Exchange Trip Hints! Especially for Austria!

Hey Kath, here are some hints for Jessie.... Yes, that's true I probably do know who you mean, but do you know how many Sam's there were in my grade (because I don't....!!!) Nah, I think I do know! Where abouts is she off too? When? Exchange? I want to know it all!

1. Eat first, ask questions later (Just Eat It!)
2. Try Mozart Kugel (mmmmm!)
3. Pack an English dictionary – you’ll always need it for those weird words they ask you to define in English classes
4. Visit Schönbrunn Tiergarten in Vienna
5. Get an International Student Identity Card.
6. Take A video with a few episodes of a favourite tv shows:(a) for when you just need some tv in English(b) for your new friends, so they can see familiar shows with the real voices (Simpsons for example) and practise their English
7. Read a mixture of English and German books and newspapers. (Best available English newspaper, The Guardian International Edition)
8. Join the lending library for those books (don’t buy too many!!)
9. Take any opportunity given, and always ask more more!
10. Don’t talk to loudly about Kommissar Rex (Saturday nights, 7:30 SAT1)
11. Breathe in the culture (but not the smog! Just joking! Isn’t that bad!)
12. Talk to everyone, just for practise!
13. Don’t dwell on speaking mistakes.
14. When in Austria, do as the Austrians do (but don’t smoke! You’ll stop noticing how many smokers there are after a while too)
15. Be on your most helpful behaviour, especially with your host family. Useful phrases:
    Kann ich helfen?
    Kann ich etwas tun?
    Soll ich das machen?
16. Have a few yummy recipes – cook your way into their hearts!
17. When in doubt, give a shout! Ask for help! If you don’t understand something, nodding, smiling and pretending you do will only backfire! (Just trust me on that point!)
18. Learn how to day dream and look attentive – there will always be times when you just have to sit and listen, especially at the beginning, and maybe not really have a clue about what’s going on!
19. There will be at least one time you feel it’s all bee a big mistake and you should just go home immediately. Hang in there, wait a week or two and you’ll be fine again! Distract yourself (I found cooking helps!), DON’T ring home. Set small targets and don’t look at the big picture – just to the end of the week or month. Remember that millions of people have done exchanges or moved to other countries, and have survived!
20. Budget your money, but don’t avoid having fun because goes over your budget. You’ll only have this chance once and being a scrooge won’t make it memorable (well it might, but not in a good way!) Don’t forget that €1 doesn’t equal $1!
21. Don’t be afraid to talk to your local representative about any problems you’re having, no matter how small they’ll seem. Otherwise your parents will do it for you, which just makes you feel silly…!!!
22. Be prepared to hear this a lot:
    ‘Australien… Gibt’s bei euch Kangarus?’
23. Everyone will tell you two things, one’s obvious, the other you’ll laugh about, but both are true:
    Have FUN!
    It’s not wrong, just different!