10 things you do after getting accepted to an international traveling school…

…when you’re an American. I mean, United State-n. From the United States? You know what I mean. 

  1. Try to stalk your future classmates from the facebook groups, only to be cut short by your inability to read their posts, which are all in a language not English.
  2. Tell your parents they should have taught you several foreign languages as a kid. Promptly ignore your parents reminding you that you were the one who hated language classes and wouldn’t attend any more.
  3. Screen Shot 2017-05-30 at 10.17.48 AM
  4. Look up the costs of getting visas in the 7 countries you’re going to, and realize you’ll reap the rewards and bear the burden of effective/ineffective foreign diplomacy soon enough.
  5. “[I] looked up timezones of the people I started chatting with so I didn’t text them at 3 am for some weird reason… Which, still didn’t stop me when I found something funny.” -Mayzie 
  6. “On Pinterest I found this really cool series of posters… which had customs, common phrases, hand signs, culturally relevant stuff etc. so I got all the ones to where we’re going.” -Vesi
  7. I recall googling drinking ages in the countries we were going to pretty early on…” -Kristin
  8. Cringe cringe cringe at every word that comes out of the Republican primary, election, and presidency of Donald Trump, because you have to look your future classmates in the eyes, 75% of whom are international and don’t understand what’s gotten into the U.S.
  9. “[I remember] trying to pry open the closed minds of my parents (especially in terms of international travel– why its worthwhile, why I’m not going to die, the benefit of moving outside of the US, etc.etc.etc.).” -Natalie 
  10. Google the locations of the seven cities you’re going to be living in. And maybe the countries too. 😅