In the fall of 2015, I went abroad to Siena, Italy. I learned a lot about the different cultures and what it is like to live abroad. I’m hoping this list helps you out when it comes to studying abroad in a foreign land.
Folders and index cards aren’t a thing in Europe.
I don’t understand how they can function without these necessary tools, but they somehow do! If you’re going to a country to learn a new language, I highly recommend you bring index cards from America. I actually ended up getting a poster board and cut it up to resemble index cards. It was time consuming and more expensive! Folders are also very different. They do not have a pouch but instead have this fold over piece of paper to somewhat keep the paper in. Or they have like a portfolio type of folder. If you like the standard Americanized folders I would bring those.
Some classes might not be offered.
Sometimes the classes you were approved for will not be offered that semester. Make sure you either contact the program or have a few back ups on your SAEF (Study Abroad Equivalency Form).
The weather is not always what you think it’s going to be.
I knew I was going to go to Italy a year in advance. This means I checked the weather once a week to see what it was going to be in the fall. I also checked average temperatures in Siena, Italy. It’s all a lie! I kept seeing high 60s and low 70s for October and even some of November. Wrong. It’s cold. Also, fun fact: it is a law in Italy that you can’t turn on the heat before November 1st. Since electricity is four times as expensive as it is in the states, the Italians try to use as little of electricity as possible. You really want to make sure you have enough sweaters and warm jackets.
Bring a planner.
I feel like this one is common sense. You’ll be planning a lot of trips and the program will plan trips for you. In order to keep organized with what is happening in your four months, get a planner. These are some adorable ones from ban.do. I have one of these planners and love it so much!
P.S. I would bring an extra folder for all your important documents like plane tickets, permit of stay, and other important documents.
Spending 2 Euros on a coffee and a croissant adds up.
My program was 109 days. That means that if I ate/drank coffee and a croissant every day it would total to 218 Euros. That’s an entire trip you could have gone on. I know it’s tempting to drink and eat it every day but just know you could have went to Barcelona with that kind of cash.
You’ll eventually be comfortable with your host family.
I’m not going to lie; the first week I got to Siena, Italy, I wanted to go home. I was lost, confused, and felt like a fish out of water. My host mom spoke Italian a mile a minute, there were three cats that wouldn’t let me pet them, and my host mom smoked in the house. As time went on the there many highs and lows. I soon learned how to say I need more vegetables in my diet, talk to her about my life in America, and even my life in Italy. I was able to talk to her by the middle of October. I was even able to find out that she was a world traveler, that she taught people how to work with textiles, and about her life in Siena, Italy. Host families may be incredibly uncomfortable at times, but they’re like a home away from home. At the end of the semester you wish you were able to talk to them for longer. So appreciate them while you have them.
When you start your study abroad program, you’re going to be uncomfortable at first. It’s natural. You’re in a place you don’t speak the language, living with a stranger, and have little contact to home. It’s frightening thing. At the end of the semester, you’re going to laugh thinking about the first couple of weeks. You’ll adjust and you’ll live. Hey, you might even like it better than America!