The Exchange Student Survival Guide

Introduction

No matter at what point you are in your life you could be a former exchange student, you could be a happy or sad exchange student, you could an exchange student who broke up after some time because it was not what you expected it to be. No matter what you are, you are one of the people with the most courage. You should be proud of you!

You left everything you know behind. Family, friends, your environment, food, school and all the things that come to your mind.

Exchange is like a roller coaster. It goes up and down, sometimes more and sometimes less. Each of you out there has an individual one. For some people, exchange is the life of their dreams, for some is it worse than their life in their home country, and for some people, it is kind of the same. It does not matter where you are, you are in control of it.

Having courage is all it takes, time flies by so fast. Don’t get stuck in memories or dreams. You have to do something to make it the best time you can have. Don’t wait too long.

What will this guide cover?

Making friends

One of the greatest fears of an exchange student is making friends on the first day. We do realize that this is probably a common fear amongst anyone in the world really, (unless you’re like super popular and make friends in a heartbeat). But it is one of those things that can keep an exchange student up at night.

Homesickness

Before I left for my year, my friend and former exchange student told me that she would cry silently in the bathroom with a towel blocking her mouth, because she would miss home that much. Being far away from home is not all a bed of roses, but it’s not a bed of thorns either.

and much more including:

• What to pack
• Embarrassing stories
  
• Fear of missing out
• How I live (interviews with other exchange students)
  
• What we learned during our exchange
  
• What exchange have given us
  

• Ups and downs with your host family

• Gift ideas

It's the perfect companion for you both before, during and after your exchange. So buckle your seatbelts and get ready for an adventures ride.