A language course abroad is an incomparable experience. It opens more doors than you can imagine and takes you down paths you never thought you would take. This one decision prepares you for so many unexpected moments in life and influences your everyday life even months and years later.
Have you taken a language course like this? Then today you are closer to the future that you might not be able to have without learning a foreign language. You’ve seen more of the world, and that’s noticeable. Whether you are already fluent in the language or still need practice, your language course abroad has already paid off: you are more self-confident, more educated, more experienced and well prepared for the adventures that life has in store for you.
1. You are self-assured and confident
You found your way around a foreign country in a language you had only just begun to learn. From grocery shopping to taking public transportation, you’ve learned how to navigate your everyday life, so nothing can easily upset you anymore. A worldly person like you can handle whatever life throws at you. No big deal.
2. You’ve seen all the sights
You were there, you saw it, you tried it. You spent part of your life in the city of your dreams and lived there like a local. That’s why you know so much more than the famous buildings and shopping streets. But if your friends want to visit “your” city, you can give them useful tips on when and how best to get there.
3. You still use the My EF app
The website has become an important part of your life. Here you can find the timetable and network with other course participants – the app is like a bulletin board for all EF course participants. Looking at your calendar every day has become such a habit that you still look at it every now and then.
4. Your social media accounts look good!
When you reached your destination, pretty much the first thing you did was take a photo to share with your friends and followers. Whether it was the beach in Miami Beach or the classic shot of Big Ben in London, you photographed all the beautiful corners of the city where you completed your language course. And still like to post pictures of your stay. Your #tbt or “Throwback Thursday” is legendary, but most importantly, you learned how to create the best memories of your life.
5. Speaking of social media: you won’t be able to shake the nostalgia.
If you look around the EF Instagram account, the nostalgia comes naturally. Before this trip, you had no idea that it was possible to be homesick for a place where you weren’t born or raised.
6. Your circle of friends extends around the world
Did you ever think that your best friends would live in different corners of the world? Not only do your friends have a different zip code than you, they’re scattered all over the globe and you already have plans to visit each one!
7. Your next trip abroad is on the house
When you do a language course with EF, there is always the chance to come back, to continue, to experience more. You can become an EF Ambassador and enjoy all the benefits that come with it: free travel, new experiences and the opportunity to stay connected with the friends and colleagues you met abroad.
8. You dream in a different language
It is said that the ultimate proof of your fluency in a language is dreaming in that language. So not only can you express and understand almost everything that is said in the previously foreign language, you also experience and use it in your dreams. The first time this happened to you may have been a long time ago. Maybe you don’t even notice it anymore because you live and breathe both languages.
9. You can find your way anywhere
Finding the shortest route from A to B has become second nature. The subway system in New York, the streetcar in Toronto or a bus in St. Julian’s, you’re an expert on public transportation.
10. Your career path has changed and is looking up
It is important to think about your future working life early on. For most students, the goal is to find a job and pursue a career that they can identify with and for which they feel well prepared. A language course abroad offers the chance to get involved in new things and come home with the feeling of being prepared for anything.
11. Your host family is somehow also home
You had a wonderful host family who showed you their city and gave you help and advice. And after a while you felt like you were at home with them because you spent just as much time making friends there residence to visit, like in your host family’s house. You miss the delicious food and have even tried to recreate some of your host mom’s tastiest dishes at home.
12. You have learned to make smart decisions and the best choice
You had big plans: the trip to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, shopping, a road trip through the desert, and you wanted to try every cool restaurant within 50 miles. At some point you had to decide what was most important to you, because everything at once just wasn’t possible. You’ve figured out how and where to get the most value for your money, how to manage your finances, and how to squeeze in as many trips and trips as possible.
13. You unexpectedly learned another language
No, we don’t mean the language that made you travel to another country. It quickly became clear that only a few of your course colleagues spoke your native language, so you had no common ground. You made an effort and tried to communicate in the new foreign language, but when that came to nothing, you muddled through with your own version of a universal language that consisted of gestures, exaggerated facial expressions, grimaces and various humming tones. You’ve been thinking about writing a book about it for a while. Could be very useful for future course participants.
14. You miss the EF employees
You made so many new friends. But looking back, what you miss most is the employees who took care of you. Your teachers, the boys and girls from reception, the activities team – they have all accompanied you on your journey and you will never forget them.
15. You feel like a citizen of the world
When you signed up for your language course abroad, you were afraid or at least very respectful of the idea of living so far away from home. But now that you’ve gone through with it, not only can you imagine working and living in another country one day, you’re also already thinking about how you’ll eventually make that idea a reality.
