PRE-DEPARTURE ORIENTATION

1. PRE-DEPARTURE ORIENTATION UAB OFFICE FOR STUDY AWAY Heritage Hall Room 521 and 523 (205)975-6611 Phone (205)996-9224 Fax Email: studyabroad@uab.edu Website: www.studyabroad.app.uab.edu

2. Welcome to the Presentation Goals of this tutorial • To provide a basic overview of international travel planning. • To help UAB students understand that international travel has certain inherent risks. • To provide a framework from which students can make informed decisions while abroad.

3. Presentation Topics • Pre-Departure Planning • Culture Shock and Depression • Communication Abroad • Packing Tips • Safety Abroad • Money Abroad • Health Abroad • Law Abroad • Re-Entry Planning

4. Pre-Departure Planning • The key to traveling safely is: PREPARATION! • Research your country. The US State Department is the best place to find information about your host country. GET A GUIDEBOOK! Learn a few phrases in the language of the country. • UAB Insurance Information (if applicable) • Health Insurance Information • HTH Worldwide www.hthtravelinsurance.com • SOS International www.internationalsos.com • MedEx www.medexassist.com • Travel Guard www.travelguard.com • EAP (Emergency Action Plan) Travel Mantra #1: Know where your embassy is!

5. Pre-Departure Planning • Have copies of the following with you in a secure location separate from the originals: • Passport – This is the MOST IMPORTANT document you will have with you! A person without a Passport is a person without a country! • Insurance Card • Flight Information • Contact information for bank/credit card • Leave copies of the following with your primary emergency contact in the U.S.: • Identification documents (Driver’s License, Passport, etc.) • Insurance Contacts • Medical Information • Flight Information • Your contact info while abroad & contact information for bank/credit card

6. Pre-Departure Planning • Register with the US Embassy at:https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ Travel Mantra #1: Know where your embassy is!

7. Pre-Departure Planning • Where do I send my final transcripts? UAB Office for Study Away HHB 521 and 523 1530 3rd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294 • Student Emergency Information Card (online) • Personal Data Form (online) • Be sure to turn in the following to the Study Away Office: • Study Away Release Agreement • Study Away Contract • Consular Information Sheet Sign-off Form • Copy of my passport photo page • Copy of my flight itinerary • Copy of my Health Insurance Card • Contact information for 3 people in the US while I’m gone

8. Culture Shock • Travel with an open mind, respect for other cultures and the joy of learning something different. • Travel Patiently: Don’t expect everything to work the same way it does back home. • Travel Gratefully: Enjoy every experience – even the “bad” ones. They make you stronger, and you’ll be able to laugh about them later. Travel Mantra #2: There is no better, no worse, only different!

9. Culture Shock • Are you an “Ugly American”? • How can you change the world’s negative perception of the US and Americans? • Learn more about the current events related to US-Foreign Relations (especially as they pertain to your host country). Travel Mantra #2: There is no better, no worse, only different!

10. Culture Shock: The Homestay Experience Scared about your homestay? Here are some tips to help you cope: • Bring a gift. • Participate in daily household activities (yes, even cleaning!) • Do not use excessive amounts of hot water. • Be receptive to activities planned by your host family. • Try to be flexible and fit-in with family’s routine. • Stay in contact with your host family when you leave the country. With some planning to align your expectations to reality, a homestay can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life!

11. Overcoming Culture Shock & Homesickness 5 Steps to Thinking Locally • Be willing to re-think your sense of personal space • Prepare for a different cultural level of body contact • Think like a local, not a tourist • Talk like a local, not a tourist • Prepare for independence

12. What Is Culture Shock? 1. Initial Anxiety 6. Acceptance of Host Culture 2. Initial Elation (Honeymoon) 7. Return Anxiety 3. Initial Culture Shock 8. Return Elation 4. Superficial Adjustment 9. Re-entry Shock 5. Depression-Frustration 10. Reintegration Rhinesmith's Ten Stages of Adjustment Source: Returning Home, Canadian Bureau for International Education, 1984, p. 7.

13. Culture Shock: Stages of Cultural Adjustment • Stages 1 - 5: Honeymoon Phase to Culture Shock • Upon arrival, you LOVE everything! It’s just the most wonderful experience ever. Everything in the new place is BETTER than at home. • After a little while longer, you start to miss home a little and start to compare the host culture to your home culture. Not everything is so perfect any more! Everything is WORSE than at home. • Stage 6: Acceptance of a new culture • You start to understand and appreciate the cultural differences between the US and the host country. You develop a new set of friends, may be traveling more, and may even be dreaming in another language. The "other way" may now become the "normal" way of living.

14. Culture Shock:Homesickness • HOMESICKNESS IS NORMAL! • Most common adjustment problem related to culture shock and loneliness. Experienced by students from every country, homesickness is a universal side-affect to being away from home. • Some students might experience homesickness within the first few days or weeks of being abroad, while others might not be hit by homesickness until later on. • You may start to actually HATE everything about the new surroundings as you long for the comforts of home. Nothing in the new place compares to what you have “back home” • Also, many students report increased feelings of homesickness during the winter months when darkness, rainy weather and the cold can lead to feelings of depression.

15. Culture Shock: Coping with Homesickness Tips to help you cope with feelings of homesickness:Don’t wait for homesickness to go away by itself. • Get involved in opportunities that keep you busy and occupied so that you won’t think about home. Join a sports team or club, join a gym, or participate in program activities. Take classes that you're interested in and get involved in your favorite activity, or try new ones. • Confront your feelings by talking to someone (a counselor, family member, roommate, or another student). Chances are likely that others may be feeling the same way you are. • Make friends with locals and invite them to spend time with you. Creating such a support network can really help to alleviate homesickness while creating lasting friendships. • Familiarize yourself with your new surroundings. Walk around. You will feel more in control if you know where buildings, classes, and services are. • Be patient as you adjust to the unexpected realities of being abroad, and how abroad is not like home. Examine your expectations. We'd all like to be popular, well-dressed, well-organized, well-adjusted. Well, we're not. Setting a goal of perfection is the most predictable way of creating trouble for yourself. Laugh at your mistakes. You're learning.

16. Culture Shock: Depression Depression can leave you feeling helpless and out of control of your life, your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. You want to regain and experience more power and control; you want to get to the point where you feel like you can do something to improve your situation and life. What Can I Do If I Think I Am Depressed? • Remember that these feelings can be a normal part of study abroad. • Take a walk outside. • Take one “problem” or “issue” at a time and think about, write down, or discuss with a friend, what might help alleviate the “problem” or “issue.” • Write to the UAB Study Away Office. What NOT To Do If I Think I Am Depressed? • Do not expect depression to just “go away on its own.” • Lock yourself in your room. • Call mom, dad, significant other every 5 minutes.

17. Communicating back home • Realize the importance of your experience • Set expectations with family members/loved ones • Put things in perspective • A little isolation helps you grow • Seek help locally • Storytelling to reflect and enrich • Stay connected and be open-minded • Share your stories with those at home to put new experiences in perspective • Keep contact with home in check; find time for new friends abroad • Respect the communication conventions of your host culture • Seek help locally if you need it • Make a record of your thoughts and feelings to help you reflect

18. Communicating back home As you go through the cultural adjustment (immersion) experience, you will have to find a balance between communicating with loved ones back home and finding your place in the host location. Be strong! You can make it just fine in your new surroundings!

19. Special Issues in Study Away Many countries around the world may not enjoy the same civil freedoms we do in the US. Be sure you understand how you might be perceived while abroad by reading more about the history or cultural norms of your host country regarding: • Women • Minorities (Ethnic and Religious) • LGBT Students • Students with Disabilities

20. Packing When planning your travel, not only do you have to leave your emotional baggage behind, you also need to leave non-essential items at home, too! • YOU and ONLY YOU are responsible for your luggage. Don’t take more than you can carry! • Don’t pack anything you don’t want confiscated. • Don’t forget prescription meds! Keep all prescription and over-the-counter medications in their original containers. Consider packing some Immodium or PeptoBismal. • Know your airlines baggage restriction policy (weight, liquids safety, extra charges, etc.) • Have a plan for bringing back those souvenirs. (You really do not have to buy something for everyone!) • Believe it or not, clothing, laundry facilities, soap, shampoo, and other toiletry items are readily available in just about any country – there might be something you can pick up once you arrive so that you can lighten your load now. • Although unfashionable, a broken-in pair of sneakers is your best friend. New shoes mean blisters and a BAD start to your trip! • As the Scouts say: “Be Prepared!” Take a small first-aid kit along with you. Travel Mantra #3: Travel Lightly!

21. Packing Remember: 3-1-1 Airline guidelines for carryon luggage: 3 ounce bottles for liquids 1 quart-sized clear plastic, zip-top bag 1 bag per passenger placed in a screening bin Travel Mantra #3: Travel Lightly!

22. Quick Review Travel Mantra #1: Know where your embassy is! Travel Mantra #2: There is no better, no worse, only different! Travel Mantra #3: Travel Lightly!

23. BREAK

24. Safety • Remember to register your travel plans with the US Embassy. It’s fast and easy! https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ • The US Department of State provides the most accurate and current information about your host country as well as helpful information for US citizens abroad. • Though airports are full of security, you still need to watch your luggage at all times. • Prepare a personal Emergency Action Plan (EAP). Writing down what you will do in an emergency before an emergency happens can save you time and help you deal more efficiently with an emergency situation.

25. Safety (Cont.) • Don’t travel alone at night or on long trips. • Don’t invite strangers to your room. • Notify someone of your travel plans. Tell them your expected travel dates, expected arrival and expected return times. • Excessive drinking can be an invitation for disaster. If you are drunk, you are more likely to become a crime victim. • Feel free to email or call us if you think we can be of assistance, but remember that we are thousands of miles away and may not be able to respond as quickly as you need. REMEMBER: Travel Mantra #1: Know where your embassy is!

26. Money Matters • “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!” Carry a combination of a debit card, credit card and cash/traveler’s checks. • ATM’s generally work just fine everywhere in the world. If you’re not sure if ATM’s are readily available in your host country, ask your bank for advice. • Don’t carry a large amount of cash on you at one time. Take out only what you need for a day – you can always get more later. • Call your bank and credit card companies to alert them that you’ll be traveling abroad. Make sure you can increase your withdrawal limit should you need to use your credit card for an expensive emergency. • Be sure you understand your currency conversion rates or bank fees associated with overseas withdrawals.

27. Health Abroad • Check the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), The World Health Organization (WHO) and the US State Department for the most up-to-date information regarding health issues and/or vaccination requirements in your host country. • Meet with your physician before leaving the US. • If you take prescription medications, make sure you have a sufficient supply to last you for the entire time you are abroad. It may be a good idea to have a copy of the prescription with you. • Anticipate your health requirements. If you have an allergy to something, be sure to communicate that with your host family/program provider. • Practice “common sense” health habits: safe sex, washing your hands, going to a doctor if you feel flu-like symptoms, etc.

28. Laws Abroad • You are bound by the laws of the country to which you are traveling. • You are also bound by the UAB Student Handbook Policies. • Drug abuse will NOT be tolerated and could land you in jail. • Drinking, while perhaps an important part of the local culture, is oftentimes subject to the same laws and restrictions as in the U.S. Alcohol abuse in any country is a recipe for disaster. • If you find yourself in jail, UAB will not be able to assist you. Even the US Embassy in your host country may have limited authority to assist you.

29. Coming Home:Re-entry Issues So your study abroad has come to an end and you’re on your way home? Everything will be exactly as it was when you left, right? WRONG! You are not the same as when you left!

30. Coming Home:Re-entry Issues 1. Initial Anxiety 6. Acceptance of Host Culture 2. Initial Elation (Honeymoon) 7. Return Anxiety 3. Initial Culture Shock 8. Return Elation 4. Superficial Adjustment 9. Re-entry Shock 5. Depression-Frustration 10. Reintegration Rhinesmith's Ten Stages of Adjustment Source: Returning Home, Canadian Bureau for International Education, 1984, p. 7.

31. Coming Home:Re-Entry Shock • Stages 7 - 10: Leaving a new culture behind • As you become integrated to the ways of the host country’s culture, the more difficult it may be to re-adapt to the US upon return home. The U.S. just won't look the same way it did before leaving to study abroad. You may see home with new eyes and may also be more critical of U.S. cultural traditions once thought to be "normal". • Things may have changed significantly at home while you were away. • More importantly, you will have changed so much while those at home have remained the same. Don’t expect too much of them!

32. Coming Home:Re-Entry Shock Tips to help you cope with re-entry shock: • Start taking care of issues back home before you leave your host country: • Locate all return travel documents (passport, airline tickets, etc.) • Confirm your return flights • Remind your host program to mail your transcript to the Study Away Office • Register for classes for next semester • Tell your stories in small chunks. Don’t expect your family/friends to be enthralled by a 5 hour slide show of every day you were away. • Connect with other returned Study Away Alumni.

33. GOOD LUCK! Thank you for completing this Pre-departure Tutorial. We hope you have a safe, healthy and thoroughly life-altering experience while away from UAB. As always, should you have any questions, issues, concerns, simply want to vent, or simply want to brag about being outside the U.S., don’t hesitate to contact us. Bon Voyage, Buen Viaje, Arrivaderci, Aloha – See you soon!

34. PRE-DEPARTURE ORIENTATION UAB OFFICE FOR STUDY AWAY Heritage Hall Room 521 and 523 (205)975-6611 Phone (205)996-9224 Fax Email: studyabroad@uab.edu Website: www.studyabroad.app.uab.edu