During my time in Chełm, I am living in student dormitories with immense support from the other teachers at my university. While I was concerned that living in the dormitories would make it more difficult to get to know people in the community, that has not been the case so far. The teachers often split up their schedules so that someone can show me around, feed me or get to know me over coffee. They have been incredibly nice and supportive, making this transition easier as I come into a new, small city.
My first day arriving in Chełm by train I was met by Ala, a phonetics instructor at the university. She took me to my dormitory and set me up with my key since the woman at the front desk does not speak English. She then took me to the school where I would be teaching and gave me a quick tour, before we met with the Dean who would take us both out for lunch. I thought that it was strange that the restaurant was based around the idea of a goose, with multiple pictures on the walls of geese, but after traveling through Poland the last month, I have discovered a lot of places have a goose-theme. This arrival full of hospitality and food was indicative of the month to come with all the teachers from my university.
