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Getting ready for your study abroad experience can be one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of the journey! Taking time to learn about your host country helps you feel more confident and prepared. It can improve your ability to connect with locals, navigate cultural differences, and set realistic expectations for day-to-day life while you're abroad, ultimately leading to a more enriching and enjoyable experience.

There is a mountain of information to search through on the internet or in a book. Take some time and look around to see what you can find. You can also scour the nearby areas on Google Maps to see what is nearby. Making a list of places you might visit is a good way to organize yourself.

The is a useful tool that contains various facts about countries worldwide while also serving as an information resource for a country's history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.

Culture shock is something that all travelers will feel on some level. Below we have some ways to detect if you are feeling culture shock and some tips on overcoming it.

• Practice your language skills, or commit to learning a few basic phrases
• Watch films or television shows produced in or about your host country
• Listen to music from popular singers from your host country
• Cook a recipe from your host country’s cuisine
• Visit a restaurant that serves cuisine from your host country
• Read literature written by writers from your host country
• Read travel guides
• Keep abreast of current events in your host country
• If you know where you will be living, use Google Earth to familiarize yourself with the area, as well as plot your route to your host school

It is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the country's system of government, cultural taboos, along with the society's race, gender, sexuality, and disability viewpoints.

If you have any questions regarding any of these things listed above, please !