Experience Fulbright

As I mentioned in my previous post, one major decision that has yet to be made is our schooling options for my son.  One factor complicating this is that I don’t know my exact placement in Uzbekistan. It is likely that I will be in the capital of Tashkent but it is also possible that I will be placed at a University outside of the capital in one of the regions.

My contact at the US Embassy in Uzbekistan has said that I may get my final placement until December because the Uzbek Ministry of Education has the final say over all placements. Since the spring semester doesn’t begin until February, they may not decide upon by placement until December.  EEK! As a planner, this makes me a bit nervous.

If I’m placed in one of the regions outside of the capital, my only option will be to home-school my son. I’m not sure how well this would work. I’m confident that I could teach him the needed material and his current school has offered to work with me on the curriculum. That’s not my concern. If I home-school my son he won’t have the same opportunities to interact with kids his age and I am concerned that it will be difficult for him to make friends. It will be a fundamentally different experience for him.

My hope is that we will be placed in Tashkent, because there are three international schools available within the capital. The most highly regarded one is the Tashkent International School (TIS). This school came highly recommended by a previous Fulbright Scholar who was in Tashkent with her family. TIS is an American style school. They go to school Monday-Friday, have numerous after school activities, and students don’t wear uniforms. I mention these things because they are all important items on my son’s school screening list.

Check out the Tashkent International School (TIS)  here.

Another option is the British School of Tashkent. Initially, my son was excited about this option because he loves to speak with a fake British accent and figured he could really perfect it if he was at a school with British teachers. Then he discovered that they have school Monday-Saturday AND the students have to wear uniforms. Either one of these things alone would be a tough sell. I’m pretty sure that together they are a deal-breaker, but we will still check into it because, you know, it’s British.

Learn more about the British School of Tashkent here.

The third option is the Tashkent Ulugbek International School.  I hadn’t come across this school in my own online searches for some reason. My contact at the US Embassy sent me a list of International schools in Tashkent and this school was included. I don’t know much about it and haven’t heard of any previous Fulbrighters who sent their kids to this school.

To learn more about the Tashkent Ulukbek International School click here.

I’m confident that we will get this all sorted out before we arrive in country. I’ve already been in touch with the admissions directors at TIS and the British School and both were very responsive. My son’s current school is also really excited that he gets to have this unique international experience. They have been very supportive and even offered to enroll him in their online option if need be, but that’s really a last resort option.

In the end, the most important thing to me is that he have a good experience, makes some friends, and learns about an entirely new culture. He will learn so much just from the experience and I’m excited for us to have this adventure together.