Advice for different countries
According to interviews conducted by Golden Gate Xpress, students from around the world shared tips on how to navigate studying abroad in a variety of different countries.
Canada
“A bank account in Canada would be advantageous as we don’t have CashApp or Apple Cash transfers, but we have our own system called eTransfer, which is basically CashApp but with our country’s banks,” said Arjun Pillai, a student from the University of Toronto. “Familiarizing yourself with local transit is a must and just being overall polite will go a long way.”
England
“Different parts of England have different slang,” said Junior Quarshie, a student from the University of Essex. “Make sure you learn a few pieces so you don’t sound like a complete foreigner. Also, stop with the silly English impersonations, only good ones are allowed.”
France
“Try to learn as much French as you can before going, because French people love it,” said Camille Magalong, a business accounting student who attended the Neoma Business School in Reims, France for the 2023-24 academic year. “Don’t assume everyone speaks English.”
“Be prepared, because sometimes the French can be a little rude, but don’t let that rudeness affect your trip, because Paris, where I come from, is a nice city,” said Oceana Ngandji, an international student from Université Paris Cité. “Don’t hesitate to ask questions because some people will be nice with you. Mainly, don’t hesitate to try a lot of restaurants and go to a lot of museums, because they have a lot of museums.”
Hong Kong, China
“Even though Hong Kong claimed itself as an ‘international city,’ most people don’t know how to speak English, especially middle-aged people or the elderly. Young people usually can speak English,” said Man To Cheung, a student of Hong Kong Baptist University. “Learn some Cantonese — highly recommend the traveler to learn some lingo such as mm goy [please] or doh jeh [thank you].”
Cheung also said that Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are densely populated. For experiencing nature, he recommends Cheung Chau, Lantau Island, and Sai Kung. Cheung also gave advice about transportation.
“Locals, especially young people, don’t like taxi,” Cheung said. “Refusing to take a passenger is quite common. Some may also charge extra traffic fees when it’s heavy rain, or just for no reason. This is illegal but quite prevailing. But all in all, Hong Kong taxis are everywhere and convenient. If you want to prevent this kind of risk, you can select Uber.”
India
“You should be open to crossing India’s states,” said Kunal Sheth, a student from India enrolled in SFSU. “In US, where we find different nationalities, in India, you will find different cultural people.”
Japan
“It has gotten better to where like a lot of places are taking credit card, but still you always have to keep cash on you just in case,” said Chiodo, who went to Japan for a semester.
Korea
“There are definitely apps that are really useful,” Bartolo said. “I suggest using Naver Map when it comes to navigation in Korea. It tells you what kind of transport you need to use to go to different places. KakaoTalk is what is the standard form of communication between everyone there. Everyone uses it.”
“Get ready to eat a lot, drink a lot,” Lai said. “The convenience stores actually having food that wasn’t like completely junk food — that was surprising.”
Lai also said the drinking age is 18 in Korea.
The Netherlands
“Just meet people,” said Nikki Vanessen, an international student from the Netherlands. Have fun going to the city. Take every chance you can get to meet other people and make your experience a lot easier.”
Spain
“You’re gonna love it. Like, it’s actually the best country,” said Isabel Schweim, an international student from the University Carlos III of Madrid. “You’re going to meet so many new people because it’s like a very international place and have fun. Go with open arms.”
Switzerland
“Travel the country. It’s very beautiful, you don’t have to worry about things. You can learn a lot of languages. We have four official languages.” said Yannick Scherb, an international student from ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften in Zurich.
Taiwan
According to Shane Billingslea, who studied at the National Taiwan Normal University in Summer 2023, people in Taiwan are more reserved but don’t be afraid to approach them.
“Like, they will keep to themselves, but as soon as you ask a question or whatever, they’re very bubbly, they’re very fun and they’re super kind in general,” Billingslea said.
