General Tips for Exchange Life Abroad :)

Hello guys!

We hope the previous posts about different universities and exchange abroad were helpful so far.

Today, this post will present tips and advice to all of you interested in exchange programs, or in case you have other opportunities to go abroad.

Being an exchange student is hard work sometimes. You might get homesick at some point, miss home made food, the traditions and festivities of your country etc...

But you need to keep in mind that this is a once in a life time opportunity! If you'll be going abroad for a year or a semester, you need to make the best out of it. 


Here are some tips:

   1.   Always say "YES" to experience new things!

"Let's go to the market downtown", "Let's go to X place" and so on. The answer should always be "YES".  Just go with it! It's important to try new things, see the world, mix yourself with new people, discover the culture and the community's life there. 

P.S: Even if you end up in some....strange situation, at least you will always have a good story to tell after! :p (stay safe tho ok? No tooo crazy dangerous stuff...)

  2.  Take Initiative :)

Don't wait for others to come talk to you or ask you to hang out with them. Take the initiative and do it yourself!! 

Remember that is YOUR exchange. You want to do something fun? Go ahead! Don't just sit around waiting for other lonely exchange students to ask you. Make it happen! 

  3. Be Honest

Being honest is the best way to live your life. Even more when you are abroad! Don't try to keep angry and sad thoughts wallow up inside of you. Just be honest about it. 

If someone offended you, be honest and let them know. If you are having a hard time in a class, tell it to the professor. 

You are coming from another culture, it's normal to have different opinions, perspectives, and different ways to deal with life.

Don't be afraid to express yourself about your own feelings.

It's a good learning experience for everyone.

  4. Make friends with other exchange students and other students from your host country/university

It's important to make friends with people from the country and university where you will be living 24/24 all semester or year. You don't want to feel out of place, lonely, and homesick right?

As previously said, take initiative, and start the talk. Other exchange students want to be friends with you as well. 

So communicate and socialize with them :) They will be your friends and travel mates during your journey abroad.

  5. Be open-minded, have some cultural perspective

Obviously going abroad, exploring a new country, new environment, language, and culture is never easy. Some things are just so weird, when you compare it to your own culture and your society's norms. 

Beware! Don't judge the people there in a wrong way, it could be offensive. There is always a reason behind everything they do, say, or behave. So do you back in your country, you have been raised a certain way, just like they have been too :)

So be open-minded, and try as much as you can to embrace the culture. 

  6. Learn the Language 

If you are in a non-english speaking country, you will probably have a hard time reading menus at the local restaurants, shops, or just communicate adresses to the taxi driver, or find the correct destination and bus station. So try to learn the language, at least a few basic words to help you out in your every day life :) 

  7. It's okay to make mistakes, don't be afraid!

  8. Food is a large part of culture

Remember that food represents both the culture, tradition, and norms of a society. So if you're gonna be picky about food, you might miss out on a lot of new flavors, and what the culture has to offer. 

"Will I be able to try new food"? Ask this question to yourself, look up the kind of food the country you are going to looks like. Can you try it? If the answer is "No", you'll probably resign yourself to only a partial cultural experience.

P.S: of course your religious beliefs that might not allow you to try some food is totally understandable :)

  9. Say "Thank You" a lot! :)

Always be grateful for what others do for you, with you, and the help they give you in adjusting to your exchange life. 

If you don't know the language as well, just saying "thank you" will show that you appreciate others' efforts and they won't have to worry about you.

  10. It's normal to feel weird when you're back home

Many returnee students felt this after their exchange ended. They can't help themselves comparing their country with their host country, stating each country's positive and negative aspects.

More than that, some returnee students get hit by culture shock.

If you spent a year in Japan, or a semester in China, you'll probably find yourself bowing "out of habit" to the grocer after your purchase. 

But no worries! After a month of home made food, and some catching up with your friends, you'll be back on track!

That's all folks! :) Make sure you take these tips into consideration. See you next time in a new post.

University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA (Asmaa A.)

Again a new post about another exchange. This time in Seattle!!! 

A student from AUI is sharing with us today her life experience during a semester in University of Washington.

Let's discover together how it was!! 

My name is Asmaa, a Business Administration student. On Spring 2014, I went on exchange to the University of Washington through the bilateral exchange program. My exchange was a full tuition exchange so I paid all of the fees (except for insurance) at AUI. One important point to make is that UW has quarters and not semesters like AUI. As in students take three to four classes per quarter. Winter Quarter ran from January to March and Spring Quarter from April to June.

Seattle is home to Amazon, Microsoft and Starbucks. It is one of the few metropolitan cities that AUI has an exchange opportunity in the US.

Classes I took:

Five of the six classes I took were at the business school. Interesting fact: University of Washington was ranked #11 in the world according to US News. All of the classes were unique and so interesting and VERY different to the way classes are thought at Note: I took Principles of Finance on my first quarter and it was one of the most challenging classes, I had taken during my entire four year. Not because of the methodology but the standards of my classmates’ were pretty high. Most of them had prior knowledge of financial terminologies, while I had never heard of the terms before. Nonetheless, I learnt a great deal from the class, and I eventually ended up majoring in Finance.

Excursions:

FIUTS is an international student organisation. It organized most of the trips and excursions, we went on. The first trip, we went on was to Leavenworth, where we got to hang out and get to know more the other international students. Excursions are organised throughout the semester to local companies (Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks…). Getting a tour of Starbucks offices was one of my favourite experiences during my exchange.

Accommodation & Food

I lived on the West Campus where students had to pay over $2500 per quarter, so OVER $5000 for the entire semester. Luckily, I only had to pay 5000dhs at AUI émoticône grin Another amazing steal, by paying 5000dhs into the cash wallet at AUI, I received about $750 per quarter, so around $1500 émoticône smile You could use your UCARD at all of the paying locations at the university (Local Point, Subway, Starbucks). No joke, you can buy starbucks coffee ALL over campus so my stipend ran out pretty fast émoticône frown

Transportation:

The UCARD, given by the university, allowed us to take any bus we wanted on the Puget Sound area for FREE! (HOORAY!)

Travelling:

Seattle is located in the west coast of the US. Flight tickets are so cheap to California. I remember we paid $79 for a one way ticket to LA during Spring Break. So take advantage of the opportunity and try to see as many cities as possible in the West Coast. My personal favourites were Las Vegas and San Francisco.

Thank you Asmaa for your post!! We hope everyone enjoyed some information about Asma's experience :D

Hannam University, Daejeon, South Korea (Salma)

  

Again a new post about another exchange and yes this time again it's in South Korea!!! 

A student from AUI is sharing with us today her life experience during her Fall 2014 semester in Hannam University, in Daejeon, in South Korea.

Let's discover together how it was!! 

Hello everyone! My name is Salma and I am a Senior student at Al Akhawayn University. I am majoring in Marketing and minoring in Finance.

I went last Fall 2014 on an exchange semester through the bilateral program offered by OIP to my dream country: South Korea!! I went to Hannam University in Daejeon.

ABOUT HANNAM UNIVERSITY:

Hannam University (since 1956) is a Private Christian University located in the city Daejeon. The campus is huge and open to everyone. You can find coffee shops everywhere on campus, and since the campus is open, there are convenience stores, restaurants and snacks just right next to it so you can easily get what you need before heading to class. Also, as an exchange student, we actually study in the Linton Global College which is the building set for international, exchange students, as well as Korean students taking English classes.

The university is simply beautiful during Fall with all the colorful trees around campus, the mini-lake, the stadium/soccer field…The library is pretty big, though I did not use it often since everything is in Korean. I didn’t get to explore all of the campus, never bothered to do so actually, since I only cared about the Linton Global College, the soccer field, library, and the close colleges like the Law College. That is where the copy center (printing and stuff) and the book stationary (where you get books) are.

Another good aspect of the university is that the Center for International Relations provides us with a Buddy System. So I got one Korean Female student helping me with all the korean forms to fill, pay the insurance, get a check-up at the hospital, and we became friends. Though I call her Unni (Eonni) which means older sister in Korean as a form of respect, I spent almost all of my time with her, traveling, going out discovering Daejeon and so on.

LANGUAGE:

Well I’ll be honest, in Daejeon and Hannam University and even around the campus, you will not find people talking in English. Besides the exchange and international students, faculty, and some classmates at Linton Global College. If you don’t know some basic Korean, well that’s gonna be hard, to adjust at first. I love Korean and South Korea in general so I learned a bit just from watching their TV shows and series (a.k.a. K-dramas). I guess it should be fine if you hang out with your buddy, and other exchange students. 

In the shops, convenience stores and restaurants, there are most of the time menus in english, and some of the staff (mostly part time college students) do know some basic english. 

ABOUT ACADEMICS:

The classes are easier than at AUI, like seriously. 
I took 2 electives, one major course, and a common course: 

• "Contemporary World Cinema" - Amazing class, doing quizzes about movies, a research paper, and the prof is real cool and funny! I advise you to take this class and the other classes he teaches. 
• "Intro to World Music" 
• "International Finance" - most interesting class I had that semester, got A and enjoyed it very much.
• "Management Information System" 

INTERNATIONAL DORM:

This is where I lived all semester, it's very nice and cozy since there are koreans and most of the exchange/international students in it. Also, it's literally a 3 min walk to get to the Linton Global College where we have our classes. We have a gym, laundry room, talking room, reading room, lounge with microwaves and TV, and a lift. The managers at the dorm are suuuuuper nice! They give us even food sometimes and during the midterms and finals period, they went around the dorm distributing muffins and banana milk to everyone to cheer us up! I miss those days really. 

TRIPS:

The first group outing at the beginning of the semester, we organized ourselves as exchange and international students together and we went to Puri Park. A very beautiful and huge park, with a great lake running within it. There was a stationary shop to eat and get souvenirs. Statues in the upper part of the park. Anyways, it was such a great experience, we took pictures, laughed, and got to know each other. We even got to pedal in the duck boats. We finished real late and we freaked out that we missed the last bus. Thankfully, we got onto it on time and went back to Daejeon, had dinner at McDonald’s (tasted super good! I even thought it was healthy, at least way better than the one we have in Morocco). That was one hell of an amazing day! 

Other than the small outings with my friends, or when we gather as exchange and some international students from all over the world (USA, Colombia, Peru, Sweden, Morocco, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, along with Koreans) Yep that is some great diversity and it was simply amazing! Anyways, the Center for International Relations organized different outings besides the Orientation dinner, like going on a Sunday to “Walk Together” event held annually next to Daejeon Expo Bridge.

Also, we went to Jeonju Hanok Village. It was a one night- 2 days trip. Absolutely memorable…

I went to Seoul a couple of times, celebrated my birthday there, had Moroccan food in a Arabian Restaurant in Itaewon (big district which has all foreigners gathered there and pretty much all the countries' restaurants)

I went with my Buddy to Daejeon's Museum, to the Hanbat Arboretum, Daejeon Expo Park, had picnics, went to Eunhaen-dong in the center of Daejeon (Big Shopping and cultural center like Myeongdong in Seoul) and many others.

So see all of Daejeon with the O world (theme park), go to Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Ulsan, and why not to Jeju Island!! Just plan well and manage your time to make the best of your exchange life :D

NORAEBANG AND NIGHT CLUBS:

The Korean Culture is known also for Noraebang, to explain it I'll simply say it's Karaoke (thought this word comes from Japan). So, yeah I went many times to Noraebang, it's real fun. I sing like...like...yeah you don't wanna hear me sing. But I assure you it is a lot of fun, there are all sorts of songs you can pick, korean, japanese, american...

Koreans drink a lot, dance a lot... Yep they party a lot! If during the day, they are very formal and working diligently. The youth at night goes wild!! 

In Seoul, precisely in Hongdae, Gangnam, and Itaewon, the night clubs are just...phenomenal! (Check some videos on youtube)

MAJOR INFO:

• The University gathers all exchange students and picks them up from the Incheon International Airport.

• Side story: We thought (my friend and I) that they left without us because the flight was kinda late, so we exchanged our USD to korean won, bought tickets, and took a bus like big young adults, and later a cab to the university. Yeah, that was fun and kinda thrilling (language barriers with the taxi driver etc...) In the end, we were the first exchange students to get there. The rest were still waiting for us at the airport to pick us up. Did I mention Incheon and Daejon are like 2 hours or so, far from each other and that it was about 9pm when we got into our dorm? Yep. Imagine the others. Hahahaha didn't know whether to feel bad or not. Anyways, make sure to wait for them ok at the E gate if I recall. They'll wait for sure, believe me.

• When I left Morocco, I brought with me around 1000 USD in cash I think? And in my international card I had about 2000 USD or so. Believe it or not it was more than enough for me and I had money left in the card) 

• Of course, I exchanged all that cash I had into Korean Won since that's the currency there.

• The thing is when you pay the home university all the fees (tuition, housing, meals etc…) your card meal is supposed to be filled with about 700 USD. I actually got 1 000 USD in that card so I used it mainly. It was a debit card to retrieve money from the ATMs, used also as a student ID, and of course you can buy with it on campus and outside like a normal card).

• The CIR helped us open a Korean account there. As I said all that money was enough for me, I managed to eat as much as I needed and wanted, paid the insurance, rented blankets at the Dorm, filled my bus card, paid for cabs, went to Seoul for 2 or 3 trips etc...

• I think I regret not managing my time better to travel a whole lot more like to Busan, and Seoul more, Incheon, Gimpo, and other cities. So my advice is plan your trips ahead of time, with the budget needed and so on, and DISCOVER!! Enjoy to the max!! One semester is not even enough to see all of Daejeon or Seoul.

• Also, if you find courses for Spring Semester, you can extend your stay there to make it a One year exchange. Make sure to find the classes you need to take ok? And Spring semester is totally amazing. I had a friend in Hannam there last Spring, the beauty during that time of the year leaves you speechless.

• Don’t worry too much about the language or culture shock, just know a few facts before going and a few words too (or learn when you get there), and yeah just be respectful. Korean culture has a lot of formality in their everyday life. So be respectful to older people and new people you meet, and step by step you’ll get familiar. Really no stress! Just hang out with fellow exchange and friends you’ll make there.

• Plus, with the Buddy System you have a Korean student to help you out throughout the semester. I traveled to Seoul with my buddy, her boyfriend, and her sibling. So depending on the situation, you can make that buddy of yours your friend or even best friend.

Rex.D at Hannam University Fall Festival (Concert)

                               Eunhaeng-dong at Night, Daejeon center

Eunhaeng-dong 

Namsan Tower, Seoul

Breathtaking View from Namsan Tower 

Thank you Salma for your post!! We hope everyone enjoyed some information about Hannam University, the life there, and what to expect :)

                                      Stay tuned for the next exchange life experience...!

Akita International University, Akita, Japan (Oussama El.)

Konnichiwa Minna-san!!!! 

Did I get your attention? Hahaha Great :p  

Today a new post about another exchange and yes this time it's in Japan!!! Yaaaaay 

A student from AUI is sharing with us today his life experience during his one YEAR exchange to Akita International University in Japan.

Let's discover together how it was!! 

Konnichiwa! My name is Oussama El Houcini. I am a Business Administration student majoring in Finance and International Business. Over a year ago, I chose the bilateral exchange program offered by AUI to go study abroad for one full academic year in Japan: the country of samurais, sushi and cherry blossom!

I had the chance of spending those exiting 12 months at Akita International University (AIU) in Akita city. AIU is not just one of the best universities in the country but is also the only English-speaking liberal art public university in Japan!

About Akita:

Akita city is the capital of Akita prefecture in the Tohuku region of Japan. The region is known for, among other things, its scenic beauty, its beautiful women, the Akita Komachi rice, the Akita bread of dogs, and lots and lots of snow. Speaking of snow, if you turn into a cry baby every time it snows, don’t go to Akita! After all, the city is among the world ten snowiest cities and is located in the world snowiest country!
Despite it being a relatively small city, Akita offers all possible necessities: shopping malls, restaurants, bars, karaoke clubs... The Senshu park is the main destination of many AIU students on clear sunny days.

Academics:

The academic year at AIU is divided to two semesters and a winter program.

At AIU course prerequisites don’t exist! Yes, you heard it right, although not advisable, you can take an entrepreneurship course without having any academic business background!

AIU offers a wide selection of courses that could be divided into three main categories: Global Business, Global Studies, and the Japanese Program. As a BA student, I took several business courses including Entrepreneurship, Japanese Finance, Japanese business culture, and corporate finance.

I highly advise students going to AIU and Japan in general to take elementary Japanese courses. The amount of knowledge I acquired through the two Japanese language courses I have taken did not make me anywhere near fluent but did make my daily-life in Japan, my socialization with the people, and traveling much easier.

Food:

What can I say about Japanese food…. Hmm… to me Japanese food is simply pure happiness... Also…. No, Japanese food is not just about sushi and ramen noodles.

AUI exchange students studying at AIU are granted a meal card offering them with three meals a day. The meals at the university’s cafeteria are actually not bad, while most of the dishes offered are from the Japanese cuisine, there is often a good variety of dishes to choose from (3 to 4 options). Also, during lunch and dinner, students have free access to unlimited rice and miso soup!

Student life:

There are several student clubs to choose from when attending AIU. Clubs are a great way to get to know people and to fit in! Compared to AUI, clubs at AIU seem to be more relaxed and more on the fun side! Now, allow me please to practice my marketing skills: 
IF YOU GO TO AIU, JOIN THE IAC. (INTERCULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE) THEY ARE FUN.

The university’s RCOS (research and community outreach services) also organizes several often-paid weekly activities with collaboration with the local community in Akita. These activities allow you to learn more about the Japanese culture, have fun, and even make some pocket money!

Dorms:

Students have the four options when it comes to housing: Komachi Hall, Global village, University Village, and Sakura Village. During my three semesters at AIU, I have stayed in Komachi and can easily recommend it to others.

Komachi Hall offers student with double occupancy rooms which despite their relatively small size (compared to AUI rooms) offer all the basic necessities. Because the newly admitted Japanese students are required to stay in Komachi for their first year, Komachi is more than a dorm and is a great space for socialization. Actually, the Komachi lobby is easily the number one hang out spot in AIU!

One final advice: Travel as much as you possibly can, it would be worth it! I personally had the chance to do a lot of traveling throughout the country and visited tons of cities including Niigata, Kyoto, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and of course Tokyo!

Yama-dera

Forest Near AIU

First Snow in Akita

Akita International University Festival

Akihabara

Asakusa

Tokyo Tower

Sumiyoshi Taisha, Osaka

Traditional Japanese Performances, Yamagata-shi

Thank you Oussama for your post!! :D

Hope everyone learned some interesting facts about Akita International University, some tips about the life there and what to expect. And don't forget what has been said, if you get to go there, TRAVEL as much as possible !!!

Stay tuned for the next exchange life experience...!

Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA (Houda B.)

Hellooooo guys! 

Today a new post about another exchange :)

A student from AUI is sharing with us today her life experience during her exchange semester in the US too! 

Yep, this time we are in the state of Montana, in the city of Bozeman ;)

Let's discover together how it was!! 

So the first time I applied for exchange was only for fun:

One day, my roommate and I have decided to apply to see if it works for real. 

By the end of the week, we found out that we got admitted and that we had to spend the following semester in a host university far from home. 

I was hesitating at the beginning but quickly changed my mind and finally decided to go on an exchange program. In fact, it was such an exotic experience.

Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA

I got admitted to Montana state university in Bozeman Mt. The state was a bit different than any other known state. Montana was typically the countryside of USA.

The journey begun and I had to travel there by myself. It was my very first trip and very first time going abroad. It was a mixture of excitement and fear but it all ended up well. 
I arrived there and spent one of the best moments in my life.

I had the chance to discover the Rocky Mountains one of the greatest mountains in the world. 
Yellowstone Park and the hot spring basically our earth geothermal energy. I got the chance to meet American Indians who are basically the Native Americans.

Places I went to:

The university does not organize trips for their students, that’s why most of us had to travel on their own.

I went to Missoula where a high rate of American Indians lives. I can say from my personal experience that these people were not that heart warming as white Americans.

Missoula is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluences with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot Rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five mountain ranges.

Missoula is described as the "hub of five valleys".

Food:

When it comes to food there was no Halal stuff since the Muslim community is so small there. 
I liked the food though. It was pretty much junk food (hamburgers, pizzas, and fast food everywhere). 
You basically pay only for the access to the dinning halls and you can eat as much as you want.

Some tips students should know:

• Montana State is really designated for people seeking new adventure and I mean discovering the nature, hiking and exploring the national parks.

• Besides this, it gets so cold in there. It may go to -30 degree so bring your warm clothes.

• Avoid going to forests by yourself because a lot of bears live in the forests.

• Cost of living is so low, no taxes.

• It wasn’t easy to integrate with the people there. As a Muslim girl I found some difficulties to live there. No mosques, no large Muslim communities. People were a little bit racist too.

Classes:

The standard of classes can be compared to the one at AUI. They were not that hard, no attendance, and exams were on a very average level.

Even if attendance was not taken, you still see full classes and people who want to learn, not just attend not to be marked as absent (our case at AUI).

Transportation is for free in all over the city. 
Also, I advise people to take engineering courses since Montana is known for its engineering and research programs.

Thank you Houda for your post!! :D

Hope everyone learned some interesting facts about Montana State University, some tips about the life there and what to expect.

Stay tuned for the next exchange life experience...!