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Year Abroad Guide

Taneshia Deckon

ContentsGUIDE TO YEAR ABROAD.........................................................3

BEFORE TRAVEL.......................................................................4

Essential Documents and cards:..........................................4

Dates.......................................................................................9

Times.......................................................................................9

Places your going to stay.........................................................9

Flights....................................................................................10

Hotel..........................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Schedule – hotel, time, bank, nie, university.........................10

Timetable..................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Essential documents..................Error! Bookmark not defined.

LANGUAGE PREP...................................................................11

MUSIC.............................................................................11

APPS.................................................................................12

Duolingo...............................................................12

Google translate, SpanishDict or equivalent Spanish dictionary.......................................................12

Memrise................................................................13

Tandem/Skype.....................................................13

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Babbel...................................................................14

Busuu....................................................................14

Tinder...................................................................14

FRIENDS.........................................................................15

PODCASTS.....................................................................16

YOUTUBE.......................................................................16

FILMS..............................................................................16

BOOKS/Libros................................................................17

OTHER USEFUL THINGS...........................................18

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GUIDE TO YEAR ABROAD

There are many things that you have to remember when doing your year abroad. From how much money you are going to bring to, where you are going to stay, finding flatmates, e-mailing your university and finding your new one. I have made this guide to help anybody who may need it for their year abroad.

The most important thing to remember is to be organised and research the country you are staying in, the people, the culture, the traditional customs as well as research the city you will be staying in, so that when you arrive you are prepared and immersed in the language as well as the culture.

Organisation is so important because there are so many deadlines from both home and away universities as well as, if you are doing a placement. Also with

time differences you need to make sure you have everything prepared beforehand. If you are confused or don’t understand something to do with the year abroad make sure you address it with your tutor or the year abroad leader as soon as possible, as it is a lot harder to contact them when you are in another country.

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BEFORE TRAVELSo before travelling I suggest that the most important thing to do first is sort out what documents you need to take and be signed and taken with you. These are the most important things as they ensure you get money, help, and support and admitted into the University. There are essential documents and some optional ones but make sure you know and fill in every single one. Make sure you have copies of absolutely everything important

Essential Documents and cards: Passport Passport size photos Erasmus grant form Learning agreements European Health Insurance Card Travel insurance Student card (ISIC) Caxton Card Driving License Important information and contacts

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Packing

Packing efficiently is very important. Just because you are going to Spain for your year abroad, for instance, doesn’t mean that it may not get cold, especially in winter and night times. So make sure that you have packed according to what the weather days throughout out the year. If you know it’s mostly going to be hot throughout the year but cold for a month or so, only bring one or two jumpers with clothes that can be layered and the rest of your clothes can be summer clothes. Also do not forget that you can and probably will buy lots of clothes when you are out there.

Portable chargers will be good when you are travelling and Adaptor plugs are very important especially when coupled with an extension cable.

A few books both in the language of study and your native are always useful, especially when travelling or bored. Kindles are especially good because it means you don’t have to bring any books as you can get them all in one place.

A hobby object. For instance, I am going to bring my painting supplies so that I can still carry on painting when I am on my year abroad. You may want to bring your guitar, musical instrument, paints, knitting supplies anything to keep you going when you are a bit bored or have a free evening.

A travel journal or journal to jot down all your memories.

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Here is a brief list of things to bring which may be useful for you the amount of each are up to you and how many suitcases you are bringing:

Clothes: Vests T-shirts Skirts Shorts Jumper Trousers/ Jeans Leggings Summery Dress Going out dress Swimming Costume/bikini Two pairs of tights Socks Underwear Light/heavy coat (depending on temperature) Pj’s

Shoes Sandals Flip flops Ballet pumps/slip on shoes Trainers/ converse/ puma suedes/ plimsoles Going out shoes/ Heels

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Toiletries Most toiletries you can buy in the country so I suggest you only bring anything you need for the month, so around one or two of each. If you know you can’t get it in the country- definitely bring more but 1 of each should be good enough as you can always buy them there.

Deodorant/ antiperspirant Toothbrush and Tooth paste Shampoo/conditioner Body wash Any face/body equipment you use e.g. Clarisonic Body scrub Retainers (If you have them) Brushes Hair products Face/ body products Make-up Paracetamol/ibuprofen Chafing cream/talc Contraceptives/ Feminine Products (1-2 month’s

worth) Glasses (If you have them)/ contact lenses Razor/ Shaving supplies

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Other

Local currency Vacuum Bags Camera with cords Document organising folder Purse/ wallet Bum bag Mobile Phone Sunglasses Laptop and charger iPad/tablet/ iPod Bag Backpack Some plates/ cutlery/ travel water bottle/mug Towel USB Foods and snacks you can only get in the UK e,g

Lucozade, Digestives,

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DatesChoose the dates in which you go very wisely. For instance if you want to travel earlier, I would suggest you go earlier in order to travel and be able to find accommodation, well before your starting university/placement.

Also if you want to do Au-paring in summer it would be wise to go as soon as possible so you can au pair as much as you can as well find your living arrangements. Accommodation is one of the hardest things to find. So don’t leave it too late at all.

TimesRemember that your time different may be significant depending on where you go on your year abroad. So make sure you take that into consideration with deadlines on NOW or with important things.

Places your going to stayIt’s best to be in a hotel or hostel for your first few days or weeks, before you book your accommodation straight away. So that you can possibly visit the place you are going to stay and so that you are not left on the street if the homeowner doesn’t answer you when you arrive and want to collect your keys! For apartments/flats and houses, look online thoroughly on websites such as ErasmusU and idealista (Spanish). Be careful there are a lot of scams! Make sure you

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view the property before paying any money or make sure it is a trusted website.

FlightsFlights can be pretty expensive so make sure you book them in advance or know the right days, times and months to book them for the cheapest deal.

Schedule –bank, NIE, university, toursHave a schedule for when you arrive with the most important things you need to do so you don’t have to stress about them when university starts /or placement. For instance,

Monday: Arrive, look around city, sort how Transport card.

Tuesday: Visit University or placement (possibly get documents signed) look at accommodation

Wednesday: Relax

Thursday: Sort out NIE (gets you a bank account and allows you to work), look at bank accounts, pay for accommodation and move in.

Friday: Get used to your accommodation make it homely. Go shopping for food.

Saturday: Do a tour, open bank account, Go out in the night

Sunday: Relax and study your target language.

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Money/insuranceMake sure you bring enough money to survive before your student finance or Erasmus money comes in as it may be late and you don’t want to be stranded without any money! I would suggest you have at least two months worth + spending as you will most likely have to ay a deposit. Also make sure you have some sort of insurance incase something bad happens or something is stolen.

LANGUAGE PREP

Watching TV shows

There are mini series on BBC and YouTube .Which give you cultural learning as well as language learning.

MUSIC

Spotify and TuneIn would probably be the best places for music around the world as they both include Radio’s from across the globe. With Spotify also providing playlists that you can add your own language themed music to or find others that have already done it. Youtube would also be an amazing best bet to find music in any language really. . People say listening to music is one of the best ways to aid with language learning and I really enjoy hearing songs in different languages as they’re so beautiful.

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APPS

The most important thing I would say is using apps to help you learn your language, just because they are on the go,with current society always having their phone on them at all times. They are also very fun and you can still use them when you are on Year abroad, without having to carry anything extra while travelling. So these are the apps I recommend:

Duolingo

Duolingo, in my opinion, is the best language learning app out tre! Easy to use, fun and uses an almost game like system,where you get rewarded for getting things correct and lose lives for getting them wrong.

The app allows you to progress grammatically and expand your vocabulary by slowly introducing new words, tenses and grammar each ‘level’ till eventually you feel fluent.

Its always useful to go on the app even 20 minutes a day as it will keep refreshing your memory, also an online discussion board is also featured which means you can always discuss problems with native speakers and people who are learning the language like yourself. It covers loads of languages and helps you with reading, writing, speaking and listening so its an all in one 10/10 package really.

I love using it especially when brushing up before I travel, so I will be using this the most for my lead up to Spain. I forgot to mention its FREE!

Google translate , SpanishDict or equivalent Spanish dictionary

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If you know a language student, you are a language student or you know someone going on holiday you will know that google translate (or a language dictionary) is essential. From translating a word, phrase or sentence-a translating app is always handy in case you are out and don’t know the meaning of a word or how to express yourself properly.

I already have mine downloaded and I don’t think I would ever delete it

Free, useful and helpful but don’t depend too heavily on it as you don’t want to rely on a dictionary for your whole year abroad!

Memrise

Memrise like Duolingo is another fun language learning app that uses a highly intelligent flashcard system to help you learn a language. You can create your own or use others, nevertheless this is very good if you are a flashcard learner, but even if you don’t it’s really useful just to help you learn and remember new words or phrases. FREE

Tandem /Skype

So Tandem is an app that allows you to make friends with natives or again other people who want to learn and you can basically Facetime/Skype with them on the app and do a language exchange.

I have yet to had a video call with anyone yet as I am so shy and I don’t want to embarrass myself but I might just go on it tonight because it’s the only way I’ll learn. Also you may

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make a friend that you can meet up with when you go on your year abroad so it is really useful to have this app.

If you don’t feel completely comfortable with complete strangers you can always find a tutor or online teacher and Skype with them which you would have to pay for, unless you have a friend who speaks the language then you can Skype with them for free!

Babbel

I’m half-half with Babbel as it used to be free and be really useful but since its revamped itself it only allows you to learn a certain amount before you have to pay. Although, it is very good in some respects. I put it on the list because some people may really enjoy this app and might even want to pay for the extra courses.

Busuu

Busuu is a mix of Duolingo, Babbel and Memrise to me, but getting native language speakers to correct your writing as an added feature. Again you do have to pay for some features but it does also include the video calling feature that Tandem has. I do like the app and it teaches you based on the official levels of language learning like A1, B2 and all that jazz that I don’t fully understand, but it is useful.

Tinder

Now you may think I am crazy putting a dating app on the list. But when travelling or actually being in the country, A dating app that uses your location is really useful. For example, when I go to Spain all the Spanish profiles will come up, therefore I

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can practice  my Spanish with them and maybe even have a date and find the love of my life, but obviously be careful with meeting up with people you don’t know, but that’s your own risk. I think It’s useful to meet new people, practice the language and even experience new places and people, by using such apps.

If you’re still not convinced here is an article and dsicussion board for it: CLICK HERE or here

FRIENDS

So making friends, either online or on holiday is always so important in helping you prepare for your year abroad or just language learning because you can:

1.Practise the language

2. Receive help when moving to the country

3. Learn where to go and what to do from a local

4. Have someone there, so you don’t feel completely alone.

So I already know someone in Spain but I am also going to go online and make new friends before I go on sites like ErasmusU and ThirdYearAbroad as well, as to read other peoples experiences. I am also going to go to Spain earlier than when term time starts so that I can become accustomed to the area as well as make some new friends in the area.

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PODCASTS

Podcasts are really good for your listening skills and you can listen to them anytime, in the car, at home, while sleeping! So Showtime Spanish is really good as well as News in slow Spanish and Notes in spanish. There are loads out there as well as on Youtube, So I always like to look around.

YOUTUBE

YouTube is one of the best things for language learners as one you can find people who are in the same situation as you and two there are so may videos for people learning a language in any language.

Here is another useful and funny video:

and you will even find odd,funny but really useful videos like this one!

There are so many videos I would be here all day If I tried to explain. My advice just YouTube for yourself, I literally spend hours on YouTube! It’s very unhealthy!

FILMS

Another endless topic as there are so many Spanish films like Pan’s Labyrinth and my personal fav REC. But if actual Spanish films are too much, you can always watch English ones with Spanish subtitles or the Spanish translations. This is especially useful for children’s films like like Finding Nemo (Buscando a Nemo) or The little Mermaid (La Sirenita) I would say Disney is your best bet for accurate and best translations as they make many of the films in another

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language. I watched Finding Nemo and Inside Out because I enjoyed them so much in English, I practically knew the words off by heart in English and therefore still understood the film in Spanish.

BOOKS/Libros

So there is the obvious Grammar books and Spanish language learning books but they can be very expensive. I say always look in second hand book stores, on Amazon, Ebay and online for them at the cheapest price. But I have also bought Harry Potter y la Piedra Filosifal and I read that whenever I have the time.

I also have the English version so I can read them side by side to help understand. Children’s books will really help get used to seeing the Spanish written so It won’t be such a shock when you see Vogue in Spanish or LA PAIS the Spanish national newspaper or walk around shops with everything in Spanish. Whenever I can I also like to buy magazines and newspapers in Spanish to help me. I will continue to buy them on my Year Abroad.

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OTHER USEFUL THINGS

So I say other useful things to help me prepare for my Year abroad linguistically speaking would include changing my phone to Spanish so I get used to Facebook, Instagram and text message words and learn more. I will also make posters to put around my room with important words and grammatical information. I am also going to make a conscience effort to try and think in Spanish even if it is just reading the time in my head in Spanish or thinking ‘Tengo Hambre’ instead of I am hungry.

Make sure you don’t stress about it and look forward to it. Your Year abroad will be one of the best experiences in your life so don’t ruin it by stressing yourself out too much. Yes, there will be some ups and downs and you will get home sick but you will defintley enjoy learning a new language in the city of your choice!

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