Visit your dentist and other
doctors.
Dental care in
a foreign country can be expensive and you probably don’t want to deal with
health problems during your exchange year. Therefore pay a quick visit to your
doctor and make sure your teeth are ready for a year abroad.
Make sure to say goodbye
properly.
You won’t see
your family and friends for almost a year. So make sure to say goodbye to all
of them and don’t leave in a dispute with anyone.
Visit your favorite
restaurant/cafe.
You will probably miss it.
Money, money, money.
Pay a visit to your bank and find out whether you can
pay by card and withdraw money in your exchange country and how much it costs.
Also, do a little research about how expensive is life in the country you are
going to (the cost can also depend on the town).
Take more money than things
with you.
First of all, paying for extra luggage on an
airplane is very expensive and secondly, you probably will need or see many
things that you absolutely have to purchase here. This will only result in
higher luggage fees.
As for the things you do
take,...
Choose wisely. In Estonia warm,
water resilient clothes are a must and a camrea will probably come in handy
as the nature is extremely beautiful and you will make many adventures here. You will
probably also need a winter coat because what you call a winter coat at home is most
likely an autumn coat for us.
Choose one or two things
that remind you of home.
That could be a picture of your family or your favorite stuffed animal. The
things should mean a lot to you and they should help you calm down whenever you
might feel a little homesick!
Communicate with your future
host family.
Try to
create a future bond with your future host family before you arrive – this will
make blending in easier and you will already have something to talk about.
Think of a nice present for your Host family.
Little presents are always nice to show your host family that you appreciate
them hosting you! As a present you could bring for example a picture calendar
of your hometown or some traditional food from your home country. Be creative!
Learn the language.
Of course you will learn the language here but
wouldn’t it be great if you could already say „how are you doing“ and „what
time it is?“ in Estonian? Also, you will
feel less lost in your first language classes and will be able to adapt faster
at school.