8 things I wish I knew before going on an exchange program
Studying and living abroad has been a dream for me since I was a kid. But, back then, all I could see was the glamorous life of those who lived abroad: lot’s of traveling, meeting different people and being seen as more successful by those who stayed.
Fortunately, that was no longer my vision when I boarded on the plane for my exchange program or else it would have been a disaster. My boyfriend had been studying abroad for over 2 years when I came, so I was familiar with the struggles of the student-immigrant life through his experience. Even so, a lot of things still surprised me and I wish I knew some before I came to the Netherlands.
What I wish I knew before becoming an exchange student
1. Cleaning standards are not the same all around the world
No, I am not referring to the infamous European aversion to daily showers — I am actually talking about spaces. Of course I knew a student house would not be as clean as my house, where I live with my parents. But what surprised me was how little they cared about cleaning and how rarely people from different nationalities organize their houses. No — it is not just Dutch people — I have had contact with people from all over Europe, Africa and other Latin American countries. Also, I was shocked about the amount of time a person can take to wash their dishes!
If you are Brazilian, heads up: you might need to attend some sessions with a shrink to be able to share spaces with people from other countries.
2. You don’t have to speak perfect English
I know that the perspective of having to work/study in English, and also perform everyday tasks in this language sounds scary, even more so if you are not 100% at ease with speaking English. I also had the fear that it would be complicated to make friends and chat to people due to my imperfect accent.
However, after 3 months living abroad I can tell you for sure that you don’t have to worry about that. Not only your language skills will develop with daily practice, but it is not hard to make yourself understood (though mimics and Google Translate can always help).
One more thing: if you are going to a non English speaking country their English is not perfect either! That means that in general people understand what you are going through and are willing to help and make communication easier.
3. Your budget forecast is always lower than what you will really spend
No matter how detailed your budget forecast for your exchange program is, it is underestimating the actual expenses. Once you get to the place where you will live unexpected things will definitely happen and getting settled can cost you a lot — even more than what you had predicted.
In my case, I got scammed, so I spent a lot of money on finding a new place to stay and settling myself at the beginning.
So, if I could give you a tip: be prepared. Make sure you have an emergency fund or someone to reach out to. Being alone in another culture is already scary enough, don’t make it even worse by not having the necessary resources to get out of a bad situation.
I don’t mean to put you off or make you believe that it is impossible if you are not wealthy. On the contrary, I wish more and more people are able to live the experience I am living. So if you do not have the means to build an emergency reserve and still want to live abroad, make sure you have someone — an uncle/aunt, friend, parents — who is willing to help you in an emergency.
4. The weather has a huge influence on how you will feel about the experience.
If you come from a tropical country, like I do, you are used to warm, sunny days and blue skies. Of course we also get rainy days, gray skies and cool weather, but honestly, you have no idea what it is like in Europe.
Before I came, I used to see people complaining about the weather, researches connecting the cold to depression and I was skeptical. I was sure that I could be perfectly happy in the rain, on gray days and in the cold.
This idea only lasted until spring began and I realized how nice the city I was living in for 2 months could actually be if there was sun. The weather oscillations at this time of the year made it really clear to me that my mood and disposition are definitely not the same in the rain and on a sunny day.
5. People are not what you are going to miss the most
Before coming I was afraid I would not handle missing my family and that it would be the hardest part of my exchange program. Well, it was not. Of course I miss my loved ones, but only in a healthy, manageable way. I believe much of it is due to the ease we have today in talking to each other online.
What I actually miss the most (in a way that almost hurts) are things and moments. I miss my house and all the comfort it provided me, I miss the good food, I miss the smells.
Something that has helped me with that was cooking more and looking for Brazilian stores so that I could buy some of the ingredients I miss.
6. You can get fed up with traveling
I have always loved to travel and I still do, of course. But when you are an exchange student in Europe you have an enormous urge to travel at every opportunity — that is why I have barely spent any weekends in Breda, the city where I live for my exchange in the Netherlands. But when you travel every weekend you can get fed up with it.
First of all, traveling is tiring- so if you don’t take a break you end up exhausted. Second, when you travel a lot, mainly if you are a broke student, you will see similar things in many places. Many churches, main squares, bridges, and they will all start to look the same.
7. Housing is a nightmare
I wish I had learned this one sooner. Finding a good place to live, on a budget, is a challenge no matter what. Now, imagine how hard it can be when you are at the other side of the world? You can not visit, you are much more dependent on the help of others and their good will.
In my case, the Netherlands are also known for being in a housing crisis due to the little land space available, which made it even worse. I got scammed when I first arrived and finding a new place was a second nightmare.
If you have a chance of staying in institutional housing from your University or Company, my advice would be: take it. If you don’t have this possibility, you should start looking for a place to stay as soon as possible.
8. Internationals will always come together
One of the greatest things that has happened to me so far in my exchange program was having met my group of international friends. We all share a feeling of being outsiders, make each other comfortable by always communicating in English and hanging out together. We all love to travel and explore this new country we are living in and help each other through tough times.
I’ve heard people say that they did not want to be with people from their country and would rather hang with locals during their time abroad. I get and respect that. But from my point of view, a group of international friends- including those of your nationality- can be a great support system and will also allow you to learn about different cultures.
All those hustles, however, have only made my experience more complete. They have made me grow a lot and, now that everything has come to place, haven’t taken away the bliss of leaving a dream, at all.
If you are going abroad on an exchange program, take those points I wish I knew before coming into account. I hope your experience will be even better than mine is!
Have more things you would add to this list? Leave a comment, let’s chat!
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