A Q&A ABOUT MY YEAR ABROAD

I am going to answer a couple of questions you might have regarding the High School Exchange Programme. I will try to share my experiences so that if you are thinking of going abroad, you will have an insight from somebody who has been there. Maybe I can even take away some of your fears or convince you to do an exchange programme as well. 

If you have any questions relating to my time in Ireland that haven't been answered here don't be afraid to write me an email and I will either answer you directly or add the question to this page.

Email: liniinireland@gmail.com

Like I said, I wanted change. I wanted to do something that was completely outside of my comfort zone. I wanted a challenge. I wanted an adventure, see new places, meet new people. I got all of these things by deciding to live in another country for a year. When I announced it to my mother she supported me since she went to the US back when she was young. 

I personally started looking in the end of September, which is late enough for me to have missed all the conventions and meetings where different organisations introduce you to their programmes. My friend, who went to the US, sent me two links that led to the website of two organisations. One of them didn't have the programme I wanted to do so I chose the other one, AIFS. 

This is only my experience, I highly recommend going to one of those events to have a bigger choice and to find the organisation that is perfect for you.

To be honest with you, it was an intuitive choice. Looking back I don't know to 100% why it came down to Ireland but there are a couple of factors that played into that decision. Firstly, Ireland was one of the countries where you had pretty much control on where you ended up. I could choose the county and in Dublin, you could even put in your two preferred schools. Meanwhile if you go to the US you could end up literally anywhere. I was adventurous, yes, but that was too much uncertainty at that time. Another reason would be that I was a pretty big fan of Irish Folk/Rock at the time I made the decision and to actually visit the green island was a big dream of mine. Lastly, which may have played a bigger role than it should have; Ireland is not that far away from Austria. It's far enough to get the experience but still close enough to home.

There isn't much I would change about my year abroad but I wish I didn't give the last factor so much weight.

I don't know where German organisations draw the line, but upon arrival I met (mostly) Spanish Internationals who didn't speak a single word of English or could just have a little bit of small talk. Obviously, their English improved (for the majority) during the year as they were more or less forced to learn it. So I would say no, you don't have to be very good at English, although it makes your life, especially the first few months, a lot easier. But don't put pressure on yourself. I remember that I was super stressed and nervous, asking myself if my English was good enough (even though I was fluid before I came over) but I got nothing but compliments for my English skills. Almost everyone I know has improved so much since August/September and literally nobody expects you to arrive here speaking perfect English, don't worry.

After the interview with the organisation I got a bunch of papers to fill out. About me, my life in Austria, my family, and my preferences regarding school and county. Additionally I had to write a letter about myself for my future host family and bring in various forms for my school in Austria, along with a recommendation letter from my English teacher. These papers can vary depending on the organisation but what I've seen from my friends they are quite similar. At the same time where I was working on the papers and forms I had to talk with my class tutor and ask for permission from my headmaster and discuss how I will continue on once I am back. Due to my grades and my school I am allowed to come back to the class I was in before, but I have heard from friends, especially in Germany, that their schools didn't allow that.

The next thing was the preparation and information event/seminar in May in Bonn (Germany) where we got detailed information regarding our stay, the local partner organisation, our school, and general rules for the year abroad. At this point a lot of the other students had gotten their host families already, but I wasn't that lucky.

After that, there was nothing else to do than wait until the time has come to say goodbye and head into the adventure. 

Now packing isn't easy, but it's simpler than I expected. My biggest issue wasn't fitting anything into my suitcase but rather staying withing the weight limit. If you think of it, you really don't need too much stuff, as you will probably buy loads of things during your year. I remember that I was pretty stressed and didn't want to forget anything. But in reality, especially if you "only" go to Ireland or England, either your parents can send it after you, you buy and replace it when you arrive, or you learn to live without it. Particularly if it gets to clothes, I didn't need half as much as I expected since you wear a school uniform most of the time anyways (in Ireland). You will be surprised how little clothing you actually need for a year. I would strongly advise to do a check-list and start packing at least a three days before you leave, a week if you want to be really sure.

Yes and no. It was definitely a weird feeling to know that you won't see these people again for a while. To be honest, it was quite surreal and most of the time I didn't really acknowledged it, stuffing my calendar with plans to distract myself. There were moments where it really hit me and it was so weird and my feelings in that moment are a little hard to describe. But basically, to most of my friends I just said goodbye as if I would see them the next day. I didn't let myself think about it too much, besides the excitement prevents you mostly from missing people in the early stage.

It was a bit different on the day of the flight and the night before. I have to admit, and that not with shame, that I cried when I hugged my parents and my girlfriend goodbye. It was quite overwhelming but not exactly hard in that sense. Once I went through security all I could think of was my year ahead.

Well, I remember that I foolishly thought that it wouldn't affect me, that I wouldn't get homesick. Big mistake. Homesickness comes in waves and it is absolutely okay if you miss your home/family/friends. After the initial excitement of arriving I felt pretty homesick around October/November. First, I didn't even notice but after a while I realized that I wasn't taking proper care of myself. I forgot to do my skincare routine, forgot to shower sometimes and on weekends I sometimes got so invested in what I was doing that I just noticed how little I have eaten that day when I was called down for dinner and I was super hungry. The further we got into the winter months the worse it got, since Ireland is further North than Austria and thus it gets dark even sooner that I was used to. Paired with my tendency of my mental health not being at its best in winter I really noticed that my self care wasn't nearly as good as I wanted it to be.

But I am straying away from the topic. What helped me with homesickness was talking about it. With my friends here on long walks, with my host mam at dinner, or with my girlfriend. Although, I would say avoid talking about being homesick with people from back home because it usually makes it worse. Focusing on the things present is a very good method of keeping homesickness at bay, paired with distractions. Especially over the winter months I flung myself into so many tasks, extracurricular activities or school stuff. I picked up as many clubs and things as I could and got involved in as much as I could. Another way would be isolating the reason why you miss your home/family/friends, because then you can improve your mood with targeted actions. For example I recall missing the food I had at home, so I asked my parents to send me the spices and receipts they normally use and cook something for dinner myself. Or I missed my support system of friends back in Vienna so I did my best to build close relationships with people here and meet up more with my friends here. Lastly, exercise is very good against homesickness and I would really advise to pick up any sport when you go abroad. 

At the preparation seminar in Bonn I remember having this topic covered and they advised to keep the contact as little as possible, advising us to Skype with/call our parents maybe once or twice a month. From experience I would say that in the beginning, you won't have much time for talking with people back home and once you are well settled it is really depending on the person on how much they stay in touch with their friends and family. With today's technology, it is so easy to stay in touch and I personally texted a lot with my friends and my family, but not more than I spent time with my friends here. It is all about balance and after a while it can and will become pretty exhausting trying to be at two places at once and living two lives. At that point you have to let go and focus more on the people in immediate distance. I had more or less biweekly Skype sessions with my parents but it depended on the week to be honest. Especially in the last month or so I was too busy and maybe called them once or twice, whereas I remember that there were weeks where I called them maybe three times. Important is that you personally don't get overwhelmed and lose connection to the place and the people you are with. 

Communication is more difficult for the first half of your stay I would say. By the end it all felt more casual, the distance between us didn't feel that far so calling or talking with people back in Vienna caused less homesickness and was more casual I would say. I got used to it and learned how to balance everything. 

But generally speaking, one of the reasons I created this website is for keeping all my friends and relatives updated without having to text with everyone individually and it worked out pretty nicely for me and I would recommend doing it. 

So many things! The feeling of freedom, the almost completely stress free school year, the sea, my host family and their dog, the double-decker buses with wifi and chargers, debating, and definitely the landscape.

To get homesick and that I personally wouldn't fit into the Irish schools very well. I think those are the two main things. Looking back, it was pretty stupid from me to think that I wouldn't get homesick. I have never been homesick before so I didn't really know how to handle it at first, but I managed in the end. I didn't expect that I would find so many negatives about my school here and that my lifestyle (If you put it that way) didn't mix that well with the school system here. Not that I had any actual issues or conflicts, it was more a personal thing. For example, I kind of romanticized the school uniforms and I ended up dreading them. 

Good question, I actually don't exactly remember. I know I wanted the Irish accent and that I wanted to find new friends from all over the world. I hoped to gain an insight into a completely different culture and lifestyle.

That might sound generic, but the food. I got lucky with my host family. Since they are very active and live a more or less healthy lifestyle, we always have fruit and vegetables in the house and veggies or a salad are almost always a part of my dinner here. That being said, it is also a lot of instant or processed food, especially if it comes to snacks. I mean I get it, whenever I go to the supermarkets I, am shocked how much more expensive "healthy" food is, especially fruit and veg. Angela, my host mother, is a pretty good cook and whenever she can she cooks from scratch or heats up meals she prepared on the weekend before. At the beginning I was kind of taken aback since they used less spices than I was used to. During my whole stay I only tried one traditional Irish dish. It is called Coddle and is a kind of stew. It is honestly so delicious. I already asked Angela for the receipt so that I can cook it for my family at home.

Another, completely different thing, would be the Irish schools. I have to admit I still have my issues with the school system in Ireland and that it sometimes caused me great discomfort. My school in Ireland was stricter, we had school uniforms and the whole school atmosphere was completely different, beginning from the student-teacher relationship all the way to the lunch breaks and exams. If you are interested, contact me and I will make a new blog post solely comparing the two schools. I mentioned some things every now and then, but it's never a whole comparison or report.

Definitely the new experiences. I can't even really describe it, but the whole aspect of having to start a new life and build new relationships to new people is immensely exciting and fun. It is a challenge and if you fling yourself into it you get so much more out of your time abroad. Additionally, even though you have your host family and someone from the agency to take care of you, in the end you are on your own. This newly won freedom is I think one of my favourite aspects of being abroad.

The moment I arrived, to be honest. My host family was extremely welcoming and I immediately felt at home. It helped a lot that I was very open to the experience. As soon as I got into the car with my host father, who brought me home, I started having a conversation with him and even though it wasn't the easiest thing to understand him since he has quite the strong Dubliner accent, but that didn't prevent me from doing my best and talking to him. I can't stress how important it is to be excited and really open, especially at the beginning. Do your best to get to know your host family and your new environment as soon as possible. I think it also helps if you can decorate your room a bit and fill it with your possessions. 

Settling down in school proved a lot more difficult and I have to say all the way up to the last day of school, I couldn't fully integrate myself. That doesn't mean that I didn't have friends or that it kept me from enjoying my year. It's just that you can't set your expectations too high, your classmates have known each other for at least four years and most of them are extremely friendly, but that is where it stops. Like, I only managed to achieve a really deep friendship with other exchange students but that isn't necessarily bad! Also this is just my personal experience, I know from at least three other Internationals who have found Irish friends for life. Overall I would say it is way easier if you approach students, don't be afraid, most of them don't mind at all if your English isn't perfect and they will admire you for making the first step. Try to get involved in as many things as possible because that gives you a bigger chance of meeting somebody you really get along with.

Yes, definitely. I wouldn't say I am a completely different person and I don't think that it will ruin my relationships with anybody back home but I have changed, a lot. It is mostly my mindset and how I see the world. If you live abroad for a year you get a completely new perspective of things that none of the people back home had the pleasure of experiencing. I, for example, would now feel caged up if I had to stay in Vienna for too long. I definitely got braver, more independent, and more confident in my abilities. So I am still the same person, but I am not, if that makes sense. Oh and lastly, I think this year made me more mature due to the challenges I have faced here and the whole situation of being forced to solve problems alone and do a lot of things on your own. And lastly, I think I have changed in a way only those who did an exchange year as well would understand. It's like a club only few have the pleasure to join and those who can, have a special bond, no matter who they are or where they are from.

Well, the obvious thing is learning a language but there is so much more. A year abroad gives you the chance to grow more confident and more independent. You find a second home for life and it is honestly such a good feeling to go from tourist to local. You get to meet tons of new people and make friends all over the world. If you feel like you are stuck in your life, an exchange year can bring things into motion and as you get to know yourself more you can return with more knowledge and less afraid of change. 

In my experience, it is challenging but I wouldn't say it's difficult. Personally I have grown so much as a a person and my relationship has been evolving and I developed an even deeper bond to Maya, my girlfriend. Our relationship definitely got stronger through me being away for a year. Of course, this is just my experience. A long distance relationship is in no way easy but if you keep together through it you come out with a stronger and deeper connection than before. In that sense, I would say it was even beneficial for my relationship. But again, I can't speak for everyone.

If you really want to, you will find a way of staying together and in the end, an exchange year is not forever. 

A red flag would be if your partner makes you feel guilty of wanting to go abroad or tells you that they will break up with you if you decide to go to convince you to stay. No one, no matter how much you love them, has the right to dictate your life or keep you from being your own person with your own dreams and goals.