Visiting and living in countries where your languages are spoken

[rdearman]

I definitely wouldn’t be able to cope with something like lost luggage on a linguistic level at the moment even with broken language or Tarzan speak. I’d have to hope someone there spoke enough English to help me. I have a year to improve though, so it’s not a lost cause yet.

Since you have a year some practical language learning you can do is find a phrasebook and memorise the things you might need to know if you, lost your luggage, got sick, needed directions, etc. In fact if you have the money it might be worth booking some itali tutors who will run through various scenarios with you like that. At least if you're sure you're prepared for emergencies then minor stuff will be less of a worry.

[Spoonary]

Nerves aside I intend to make the most of my year abroad.

If you have this attitude, you don't need anything else from us

That said, I'll share my experience with you and hopefully it'll help you in some way.

I went to live in Santiago de Compostela, Spain for a year in 2013. I wasn't studying, rather I had a job placement in a school in a nearby town as an English Language assistant, so that brought its own complications when planning where to live but hey ho.

How did you prepare?
Well, our university had 'preparation sessions' which didn't really prepare us that well, to be honest. They mainly told us to make the most out of the experience, which I had already planned to do. I did contact the school, however, and found out that it would be best for me to live in Santiago, rather than the small town I would be working in, because there would be more students, people my age and generally more things to do.

In terms of linguistic preparation, I will just reiterate what many here have already said. Do LOTS of listening to natural speech. Watch vloggers on youtube, comedies, anything that interests you that has 'natural' speech. You have a whole year. Even if you can't understand much now, if you watch this kind of thing consistently during the year you have, your comprehension WILL improve, I promise. In conversation, comprehension is the most important thing, in my opinion. If you're going to Tarzan-talk the answer at them anyway, you at least want to be answering the right question

Where there any particular challenges you encountered/things that took you off guard?
I don't want to discourage you by pointing out the negatives but you did ask so... STORY TIME! Like many others, I was advised to wait until I got to Santiago before I looked for somewhere to live, so I booked a few nights in a hostel for when I arrived. After having arrived and struggled to talk to the guy at the hostel (I expected some fluent Spanish to flow out of my mouth and it just didn't, shock horror! ), I was terrified to enter a restaurant that evening (aside from the language thing, I didn't know how things were done in Spain and I was afraid of looking like a loner and getting swindled etc.) so I went to a take-away and asked for a 'long' coke instead of a 'large' *sigh*

The next day, let's just say I wasn't looking forward to calling strangers in order to organise flat viewings... I was actually terrified, so I avoided it and sent out a load of emails (which wasn't the best way of organising things but it worked for me). I went to one flat viewing and had the most awkward interaction with the two lovely Spaniards that were there (I didn't even know about the kissing thing and pleasantries weren't my forte, nor did I know what to ask about the flat because I had never looked for one before *sigh*). Needless to say I didn't end up living there. I found a flat with two Polish girls and a Galician woman who was subletting (but shh). I felt less overwhelmed with them, as they were in the same (or at least a similar) situation as me (plus, I loved the flat but that's not important) so I lived there and had the greatest year ever. It turned out that the two Polish girls spoke excellent Spanish and I improved loads just talking to them...

How ready did you feel before you went?
I thought I felt ready. I thought I was ready to have the time of my life, and I was, but the first few days were rocky (see above). I think it was my attitude, the fact that I was determined to have a great time, no matter the cost, the embarrassment, the tears (I cried on the train, the plane, in the hostel) that meant that it ended up being the greatest year of my life. Sure, there are several things I would change if I did it all again but in my experience, life is often like that.

Any tips?
Try new things (I joined a Spanish acting class which was VERY demanding but a whole load of fun too), travel, be positive, be friendly, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. In general, just have the best time you can!

[Elenia]

Just as a counterpoint to everyone else...

I didn't do anything to prepare myself for my year abroad in France. In fact, every time I thought about it, I got panicky, was terrified and felt paralysed. So I actively didn't do anything at all, and so ended up not booking my plane ticket, registering for my school and accomodation etc. until the night before I had to leave. In fact, I didn't even have everything I needed to complete my registration and move into the student accomodation before I arrived, and had to wait a week or more for some of these things.

But I was fine.

My mother and brother came with me, and as my mum speaks some French she was able to bolster my confidence and step in whenever I was chickening out, which was nice. But I realised during that time that my French was much better than my mums, and I could handle these situations just fine. It was partly nervous adrenaline, I'm sure, but it helped.

Of course, I'm not saying the best thing to do is follow my example and bury your head in the sand - doesn't seem like you're going to do that anyway! Languagewise, I'll echo a few others here and tell you to spend some time plugging the gaps that you know are there. There will always be things you don't know, and that's fine, but get the common situations down pat. Make sure you know the words you'll need for lost luggage, accomodation, and so on. Phrasebooks and italki tutors have been mentioned, and those are excellent ideas. If you can get some vocabulary for talking to police and dealing with emergency medical situations, that is also good. Hopefully you'll never need it, but it's good to have it. Personally, my friends and I were completely thrown when we had to report an attack to the police. Being shocked and scared didn't work in our favour, but neither did being completely unused to the situation. It was something we had never practiced in class, so maybe get a tutor to help you with that kind of situation, too.

I've seen a post recommending against host families. I personally lived with a native student in student halls, which was great (we got on immediately) save for the fact that she spoke native level English. If you find yourself in this situation, be very firm. Explain that you're in the country to practice your language and stick to your guns. I didn't, and my spoken French suffered for it. I also know people who lived with host families, and they also seemed to do fine. Whether or not you'll get on with a host family is not really anything that can be predicted, but you'll be sure to have people who'll speak the TL with you.

Finally, you say you're willing to make the most of the time there, and that's great. Engage with the target language and culture. Find ways to meet new people based on interests - there are lots of sites dedicated to that, although I can't recommend any specific to China or Germany. If you will be studying abroad, see if the universities you will be at have any student groups or societies. Make an effort to talk to other students. If you will be working, I think the extra effort is not so necessary: everyone I know who worked on their year abroad made amazing progress with their spoken language. But engagement is still key to enjoying your time there.

And, as a final 'finally', in response to your fears about travelling: the year I went abroad was the first year I had been on a plane in a very long time. While my flight to France was done with my mother and brother, I had made the longer, and so, slightly scarier, flight to Jamaica from the UK earlier that year. It was the first flight I'd been on in well over a decade, and I had to do it on my own while knowing that I wouldn't be met by anyone I knew on the other side. I managed that too, and although my taxi driver almost scammed me out of a good few hundred jamaican dollars, everything turned out fine.

To sum up: if you don't take any of the advice in this post, you will be fine. This is a long list of the things that I didn't do, after all, and I survived my year abroad mostly hitch free. Even without doing these things, my year abroad was one of the best experiences of my life, and I gained a lot in terms of language skills and my confidence in myself. If you do even some of the things in this post, and in all the other posts, your year abroad will be amazing.

[Rem]

If you are worried about the actual travelling, especially in an aeroplane, the only real thing that is annoying is airsickness/dizziness from the altitude. Do you get carsick (or did during childhood?). Or trainsick?

I’ve never had a problem with travelling by car, coach or train and I’ve been on boats without any trouble as well so I guess there's a good chance that I'll be ok with flying as well. I’m tempted to find a day trip somewhere that I can take a short flight to. That way I can at least experience flying before I go on my year abroad.

If you don't understand, people get it - they see foreigners all the time, usually. And a lot of people will speak to you in English.
Especially in Germany, where many people studied it.

I think that people speaking to me in English would be both a good thing and a bad thing. On the one hand it would make it less stressful than if I had to stand there struggling to find the words that I need but, on the other hand, I tend to use English as a crutch so there’s the real possibility that I’ll just fall into a lazy routine of relying on other people’s ability to use English instead of improving my own ability to use German or Mandarin.

I suppose the solution to this is just a simple case of being honest with myself at the time. “Do I really need to use English in this situation or am I just taking the easy option because I’m scared to slip up?” If it’s the later; suck it up and use the target language.

One suggestion: Read up on your destination - decide what you want to see and give yourself a day off in each week to catch up, relax or do nothing. Travel is tiring and requires processing!

This is a good idea I’ll bear in mind for when I know where I’ll be going. I find out more about our destinations in the coming year. I think I get to choose between a few different options for Germany, but everyone in my Mandarin class goes to the same place. Once I know for sure where I’m going I’ll definitely be doing some research.

Since you have a year some practical language learning you can do is find a phrasebook and memorise the things you might need to know if you, lost your luggage, got sick, needed directions, etc. In fact if you have the money it might be worth booking some itali tutors who will run through various scenarios with you like that. At least if you're sure you're prepared for emergencies then minor stuff will be less of a worry.

I see that a few people have recommended italki and I agree that it’s a great resource.
I have had some lessons on italki and, while I wasn’t too keen on the idea at first, it has grown on me. I think it was mostly the way that I approached it at first that made it difficult for me. I booked a couple of sessions here and there but never kept up the momentum. I kicked myself after the sessions for every little mistake (yes, I know that this is not a good way to approach learning anything) and I always told myself that I’d book the next lesson when I was more prepared...when I felt ‘ready’. I’ve come to the conclusion now that I’ll probably never feel ready, so I’m just going to try and get on with it (no matter how difficult it is for me or how nervous I feel).

As part of my (failed) attempt at one of italki’s language challenges I started having regular sessions. Instead of waiting until I was ‘ready’ before booking the next lessons I just booked them and tried to prepare as best I could. Although it was taxing on my nerves, I was still having fun and enjoying the time. I relied heavily on English as a crutch (and still do). One of my goals is to reduce the amount of English that I need to use to get through a lesson.

Unfortunately the tutor that I was having lessons with has recently changed their timetable and the times that they have available now don’t suit me, so I have to look for a new tutor which is a shame because I enjoyed my lessons with them.

Once I’ve found another tutor I think I’ll follow the advice given in some of the posts here and ask if they can do some role play for situations that I might find myself in.

And, as a final 'finally', in response to your fears about travelling: the year I went abroad was the first year I had been on a plane in a very long time. While my flight to France was done with my mother and brother, I had made the longer, and so, slightly scarier, flight to Jamaica from the UK earlier that year. It was the first flight I'd been on in well over a decade, and I had to do it on my own while knowing that I wouldn't be met by anyone I knew on the other side. I managed that too, and although my taxi driver almost scammed me out of a good few hundred jamaican dollars, everything turned out fine.

Are scams like this common? It seems that a lot of people have stories about different types of scams but I see talk about the taxi one crop up quite often.

[Elenia]

And, as a final 'finally', in response to your fears about travelling: the year I went abroad was the first year I had been on a plane in a very long time. While my flight to France was done with my mother and brother, I had made the longer, and so, slightly scarier, flight to Jamaica from the UK earlier that year. It was the first flight I'd been on in well over a decade, and I had to do it on my own while knowing that I wouldn't be met by anyone I knew on the other side. I managed that too, and although my taxi driver almost scammed me out of a good few hundred jamaican dollars, everything turned out fine.

Are scams like this common? It seems that a lot of people have stories about different types of scams but I see talk about the taxi one crop up quite often.[/quote]

Well, this one is unlikely to happen to you as the taxi driver asked me to pay him what I assume was the normal fare, and I almost did because I didn't know it had already been paid. I don't go anywhere by taxi often, even in my home country, but the few times I took a taxi in France, the fare has always been reasonable. I think you might find that the fare is a little more expensive than is usual coming from the airport, but not by a lot. I think that is standard practice, rather than a scam.

You're a way off from this, and you might not need this advice at all, but if ever you use a taxi once there, get the number of a company rather than hailing on the street. I am talking purely from my own experience working in a cab company now (rather than experience catching cabs in other countries), so take my words with a pinch of salt. But, if you have the number of a company handy and that you trust, they should be able to quote you a price and help you out if you have any problems with the driver overcharging.

[Suzie]

I fully second the recommendations given so far, and share many experiences and rocky starts one way or the other...

I went abroad twice - first I spent a half-year term at another university, and then, two years ago, I "emigrated". Well, both times my target country was Belgium, but first the Flemish, then the francophone Wallonian part, so I wish to have this counted as two countries . And even though both stays were less than three hours drive from my home in Germany, I wish to call this "abroad"

I am a person who normally tends to overprepare. However, both times I really had no time to do so. I learnt there are only some very basic guidelines to follow for a successful start:

1) Make sure you have a place to stay - at least for the first days.
2) Make sure you quickly learn where the next supermarket is located.
3) Make sure you quickly learn where to find the next ATM accepting your bank card.
4) Know how to ask for your way home (and have an idea where that actually is) - or: make sure you have a map/a working smartphone

Nowadays, in times of internet, none of these should really pose any problem. When I went to Gent as a student, internet was more an interesting fairy tale I had heard of. On my second day, when searching a supermarket, I got lost. No map, only little language skills, an empty stomach, and forgetting the address of your new home - I call that a bad combination . I managed to ask for my way to a location from where I would feel confident to find my way back home, but could not understand the answers. Yet many people were really helpful, and many answered my questions, and even though I did not understand what they were saying, I just followed the direction where they pointed to. At the next crossing, I would ask the next one It took me a couple of hours, but after I had found a grocery store and filled my stomach, I actually enjoyed that trip.

In summary, with a bed, food, some cash and very basic language knowledge, you will be safe - no worries. I truly believe language problems and rocky starts are part of the experience - and probably that part that helps you grow and that you will have fun telling your grandchildren about. There is so little opportunity for fun adventures in our lifes!

[MorkTheFiddle]

Where are the Germans who insist on speaking English? My one and only trip to Germany was to Munich a few years ago. The hotel staff spoke English quite well, far better than I spoke German, that's for sure. Outside the hotel, despite the fact that my German was A2 at best, no one spoke to me in English or even tried to. There was a train conductor who spoke to me in Bavarian. When I gave him the German equivalent of "Huh?", he nodded and said, "Good, you speak German" and repeated his question or request in German. One sales person in a department store thought I was British (and she was surprised how polite I was--I'm not saying the British are impolite, but she seemed to think so--but she didn't try to speak English to me.

Taxi scams are a different kettle of fish. Apparently scamming tourists going from the local airport is part of the training course. I would say study the German rail system of your destination city thoroughly before you go. It is excellent, and if you are in Munich, say, it will serve all your needs because it has more rail transport than you can shake a stick at: interurban, urban, urban trams. And buses, too. The difficulty will be keeping them straight. You don't want to think you are getting on the subway to the Alte Pinakothek (not to be confused with the Piña coladothek), but end up on an interurban going to, say, Bucharest. Exaggerating, of course.

Finally, learn to say in German or Mandarin, "How do I get out of here?" I've never seen that in any phrase book, but have needed it in Spanish and German. Sometimes you're just tired of a tour or museum or airport and you want to leave but you can't remember how you got where you are.

[WalkingAlone13]

Just because I've seen a few mentions of the taxi scam, I thought I'd share my recent experience. I started learning - I use the term loosely - German at the end of January this year, I'd planned my usual let's visit one of my friends as a birthday present to myself in May, trip. My level of German was very low when I visited in May. I was slightly anxious about travelling which doesn't usually happen as I've travelled a reasonable amount by now and almost always alone. My friends had told me about the train strikes so I worried my beginner German would not serve me well if I got caught out by the strikes...I inevitably did get caught out, however, to my surprise, I coped just fine.
I travelled from Baden Baden airport to Baden Baden train station by taxi, my taxi driver spoke no English to me at all, and despite my misunderstanding how much it would cost me and giving him too much, and initially trying to give him the money before we got to my destination, it went well. He gave me the extra money back instantly, waving his hand at me and stating it was too much. I realised I misunderstood the amount he asked for and accepted the money back. He was incredibly friendly. My friend later asked how much the journey cost and when I told her she couldn't believe how cheap it was. Similarly when I got to Munich, it was already very late as the train strikes caused havoc with my journey, meaning I had to take a different train and make two additional changes, I was a little panicked and wasn't sure if I'd get to my hostel in time. I hurried over to a taxi with the address and showed him, we started putting my luggage in his taxi before he realised how close the hostel was and quickly laughed and gave me directions, saying it was very close and it would be silly for me to pay for such a short journey. He spoke German but it was easy to understand his directions. I got there and checked in okay.

You are unlike to find a lot of people that speak English, at least from my experience. However, Germany is probably the friendliest country I have visited to date, and every single person I asked, regardless of age, went out of their way to help me. One guy in Munich even happened to be going to the same place as me ( the coach station under Lidl) and he - in German - said that he was going to the same place and asked if I wanted to follow him. Okay, possibly safety implications with this but I was not bothered. We spoke about everyday things until we got there and he went off to the train station part and I made my way to the right to the coach part instead. He was very kind and when I thanked him he just looked happy that he could help and went off.

The only time that lack of German might be a problem is if you don't realise when the shops are going to close. I met a Canadian guy and a Korean guy at the hostel in Munich and both were not interested in learning/knowing any German at all. We tried to go to the cinema and they only wanted to see a movie if it was in English. I had to ask at the counter whether any movies were shown in English, weirdly apparently they usually do have at least one but not on this occasion. Later we went shopping as they were going to Italy in about five days time, and the korean guy had his luggage stolen on the train to Germany from Hungary. We were there for a while when the intercom went off and the message said, again in German only, that the store is closing. The Canadian and Korean guy were oblivious so I translated and we went to pay before a crazy store person ushered us to the till saying we either pay or leave. the two guys were a bit unsure of what was happening as we were going to the till to pay anyway. After paying, the Korean guy politely asked if he could have a ten euro note instead of 10 one euro pieces as change. We were met with a NO! now leave! and ushered out.
So yeah...apparently the store closing times in that particular clothes shop in Munich are quite strict. That was the only negative of the entire trip. Everybody else was ridiculously friendly. I went on from there to visit my friend in Tuebingen and again, every single person I came across was very eager to help with directions or any knowledge you wish to know about the place.

All in all, I got by without any trouble at all, with beginner German. I do not see you having any problems at all. I hope you have a lovely time when you do go, and, should you write about your year abroad in a log, I'd definitely love to read it. As I hope to spend my third year in Germany, albeit for a work placement.

[zenmonkey]

By the way, if someone decides to speak to you in English don't get upset or frustrated. You'll have other opportunities, they might be trying to be helpful, showing off their English, practicing, embarrassed that they can't understand your xxxx... Whatever the reason, just like you can decide what language your part of the conversation is going to happen in, they get to decide on their half.

Story time - many years ago an American couple approached me on the metro in Paris - I was going to work, wearing a suit and looked local. The man, with much difficulty, asked me in French if I knew how late the train ran - I answered, in English. He was not happy and let me know - "how rude, I spoke to you in French" as if to say I command you to speak the local lingo.

I answered with a smile, "yes, but neither of us speak it very well". I'd only been there a few weeks and I was not very comfortable with it. My answer was rude, but my first response certainly not.

You may decide to push a little and remain in your target language - they might plow on or get the hint. It happens. Even to me and I've been here 25 years and am fluent (with a slight 'odd to place' accent)

[Bluepaint]

Edit: If you want specific advice on packing light, I can detail that too. I lived out of a 10kg backpack for 4 months (until I settled down in an apartment in Mexico City for the remainder of the year).

As someone else who is also going away for an extended period of time, how did you manage that? My last major trip I did not pack smartly.