Best 10 words of wisdom before you study abroad!

Though your advisor can prep you with all the flyers, your parents with all the checklists, your professors with the recommendations--no one can prepare you for the real thing, when you're standing in line at the supermarket in another country, and you don't know how to swipe your credit card during the dinner-time rush hour. What you can use, though, are these ten pointers that I feel are tried and true from my experience thus far in Nantes, France. Keep in mind that every abroad experience is a unique one, and no one can tell you what your experience will necessarily be like. But hey, you can prep a little bit, right?

1. Know that you will not know everything.

This might not seem necessary to state, but I've chosen it as my number one most important piece of advice because it is easy to forget, upon arrival in your new environment, just how much you knew about your old one. Remember that during a semester or a year in any foreign country, even if the language is still English, you have to start from square one. How do people shop? Where do students, like you, hang out? What are the table manners? How do people dress? These barely scratch the surface of questions I had before coming to France. But as the first month has flown by, I've realized how much I've learned about even the most basic aspects of living. If you accept that you're going to feel a little childish the first few weeks, then those discoveries will be enjoyable rather than overwhelming.

2. Prepare for the alone-time.

Studying abroad is definitely at least, if not more, than it is cracked up to be. There are so many benefits to studying abroad (check out this site for some great stats and info on just what those benefits are!) that it's hard to list them all. Even still, keep in mind that with all the new people you'll meet and places you'll see, studying abroad is also living abroad. Just like the transition from high school to college, you'll find that it isn't all fun and games all the time. Whether it's between classes or after a meeting or before dinner, there will be hefty pockets of time in which you find yourself alone. Capitalize on that time to explore the city where you're living (with a map!), do some homework, journal, or just plop down somewhere and people-watch. But most importantly, finding a way to enjoy that solitude and reflect on your experience will make your time abroad all the much more enriched.

3. Be patient with yourself--embrace the changes.

Again, seemingly-obvious counsel. But honestly, this is my biggest struggle. I love lists. I love order. I love my nice little schedule-builder with my class schedule on it in different colors corresponding to the times. Maybe you're not as OCD as I am, but the rupture of your normal order can come as quite a shock, no matter how many "how-to" and "best words of wisdom" articles you may read (like someone else I know did...). More than try to squeeze your new temporary life into an order you recognize, see the disarray as an order of its own kind. See those changes as opportunities to push yourself into growth. Sounds cheesy, but it's my daily manta these days: Patience. The language will come, the foreign friends will come, the understanding of the cultural differences will come.

4. Take a camera and THEN some.

Obvious, truly. More than just the camera though: take an external hard-drive of some kind. A mac-lover myself, I use the new MobileMe device with my mac.com account to upload photos that my friends and family can download from a URL accessible from anywhere in the world. Some camera companies, like Canon, will even help you set up an account so that, in the event that your camera or your memory card is lost or stolen, they can retrieve all of your pictures. This is one of those little steps you can take to insure yourself against the worst: losing the moments of a lifetime in one fell swoop. Have I scared you enough to find a way to save those pics? Hope so.

5. Be aware that it will cost more than you think it will.

With the current financial crisis in the States, finances around the world are being effected. This goes for the euro, too, as it has dropped just a bit in the last month from its steady position. Even still, four euros is about six dollars--not an easy conversion on a poor college student trying to afford pain au chocolats and textbooks. Carve out some options for yourself, whether than involves working way ahead of time and saving money, taking out an additional student loan, or finding a job abroad (see below).

6. Buying abroad is easier than bringing from home.

This certainly doesn't mean to go crazy in your new land. A shopping spree is certainly not the same thing as buying toothpaste. All I mean to say is that buying stuff like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, or other toiletries will be easier to buy abroad. Some students often have the idea that going abroad is like going to the moon, and they should bring all of the comforts of home with them in the event that they can't find what they need. In fact, many other countries also manufacture q-tips.

7. Research pocket-change opportunities.

Though it can be difficult to work abroad, especially if you don't have a work-visa and only a student one, you can still find ways to earn a little extra per week for a night out on the town or a new pair of French shoes (in my case). Start with your host-family or your abroad-program. For instance, the IES (International Education for Students) center where I take a couple classes and hang out with the other Americans gives a reward of 15 euros per month for those students working the hardest to speak French and only French. Also, I've taken up the job of leading a conversation club for French people wanting to practice their English that pays a chunk of euros at the end of the semester. If you're resourceful, you should be able to find people who want to learn English, and even better, who want to pay you to teach them.

8. Open a bank account.

After a month abroad in Rome this summer, I learned the hard way about ATM fees and foreign transaction fees. Not cool. After one week in France, I had opened a French bank account, and the next week, had my "carte bleu," or my visa," in my hot little hands. This way, when I get some pasta at the supermarket, my euros are instantly debited without having to go through the rigamerole of conversions. This will save you time, energy, and most importantly: money.

9. Journal.

Whether it means starting a blog, like I did, for my friends and family to see all of my adventures abroad and for me to keep track of them, or writing in the "old-fashioned" journal made of paper, do what you need to do to remember your time. Days will fly by you, and after two or three weeks you won't be able to remember all of the places you've visited if you don't write them down. I keep a little book with me all the time to scribble down French phrases I've learned or remember the name of the restaurant where I had lunch and an amazing conversation with a friend. Later, you'll be so grateful you kept it.

10. Don't assume anything.

My dear old Mom, who always comments and follows my blog, gave me this piece of advice the day before I left for France, and I repeat it to myself often. If you go into any situation with a grand generalization of how you think the people will act or behave, you're definitely going to have disastrous results. Keep in mind, no matter what, that every individual on earth is just that: an individual. Yes, there are blanket stereotypes that you may discover are dead ringers--but let those discoveries come after you've given everyone a fair chance to prove an expectation wrong. And you know what happens when you assume. :)

 

Topics: France