’t want to look like a fool. Welcome to Culture Shock 101 – get out there and do it. Staying in your apartment doesn’t help. Remember why you decided to go in the first place.
2. Explore More and More
You are in a new place with new and exciting sights, sounds, and smells. Part of being overseas is experiencing what life is like overseas, so dive in! Give the new food, traditions, festivals and people a good ‘ole college try. It’s the only way to learn.
3. Stay Connected
The internet is a lovely thing, and staying in touch with friends and family at home, in moderation, will help fend off homesickness. What better time to start a blog (www.teachaway.ning.com) or a podcast?
4. Get Connected
Seek out new friendships with those doing the same thing. You are not alone! Check out Teach Away’s social network. Connect with locals: befriend the corner store man/lady. Participate in local social gatherings and get to know your neighbours.
5. Be Safe!
- Always have your home address written in the native language of the country you in and a contact number of your employer on you.
- Have copies of all your important documents with you (passport, visa, birth certificate).
- Keep a list of emergency numbers on hand (police, fire, ambulance) ensure that someone will answer in English
- Register with your consulate/embassy. It makes sense.
Click here to read the next 5 tips for enjoying your Teach Away Experience.
Embarking on a New Journey – By Ottalie Davis
Ottalie has just begun her teaching job in Abu Dhabi through Teach Away Inc.
Hey Everybody, my trip has been amazing so far!!! The Etihad flight was beautiful; when you board the plane, they have lovely lyrical music playing softly and then you look up and see a faint mist coming from the vents in the ceiling to hydrate the skin (I’m not kidding!). The flight attendants are from all over the world and specially trained to provide excellent customer service (I know I sound like a commercial but it was amazing!!).
We arrive at the airport and are quickly met by our employers who speed us through the customs processing and a porter collects our bags. Then on to the buses that take us to our hotel/apts. On the bus trip, Mohammed gave each of us a rose and a folder with orientation info. Amazing.
Once at the serviced apartments we were quickly assigned rooms and another porter helped bring our bags to our rooms.
We seem to be in the center of Abu Dhabi (AD from now on) and a couple of us walked across the street at about 10 pm to the Fatima Grocery store. I bought two bags of groceries (soda, yogurt, nuts, fruit) for around 20 Dirhams (currency in the UAE) which I think is between $5 and $6 dollars!! I can get used to those prices!!!
Anyway, I went to sleep in a very cold room as I couldn’t find the thermostat. Slept until 4:28am when the mosque next door broadcast the morning’s first ‘call to prayer’. I gotta tell you the voice was beautiful and otherworldly!! I’ll try to record it so I can send an audio file.
It’s 11:46am on Thursday now and I’m just in the internet cafe in the hotel. I’m heading to AD Mall which I think is just down the road (I could be wrong :-)).
Now, my first of many Arabic phrases that I hope to be learning….Inshal’lah, we shall see each other soon.
-Ottalie Davis
The Importance of Travel Health and Vaccinations – By Medisys
Seasoned travellers know that the unexpected can ruin any travel experience, even after repeated uneventful journeys in the same area. But what was responsible? Your last urgent and repeated visits to the washroom could have been associated with the tasty ceviche; or was it a contaminated ice cube in a glass of juice? And your colleague who came so close to asking for his last wish after getting malaria, could he have avoided it with the proper preventive medication and counselling?
Immunization is the single most effective preventive measure any traveller can take before departure. In addition to routine vaccines that adults should keep up-to-date, additional precautions will be recommended for specific destinations. Hepatitis A, for example, is the most common serious vaccine-preventable disease for travellers, while travellers’ diarrhoea, especially the severe form due to E. coli, can now be prevented with an oral vaccine.
In addition to common sense, specific preventive measures should be taken to prevent other ailments. Surprisingly, car accidents and other traumas are the # 1 cause of death among travellers. Increasingly, diseases transmitted by mosquito bites like malaria, dengue fever, and chikungunya are causing serious illnesses in travellers. Knowing which personal protective measures to use against mosquitoes, and when, could save you from many weeks of illness and potentially serious complications.
At Medisys Travel Health and Vaccination Clinics, consultations are customized to each traveller’s destination, the activities that they will be participating in during their trip and their current medical conditions. We offer all recommended and required vaccinations onsite including, but not limited to hepatitis A&B, typhoid fever, rabies and meningitis. In addition, all of our clinics across Canada are Certified Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres as designated by Health Canada.
It is recommended that travellers are seen 6 weeks prior to International travel, but arrangements can also be made for last-minute travellers.
Remember, the key to healthy travel is preparation.
Click the image below to save 10% on your consultation fees at any Medisys Travel Health and Vaccination Clinic across Canada courtesy of Teach Away Inc.
About Medisys
Medisys Health Group is a leading Canadian provider of healthcare services to corporations and individuals and health-related underwriting support services to insurance companies. Through its national network of facilities, including offices in Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, Medisys’ corporate health services division delivers preventive, diagnostic and consultative healthcare services to approximately 4,000 corporations, including 320 companies of the Financial Post 500.
As the largest—and only national—provider of travel health services in Canada, Medisys’ eight Travel Health and Vaccination Clinics provide a complete range of specialized services for International travellers. www.medisys.ca
