Kids on the 4th of July !!!

What do you learn with an exchange

Take a plane and go study in another country. Easy ? Not, so much. Because the simple act of pack your things and take a plane means and involves a lot of things. First you are leaving the safe area, people that you know what to expect from them, people that you know that will be there for you to cheer you up, to give you a hug, to say that you are wrong or sometimes just to hug you and say “Everything will be ok”. You are leaving your city, your country and your culture. In your hometown you know how to act, the rules, the places, the colors and smells. It’s a part of you, it helped you to become who you are today. And the main part about getting on an airplane to your exchange is just like jump from a hill without any safe net under you. You don’t have any idea what will happen with you there and how will you face this . Hard, isn’t it? So why you should do an exchange ? Because if you do it right, it will be for sure the best time of your life, you will learn so much and grown a lot. That’s why in this editorial you will understand why we enforce the fact that every young adult, 21, 22 years old, should do an exchange.

Do you remember the feeling moments before your first kiss? Or before your first day at school ? It seems that you have thousands of butterflies in your stomach, right? And after a few moments of fear, everything is perfect and you know that you will never be the same. It’s the same with an exchange. Of course that it will take more time than just some seconds, but at the same time the effect will last more too. And why 21 years old is the perfect age to do this ? Because you have the best of both worlds. You are adult enough to have your freedom, to go out and have same drinks with your new friends but in the other hand you are not so adult that you have a lot of responsibilities at home and a family to support and take care. After this experience I am sure that you will be a better person. But to do that you have to follow some advices.

First, don’t be afraid of saying hello and start a conversation with some student, maybe this person would be your best friend in this experience or he can teach you something that you don’t know, a word in his language or a new restaurant near the school. If he is a new student, he is facing the same fears as you and if he isn’t a new student he knows how is to be in yours shoes so he will understand you.  Don’t be afraid of people that are different from you and remember that is with the unfamiliar that you learn. At the same time you will notice that you are very similar and had the same thoughts at some point of your life. And the only way to discovery that is talking. So, talk. Besides that you will go and learn more about new cultures. If you are in the United States, go and do all the American clichés ( the American breakfast with pancakes and sausages, the musical festival, the movies, go to Vegas) and enjoy yours friends culture, watch movies from their culture, listen to their music, eat what they eat and listen a lot about their country and them a lot about yours too. Then, when you come back to your country you can say that now you have a favorite Korean actor, a favorite Greek singer and that the best movie from Netherland is that one.     

Second, never be afraid to try. Try every food and forget the sentence “I don’t like” if you have never taste it. Just taste it, the worst thing that can happen is you don’t like it. But you can really like it and have a delicious meal. Try to do new things, if you always said that you would never go to a rollercoaster, do it! Every day you should try something new, that includes flavors, smells, feelings, a cloth that you wouldn’t normally wear or something that you would never do it. Try, just try!

 I know that people will say that is too different and sometimes that Americans are not healthy and that as and example in Brazil people eat rice, beans and a lot of vegetables and all the food is fresh, simple and natural and that in the USA usually the things are frozen and a lot of fry things. So what ? Try, and live the life as an American, you’ve lived all your life as a Brazilian so change for this little period of time. This is an exchange.

The third and last tip is enjoy it ! Every morning when you wake up, think this will be a good day. Of course, that you will have bad moments but it’s up to you let them be just moments and not entire days. Every day in your experience abroad must be amazing, enjoy the weather, the people, the view, the knowledge, the days, the parties and enjoy yourself. Enjoy your life. And stop complaining, if you planned to go the beach but it’s raining go to a museum or watch a movie. If you are supposed to go to a party but you couldn’t get in, you and your friends are all in the parking lot waiting. What do you do? Go home and sleep ? No, turn on the music and party at the parking lot and go to find another place.   

If you follow this three simple rules I am sure that you will grow so much. It’s impossible after an experience like this, don’t change. You will be sorrowed by different people, different experiences and without mom and dad to say what you should do or not. You will learn how to deal with your own money, you will learn that your clothes don’t wash themselves, that you have to go to the supermarket. And you will start to notice that you are much more similar to your parents that you want to admit.

You will learn that the world is so much bigger than one that you’ve lived with family and friends. You will remember all that those boring Geography’s and History’s teachers told you. Sometimes you will feel like a little kid discovering a new world and just like a little kid, you will grow and in the end of this experience you will see that now you are really an adult. You will see that no matter what you will face after this, that you can do it. Because if you have faced one of the scariest situations without family and friends and speaking another language, imagine what you can at home.