Day 2: Navigating the Metro and Our First Look at the School

After catching up on some much-needed sleep, Monday was our first official day of getting to know the program, our hosts, and the school. If you're heading to Tbilisi on an exchange, your se

cond day will likely look a lot like ours—getting your transit sorted out and figuring out where you'll be working for the next four weeks.

Here is exactly how our first morning unfolded and what you need to know about getting around the city as a student.

1. Step One: Sorting the Transit System (Isani Station)

Before we could do anything, we needed to get mobile. Marko picked us up from our apartment in the morning and guided us down to Isani Underground Station.

As a student here, your absolute first priority should be getting a monthly transit pass.

• The Cost: A monthly unlimited pass costs 40 GEL (which is roughly 12 Euro).

• What it gets you: This pass gives you unlimited rides on the metro, city buses, and the blue minibuses (marshrutkas). Coming from Germany, where student transit tickets can be a massive headache and expense, getting an unlimited city-wide pass for 12 Euro felt like an absolute steal.

• The Station: Isani is on the main red line, making it super easy to navigate once you get the hang of it.

2. Tour of the Classrooms & The Welcome Meeting

With our passes tapped and sorted, we headed over to the school. Marko showed us around the entire campus, and we got a first-hand look at the layout.

We visited the different classrooms designated for the different professions and jobs taught here. It was really interesting to see how the school structures its practical training compared to what we are used to back home.

After the tour, we had an official welcome meeting with all the teachers involved in the program. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, and it gave us a clear picture of what our daily schedule and projects will look like for the next month.

• 

• 

• 

• 

3. Wrapping Up with City Exploring

Once the official school business was wrapped up for the afternoon, we finally had some free time to be tourists. We headed deeper into the city for a bit of exploring, wandering through the streets and just taking in the massive mix of old and new architecture that makes Tbilisi so unique.

Student to Student Tip: Rely on your local teachers! Having Marko there to show us exactly how to buy the monthly pass at the underground station saved us a ton of time and confusion. Don't try to guess your way through the transit office on day one—let your hosts guide you!