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Posts Tagged ‘life abroad’

Free Time Abroad: 10 Ideas of Activities!

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

So, you will be going abroad, but you are a bit anxious on what to do during your free time and how to take the most out of it? Stop worrying, here are plenty of ideas to enjoy your free time abroad!

1 – Before going, check how much free time you will have! If you don’t have many, select what you must absolutely see and what is not that important!

2 – Also, buy a guide of the city/country, they often offer ideas of activities or itineraries. travel books city guide

3- If you are in a language school, try to participate in the activities organized, since they are often cheap and interesting.

4- Try to discover the local culture: go to a bar, get acquainted with locals!

5- Please be sure to visit all cities’ must-sees, but don’t forget to discover typical, less-known places like a little, hidden restaurant!

6- Ask to locals if they can advise you about what to see or do. There may be activities you haven’t thought of!

7- If you love sports, try to book a ticket for a game during your trip! It will help you discover this city’s atmosphere from another point of view!

8- If you are in the city for a long time, take advantage of it to rent a car with friends and discover the countryside. free time shoping abroad

9- Take advantage of your stay abroad to take local cooking lessons! You can even sometimes book it in advance!

10- If you are abroad for a long time and love to help other, you can see if there are any volunteer opportunities…

This would be a great experience for you and also will help you get new local friends!

Tags: Add new tag, advices, english, food, fun, ideas, learn english, learn language, learn languages abroad, life abroad, study abroad, tips, travel, travel abroad
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Top 10 Advices to Cope with Cultural Shock!

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

When one goes abroad, especially for a long stay, he can feel overwhelmed by a strange feeling named cultural shock. This is not a fatality, and cultural shock can be fought! Find out how by reading these 10 advices!

1-First, you must know what culture shock is! As written on Wikipedia, culture shock consists of “difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not”.

2-Read and inform yourself before departure! Try to get as much information as possible about the country. Try to speak with people who have lived there, browse the internet… Prepare yourself to what you have to expect!

3-Culture shock happens to many people! Don’t be afraid to speak of it to other foreign students or your family!

4-Try to see the cultural shock in a comic way. You could even create a blog or write in a diary about it. Just try to take it from the fun side! learn abroad cultural shock alien germany

5-Many people suffering cultural shock become introverted. Try not to behave like that. Always keep in mind that your situation is temporary, and that you will regret not having made the most out of your trip abroad!

6-Try to understand why people are different. Show an open mind as much as possible, even if some behaviours seem incorrect or rude to you considering your own culture.

7-Make friends, either locals or foreigners! It’s not that easy, yeah, but it will help you integrate in the local culture!

8-Be patient! If you try to integrate yourself, cultural shock will eventually vanish or become less important! Don’t expect it to be gone overnight!

9-Find an activity that you like and pratice it! This will help you air out your mind, and help you make friends!

10-Learn the language! Trying to learn your host country language will help your integration in the country!

We hope these advices will help you cope with cultural shock! Have you ever experienced cultural shock? Do you have tips to share with the community on how to prevent or fight cultural shock? Write us a comment!

Tags: cultural shock, learn languages abroad, life abroad, tips
Posted in Academic Year Programs, Language Travel Tips, Tips to learn languages | No Comments »

Top 10 mistakes you should not do abroad!

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Students’ safety while abroad is really important for us at Nacel. There are common mistakes one quickly learn not to do abroad, like driving on the right side in the UK. Please don’t even try it But for some other mistakes, a quick reminder could be great!

1-Not having insurance. If some problem should occur to you abroad and you don’t have any insurance, medical or other costs can quickly add up… Always have insurance! study abroad travel insurance

2-Not getting acquainted with tips’ policy! In some countries, tips are not usual. But in others, it is felt as mandatory! Get information about a country’s tips’ policy before going!

3-Behave like an arrogant tourist. Don’t think your country or customs are better than the local ones. They are just different, try to see it with an open-mind!

4-Not be conscious of the way you must address someone. Should you be formal or not? Try to get information about that before your arrival too! You can offend someone acting in a way which is appropriate in your home country.

5-Not trying to speak the local language. Don’t assume people will speak your language or English (if this is not your native language). Try to speak their language, at least for the basics like “hello”, “thank you”…

6-Not being respectful of laws. Get information before doing anything you are not sure is legal. You wouldn’t want to end up in some creepy jail, would you? So be careful!

7-Going abroad with misconceptions. Try not have preconceived ideas, to be open minded and open to discussion. Even if someone tells you a place is not worth to see, go and make your opinion. Things are subjective!

8-Show off. Try to wear casual, not “look-at-me-I’m-a-foreigner” clothes, avoid to expose your properties of values like camera and jewellery. When there are many tourists, there are likely pickpockets too!

9-Going abroad without getting first hand information. Speak with someone who has already visited or lived in the country, check information about the country’s habits on various (not just one) website… For example, you can visit a website from worlwide expatriates ! Multiply your sources of information!

10-Finally, don’t forget that a big smile and a sincere apology can resolve many problems and misunderstandings. When you’ll think of that back home, you will most likely laugh about it and convert it into a funny memory!