Austausch Jahr Kanada?
Hey,
ich bin 16/w und denke schon seit langem über ein Austauschjahr nach, habe mich allerdings nie richtig “bereit” gefühlt, da ich immer eher eine “Stille Maus” war…
In den letzten Monaten hat sich bei mir sehr sehr viel getan, was meinen Charakter und meine Entwicklung angeht.
Ich war immer schon recht erwachsen und verantwortungsbewusst aber eben sehr still und unsicher.
Nachdem nun ein ehemaliger Freund in die USA gegangen ist, kam das Thema wieder auf und jetzt sehe ich es als große Chance mich noch weiter zu entwickeln.
Ich habe jetzt viel recherchiert (hatte entsprechendes Infomaterial schon aus den letzten Jahren zu Hause) und das ganze mit meinen Eltern besprochen.
Ich würde gerne für 5 Monate nach Kanada.
Für mich fühlt es sich total richtig an (treffe eigentlich keine unüberlegten Entscheidungen, habe daher also Vertrauen in mich)
Jetzt bin ich mir allerdings in einigen Punkten noch etwas unsicher…
- Denkt ihr, ich kann als Introvertierte, teilweise noch etwas unsichere Person nach Kanada?
- Könnt ihr Organisationen empfehlen? (meine bisherigen favourites sind Camps, TravelWorks und Kulturwerke Deutschland)
- ich habe teilweise Bedenken wegen meinem Englisch: stehe auf dem Zeugnis auf einer 3, schriftlich habe ich immer 1en. In der Schule traue ich mich nicht wirklich etwas auf Englisch zu sagen, daher die 3. Im Unterricht verstehe ich bis auf einzelne Wörter alles und bin gut im Texte schreiben. Aber in einem Englischsprachigen Land ist es ja dann doch etwas anderes, vorallem wenn man spontan antworten muss…
- nehmen die Orgas mich nicht, wenn ich etwas zurückhaltender rüber komme? (bin die Art von Mensch, der erst auftauen muss)
- Findet man schnell Anschluss?
- Könnt ihr Regionen in Kanada empfehlen? (tendiere gerade zu Vancouver Island)
- ist es schlimm, wenn man in Kanada keinen Sportclub beitritt? War nie gut in Teamsportarten und habe oft gelesen, dass es sehr wichtig ist da aktiv zu sein
- Supporten Gastfamilien einen? Klar das kommt auf die Familie an, aber wie sind da so Erfahrungen? Wurde euch das “System” erklärt? Erklärt, wie das mit Schule und Schulweg etc. ist?
- Habt ihr ggf. euren Austausch bereut?
- sind Klausuren/ Tests sehr schwer? Bzw. dem Unterricht zu folgen allgemein?
- kommt man schnell in das “Englischreden” rein?
Allgemein bin ich ein sehr überlegter Mensch, der lange über etwas nachdenkt und sich den möglichen Konsequenzen bewusst ist (erstmal allein sein, auf andere zu gehen müssen, mögliche Probleme mit der Hostfamily, Culture Schock)
Mein Schuljahr beginnt erst Anfang September, Bewerbungsfrist ist meist Ende Oktober. Ich komme jetzt in die 11. Klasse, aber auf eine “neue” Schule (Außenstelle).Muss also erst mal die ersten Wochen abwarten…
Meint ihr das klappt trotzdem?
Ich in ein paar Worten: introvertiert, humorvoll, etwas unsicher/ ängstlich, überlegt, nachdenklich, intelligent, anpassungsfähig an andere, interessiert, freundlich, “erwachsen”/reif, verantwortungsbewusst
Danke haha
(2 votes)
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Just then you should do that. Germans are generally introverted. No matter what English-speaking country you land, people are more open. It’s colouring you. You don’t realize that.
Only if you’re studying at some point. INAC from Aachen then organized my semester abroad and how were really great. I’ve saved almost half the tuition fees and they’ve done everything for me. You can write behind your ears for later.
Your notes don’t matter. Can you just follow conversations? Can you watch series in English and understand what’s going on? That’s enough. By the way, one part of Canada speaks French.
yes
Significantly easier than in Germany, such friendships do not mean much.
Nope was never there. I was in Australia and the United States, and I just swore it over a comb.
Pay attention to the language, at least if you don’t want to live in a French part. I personally would compare the rents of the places to get an overview of the prices. I know you don’t pay rents, but high rents also mean high cost of living and that you get less for your money. So you’d better find a little bit in the bacon belt a big city or quite in the country. At least I would. I like nature too. But then you are also dependent on your host parents that they do something with you. You’re not going anywhere without a car. In a big city you can do more things by yourself, but it costs too.
No
Yeah, they’ll show you everything. You’ll be wondering how fast you find yourself there. It won’t take two weeks. It’s more important what this is for a family and whether you understand with them. You should get to know them before you can. You’re probably flying with an organization. If the family is nix, you can change with luck. You’re going back to the emergency. How long do you fly? With waiting time the flight is not completely overpriced, maybe 48h… You can also stay at the airport for an emergency. If you want, you’ll be home soon. So don’t worry about this.
I flew to Australia at 23 years of age for an exchange semester, didn’t know if I got Bafög and got a tooth filling close to the nerve one day before, which could have ignited with high probability. And my health insurance had, of course, an exclusion for dental treatments. Yes there were moments where I regretted this, but everything went well, that was the evening adventure of my life, I met my current wife there… This was only a short-term nature 🙂
I came back from Australia as a clearly more self-confident and adult person. The whole stay was very charming.
If you’re stupid, it’s all right. The grades aren’t counted on you in Abi. If you have only five everywhere, what is it? That’s exactly the serenity you learn when you get out of your snail house. If you have your second stay abroad at some point, you’ll know what I mean. Then you don’t ask yourself any more questions and just let the things you can’t influence come to you.
I’m a pretty bad legassian, my English wasn’t the best, and I was able to communicate on the first day and get along everywhere. It’s important that you talk. Nobody cares if you make mistakes. You’re not laughing at anyone who’s trying to do his German. Canadians aren’t different. Just talk about it, even if you know, the sentence is as you want to say, wrong. The opposite wants to understand you, too, and is also trying. If anything is unclear, this person is already talking…. Canadians even apologize to you if they don’t understand you.
Yeah, that’s right for you. If your parents have the money or you can afford it somehow, do it. If I didn’t, I’d be looking for a job in your place and still try. It is definitely worth it.
Direct book written
Wow, okay, I just think that was the best thing that could have been written here! Inside I think I’ve made the decision somewhere and my parents are ready to finance the whole thing.
Your answer has taken me so much a part of fear, so thank you!
Hey! You really don’t have to worry about not being the right time for a year abroad. You wrote it yourself: Bringing the idea five months in Canada sounds absolutely right for you. You’ve made a lot of thoughts about the subject as I notice, and so I’m very confident that is the perfect time for you and a year abroad. :
I made a year abroad in Canada in 2021/22 and before leaving I was actually the shy type of person… In any case, the year abroad has helped me to gain self-confidence and to approach people more openly. So please don’t worry that introvertity will stand in your way. Even if you’re going to be on the move in Canada first, 99% of the Canadians are super friendly, open and cordial. To date, I have never really liked acquaintances and friends for life in any country, like during my foreign year! 🫶
With regard to organizations, I can highly recommend the cultural works. I have also done my year abroad with them and there was always a very personal, family way of dealing, where one felt very well. You can also choose your desired region in Canada in a relatively specific way through the cultural works, iDr also including the school. The contact and the mastery of the Orgakram was also always top for the cultural works, so really one of the top organisations for foreign years. In addition, even if you are a bit more reserved, it doesn’t matter when applying. After all, it’s about you and your career! The fact that one is excited about such a life changing event is completely normal and the employees of the organizations also know that. It is only important that you are in principle willing to communicate and complete the application run together, but so far I have no known case in which someone was excluded from the program due to his introverty. After all, you want to make the year abroad for something more extroverted!
Finally, as an organization for the year abroad, I can only warmly recommend the cultural works to you, I have only had positive experiences with them! 🙂
Besides, with a 3 in English on the certificate you really don’t need to worry about. Normally, in Canada, you also take part in high school in regular English lessons (the course will be attributed to you iDr according to the language level) and I can tell you: Even if you don’t speak a perfect English from the beginning, you’ll be super fast significantly improving. Don’t worry about it, you’ll even get really far with the Basica! Apart from that, your environment probably takes consideration of you, you should realize that you should not be able to understand or articulate something completely. 💗
To your last few points: Of course, it’s easier to make contacts when you get open to people on site. However, as already mentioned, Canada is also a paradise for introverts, as the basic mood alone is always super loose and people would like to know you from themselves as exchange students. You may meet people in completely unexpected situations. I met one of my best friends in the school bus. He addressed me and we started a conversation casually. He’s one of my closest friends to this day. : Joining sports clubs is also really nice to friends, but I have never joined anyone, as it has always been a bit too late… (incl. bus trip 17-18 only at home every day) Other international friends of mine found this quite great, you have to decide whether to commit or not. 🫶
To support the host family: I changed my host family after six months. Apart from me, however, there was only one other international that changed his first family due to various problems (for example, this was a lack of empathy/commission on the part of a disease on my part, hardly any similarities with hobbies, music, lifestyle & philosophy, …). But all the others had their dream families! (I also after changing 😌) communication is simply key in the situation and you shouldn’t rush to pull conclusions and make decisions. In the end, the Local Coordinator is aside, and tbh were my friends instead of the host family then like a second family for me and I wouldn’t want to change anything about it. I like to think back about time. 🫶 So don’t forget: Everything can happen, but there is always one or more ways to work on the problems to make your stay as dreamlike as possible!
I personally spent my year abroad in Calgary in Canada, but the region around Vancouver should also be very beautiful. Toronto I would rather recommend less, as many locals have advised me of. 😅
You shouldn’t worry about schooling. Of course, the requirements also depend heavily on the subjects you choose, but even in subjects such as science, the exams consist predominantly of multiple choice and are not at the level of, for example, what is set as a requirement for our gymnasial upper levels in this country. In principle, however, it helps if you are open to speech to improve yourself, as you make your life easier for homework. Basically, I can recommend that you watch YouTube videos or series/films in English (without subtitles of course) or read an English-language book before your foreign year, just to strengthen your sense of language. But if you can be relaxed with someone to entertain in English, then you are already perfect for starting abroad! You also get into the flow quickly on site, after all you have no other choice and need to talk. :
I hope I could help you with a few of your questions, possibly a good trip to you! ✈️
Hello
a year of exchange during school, is a good idea. Canada is one of the most sought-after English-speaking target countries. A lot has already been said about your points. For your preparation:
For action: The student exchange is a larger project. You should do that systematically:
An overview of the tasks of the exchange organisations and how to find the best provider this blog post
Best regards
Hi, although I have made my exchange year somewhere else, I can tell you, both from my own experience and from my observation of other exchange students, that “intimidity” is something that you often talk about yourself or talk about others. As soon as we are in exchange with people who do not know us and do not deal with this attitude “which probably does not dare again” with us, our chance is to discover completely new pages to us;) But, of course, you should get out of your snailhouse. In the first week of school, force himself to jump over his shadow and appeal to the fellow student who sits next to one. In the self-imagination in front of the class, simply don’t let the little beepsmous house hang out, but “shoe” who you are. Maybe just join a sports club, just say you’re a total beginner and just try it out – the worst thing that can happen is that you leave the club again. It is also possible to compensate for inhospitality by charisma, and perhaps not the fastest horse in the stable, but to keep up the mood in the team.
I only know the organizations you’ve listed from the name. I particularly now consider the preparation very high in my organization. Many organisations understand “preparation” unfortunately only the instruction on how to apply for visas, organizations like AFS and YFU prepare their exchange students but also mentally for the year. This also includes how to break the “ice” non-verbal in the most extreme case.
Whether you’re shy, the organizations will not deter, but your note in English might be problematic for English-speaking Canada. But just try it with the application, maybe you can also get an alternative proof of English knowledge (some Orgas perform their own English tests).
Yes, it is already the task of host families to show you at least the school route etc. Host families should not be an Airbnb where you live and can otherwise watch where you stay; you should also experience family life. How serious the respective host family takes this, as you say.
I would advise you not to choose any region or even city at all, but instead leave the Orga to find the best host family for you, no matter where it lives. If you say from the outset, you want to go there and there – this is tourist hire.
The question of whether you can follow the lessons is probably because you don’t want to repeat. That’s probably the reason you’re going to go for 5 months. If that is true, a pity: you sacrifice a unique life experience that you can never do later in this form, because you are too proud to “repeat” a year (in truth you would only continue where you stopped).
No, I have not regretted my year of exchange, and there are many negative reports from exchange students who have even stopped and whose conclusion is nevertheless: “Naja, but interesting and instructive it was anyway.”
Do you think I really have a relatively bad chance with my English note? In several tests on the sides of the orgas have always been around 90%. Perhaps it would also be with a letter from my English teacher, because the Nite consists of 50% written note 1.0 and 50% oral (due to shyness) note 4
That’s why I mean, if the Orga does his own test, it’s okay. Only some seem to go after note.
But now, regardless of the exchange year, quite generally: You stand in writing on 1, orally on 4, overall grade 3 and that’s… okay for you?! Don’t you bother green and blue about that? I mean, if someone is minimally better orally than you (where “better” in the sense that he just says more, not necessarily more correct), but crass much worse in writing, he has the same overall note as you, and that… doesn’t bother you…? 😳 I would bite my ass in your place, and then kick….
With the “can follow lessons” I meant rather the point that I find it stupid not to understand, as I am very disciplined and it cannot be dismissed simply “to sit around” and stop learning or not. not to be able to edit the tasks. Do you have any experiences?
As a former exchange student in Japan, what should I say? So, look, I’m still very self-critical and everything, and it’s embarrassing to change things in business, for: “how could I be so stupid not to buy the right size for the first time?” But… in certain things, it’s good for me too, and to go to a foreign country alone as a minor, and to go to school there. I have never felt a fool in Japan, even if I didn’t understand 90% of teaching, but on the contrary was proud as Bolle and felt as if the world was mine to understand 10%. Over time, the relationship of understanding and not understanding then changes.
And even if you don’t understand anything or just little, you shouldn’t be bored, but all your concentration should be directed towards learning. You go abroad to learn, and not to get to know and know everything… Just because you don’t understand everything, your discipline should kick!
Thank you.
Do it! And all the best for the year of exchange, you pack it!
Okay, I’ll see.
And, of course, I’m not getting angry until I go. It’s not just that in English… Written I have a cut of 1.1 and in certificate 2.2…I’m working on it, but I couldn’t change this school year a lot more… and in some subjects it’s already really improved, then disproportionate grades were given… However, from my point of view, this is also a lot dependent on the class (who somehow stuck in my role from the 5th grade) which is why I’m putting some hope in the school change…
And well, also in the exchange year.
In general, I better get clear with somewhat smaller courses, we were always 28-30 in class and there was a great fear to say something “wrong” and thus to ruin my “righ” from the smart student, sounds totally absurd, I know… Just in my Latin course with 13 people it was literally much better the last few years, I also got the 1 on the certificate. But that doesn’t help me with English anymore, and I know that I’m already participating orally. I just have to step further into the poppes and get out of my comfort zone.