10 Tips For Surviving/Making The Most Of Your Internship Abroad

By Francine Fluetsch on April 8, 2015

This article is brought to you by Dream Careers, the largest global internship program for college students offering all-inclusive programs in 11 cities worldwide. To learn more about Dream Careers, please visit us at SummerInternships.com.

Are you about to embark on an internship abroad? This can be very exciting, and definitely nerve wracking, and with so much going on you might not know where to start or how to spend your time.

image via balisuntours.com

So here are a few tips on how to survive being abroad (which can definitely be a little daunting at first) and how to make the most of your time while you are there.

Making the most of your time.

Learn the language.

If you are going somewhere where they speak something other than English, make it your goal to learn the native language! The best way to learn a language is to go to a country where that language is spoken. If you surround yourself with English speakers, you’ll use them as a crutch and won’t learn as much as you would have if you were just thrown into the city alone and had to fend for yourself with your foreign language skills.

Make it a point to mingle with some locals, maybe take a language class or two, and really give it your best effort while you are there. Learning other languages is like gaining a super power, and will be a wonderful souvenir to take home.

Travel, travel, travel.

You are abroad! Use your down time wisely. Explore the city you are in, use public transport to go to other cities, or even other “states.” Your experiences while you are there are something you will treasure for the rest of your life, so you want to make sure you can squeeze in everything that you would possibly want to do.

Keep a travel journal.

Considering how busy you’ll be with your internship and random touristing, it might be a fun idea to keep a travel journal and log all of your fun experiences. It’s easy to forget the little things, and they account for such great stories later, so it’s definitely fun to remember them.

Take lots of pictures.

A big fad right now is to have a go-pro and an accompanying selfie stick, so why not invest in one? A phone camera will do as well, but the point is to take pictures of all your adventures, even if it’s just you walking to your internship. The place where you will be staying and the culture you’ll be submerged in will all be new to you, and it would be fun to document the images to go along with your journal entries.

Eat all the food.

Don’t hold yourself back. Now is not the time to be calorie conscious! The food is half the fun when you are abroad so make sure to branch out and really try new things. Go to local street markets, or restaurants that host dishes that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else, and give your taste buds a whole new sense of what is out there.

Warning: this can be dangerous because you may not like American food anymore …

How to survive:

Keep memories of home.

Even if you are having a wonderful time abroad, becoming homesick is bound to happen. Keeping pictures of your friends and family around will help, and also make sure to Skype/call them when you can. It’s also fun to post your pictures on Facebook so people can comment on your adventures, know what you are up to, and offer you support and good wishes.

Learn the rules.

Different places have different rules, and you definitely wouldn’t want to be doing something you didn’t know was wrong. When a cop pulls us over in the States, we are supposed to wait in the car for the officer to come to us.

In other places of the world, people are expected to get out of the car without being told. Let’s hope you won’t get pulled over, but it’s good to know some general rules there so you know what is expected of you.

Get a travel guide.

New places can get rather scary because of how big and confusing they are. A travel guide in your backpack is a must. In there, you’ll learn where all the touristy stuff is, as well as hotels if you needed to stay the night, information about the city that could be important to you later, and places to eat if you have been walking for a while and just can’t wait anymore. There are tons of additions so look for one that best suits your needs.

Stay with a host family.

A host family will help you out a lot, especially if there is a language barrier. They’ll be able to show you around, help you get accustomed to the new culture, and fill you in on their way of life. You’ll get a whole different perspective if you live with a family instead of by yourself, so I’d really encourage you to look into it.

Don’t give up.

There are times where you are really going to want to go back home in the beginning. This happens, so don’t worry! Just give it time. If you’re like me and hate change, it will take you a bit to get adjusted, but I promise it will be worth it to stick it out.

Happy traveling!

Looking for a top internship in an exciting city? Enroll in Dream Careers and guarantee yourself an internship and a fun summer in your choice of 11 cities globally. To visit our website, please click here.

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