2. Be resourceful: You are an ambassador of your native country and culture. Be an informative person about your home country, and answer every question that you can. It will allow your hosts to understand you and your country. This is the same when you return home, be resourceful about your host country to folks at home.
3. Stay balanced: While it is in your best interest to dive right into the culture and get everything you can out of the experience, don't become a native. Stay true to your native beliefs, values, and home country. People will respect this. Be a proud citizen of your home country while abroad.
4. Be open: Don't expect to find things in your host country as they were at home. Be ready for dramatic change and anticipate frustration. Your openness and patience will enhance your stay abroad. A carefree mind and a willingness to explore will foster a great exchange.
5. Money: Classic advice for exchange students is to take half as many clothes you think you will need and twice the money.
6. Host families: Treat you hosts with the same respect, gratitude, and courtesy that you wish to be treated.
7. Romance: Your best bet is to stay away from a romantic attachment. While it is ok to date people here and there, our suggestion is that you do not get too involved with an individual. This will limit your array of friends and inhibit the immersion process. You want to make as many friends while abroad, and sometimes having a girlfriend/boyfriend stops you from doing so.
8. Food: What can we say… be prepared. You will be in some sticky situations concerning food. Our best advice is to close your eyes, picture a waterfall, and chew. Swallow your food, open your eyes, and say, "WOW! That was awesome", or, "Um, can I try something different?".
9. Email: It is great that we have email to keep in touch with our friends back home and all, but it really doesn't help you in the long run. Try this: Once a month, compose a general email about what you have been doing and send it to all of your friends. That's it. Try not to stay too involved with gossip back home or anything like that.
10. Smile: Last but not least, smile. This is the slogan of IESN, "We all smile in the same language". This will be one of your best exchange student skills, practice now, and use it forever!