Category: Study Abroads

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Packing Uncategorized

Long Term Packing

This is one of my favorite things to give advice about, it might seem like such an easy concept, but a surprising number of people don’t think it through. Almost every time I’ve given my spiel about what to pack for a long term trip, I get the response “oh, wow, that’s actually really helpful, thanks!” They don’t think it’s going to be helpful- BUT IT IS.

My first strategy is to keep your big suitcase open in the middle of your floor for a week. Just throw stuff into it as you see something you want to take with you. Looking at that huge pile of stuff you want to bring is a great wake-up call. When you’re ready to really pack, you need to pull everything out and have a good talk with yourself to see if you really need it. Does this bring me joy? It really is quality over quantity- bring your favorite and the cutest outfits, they’ll be in all your pictures!

When it’s time to really pack- you have a choice to make: to roll, or to fold? I’m not that into rolling when you roll EVERYTHING, but it does have its benefits. Fold the big stuff- jeans sweaters, etc, but roll the small stuff, and tuck it into the spaces. When you roll big stuff it leaves big canyons between the rolls and you lose all that space.

One thing you might not think about when packing for a long period of time is the changing of the seasons. Its hard to think about what you’ll be wearing in spring in the middle of winter. My favorite advice is pack more warm weather clothes than cold weather clothes. You’re going to be wearing a coat in all of your winter pictures anyway, so it’s not like you need the variety. Another plus side is that shorts and shirts are smaller, so you can fit way more of them!

My last bit of advice is a trick to give yourself more room to bring home souvenirs- pack BIG bottles of your favorite bath products. Not only will you have a nice luxury from home for a while, but you’ll be able to fill that space with trinkets later!

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ESL Teaching Tips General Advice Personal Philosophies Study Abroads

How You Change After Living Abroad

From my times working and studying abroad, I’ve noticed that I’ve changed quite a bit. Of course I’ve changed in the expected ways- more independent, more adventurous, and more sure of myself, but I’ve also changed in some unexpected ways.

I’ve started to speak completely differently. I might even go as far as to say that I lost fluency in my OWN language. You interact with so many people who speak such different levels of English that you tend to simplify as much as possible so you can make sure you’re understood. I’m actually quite proud of the fact that I can have a full conversation with a Russian five-year-old who barely speaks English, but I do miss using long words and having complex conversations. It might just be me, but I can’t do both.

I’ve also become a little bit more closed off. The problem with traveling to countries where they don’t speak your native language, is that you slowly start getting quieter and quieter. My real problem is that I haven’t felt ~comfortable for over a year now because I haven’t been able to grasp enough of the language to be able to talk anyone. Every time I leave the house I worry about having to talk to someone. You really take it for granted in your own country that you can just talk to people; you can ask someone in the store to help you find something, you can respond to someone talking to you on the street, you can be polite to waiters… I miss it.

I have a harder time making close friends. When you jump from place to place you make more friends, but you don’t make close friends. It’s sad to get close to people and then leave. It’s sad to know that it’s likely you’ll never see your friends again after you leave the country. Its also hard to hold on to old friendships. People have lives and no matter how much effort you put into your friendships, it’s different when you’re not there. You have to be there, physically hang out, and see them regularly to keep your friends close.

Everything is give and take, and it’s hard for me to know for sure that I made the right decision with where I am. Every decision you make will change the path your life takes and I wonder if I’m making the right choices. Or even if there are such things as right choices. Who would I be if I had never left home? Would that person be better or worse than who I am now?

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Study Abroads Uncategorized

Summer Study Abroad Programs

So you want to do a study abroad. But should you do a summer study abroad, or a full semester?

I unequivocally vote for a semester study abroad. Here are my reasons:

The biggest reason is that summer is when all the tourists are there. There are so many people, lines are longer, and ticket prices are higher, no matter where you go. It’s so much better to go during the school year.

You simply don’t have enough time.

  • You can’t become a local. It takes 2 full months to really feel at home and start to know where everything is. if you only stay for the summer, then by the time you figure things out, its time for you to leave!
  • I know most people don’t think “studying” is the most important part of a study abroad, but you are there to learn, and you really do get so much more academically from a full semester than you do from summer school. With a full semester, you have time to actually learn rather than squeezing it all into a month.
  • You will be SO rushed on a summer abroad. To get the most out of it you have to be on 100% of the time, every weekend after school you HAVE to go and do something. You don’t have any extra weekends to laze around the park, you don’t have time to plan or to waste in case of strikes, closures, or bad weather. If you miss something, that was your only chance. That would be so exhausting.

Price- it’s actually more cost effective to stay for a full semester

  • A huge chunk of cost is your flight, so why not make it worth it.
  • Most colleges don’t offer exchanges over the summer (the cheaper and better option) they only offer the crazy expensive programs like IES, CIEE, and USAC.
  • Its a huge hassle to get an apartment for such a short time and you’re going to end up either paying more for it to be such a short lease or having no option but to stay somewhere terrible AND expensive like the dorms of your foreign university.

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