In Country Support & Orientation in Kyrgyzstan

Local staff arrange university affiliations and academic programs, host-family housing, in-country transportation, peer tutoring, and cultural activities. Local offices also arrange for an emergency contact person to be available to program participants around the clock. The Outbound Office in Washington, D.C. stays in close contact via e-mail and telephone calls with all regional offices hosting study abroad participants. Outbound staff also perform regular site visits to meet with Eurasian Regional Language program participants in the field. Additionally, American Councils regional staff conduct an in-country orientation upon participants arrival.

Because the Eurasian Regional Language program in Kyrgyzstan is for individuals or very small groups, participants are not accompanied by a resident director. Instead, support in Osh is provided by the Osh Language Center and the outbound staff in Washington, DC. During the in-country orientation, participants will visit the American Councils Osh office and meet the local contact person. Participants will also be given a wallet-sized card listing the regional office phone numbers as well as other important numbers. The regional office should be contacted in case of emergency. In addition, participants should feel free to speak to the office staff with any program concerns, including accommodations with a host family, contacting local and international organizations to set up volunteer positions, travel arrangements, and language courses.