Saturday, December 14, 2013

Foreign Exchange Student - What Country?

Foreign Exchange Student - What Country?
Tl;wr (Too long; won't read) What country should I go on for my exchange? _________________________________________________ Hey there, I plan on being a foreign exchange student my senior year of high school through the Rotary's Youth Exchange program. I haven't been accepted ... yet, because they do that in December, but I have though about which country I want to go to but would like some input :) These are the countries I am able to choose from: Africa Exchange Programs * South Africa Asia Exchange Programs * India * Japan * Russia * South Korea * Taiwan * Thailand Australia Exchange Programs * New Zealand Europe Exchange Programs * Austria * Belgium * Czech Republic * Denmark * Finland * France * Germany * Italy * Latvia * Lithuania * Norway * Poland * Slovakia * Spain * Sweden * Switzerland * Turkey North America Exchange Programs * Mexico South America Exchange Programs * Argentina * Brazil * Chile * Ecuador So far my top 3 choices are Norway, South Korea, and Russia. I want Norway because I heard it is a magnificent and beautiful place to be, and I am part Norwegian, but ... my main reason for going on this exchange is to learn a new language, and Norwegian isn't really useful in the USA or for that matter, anywhere but Norway! I also wanted South Korea because I've studied the language some, and my good friend is Korean and she's taught me some. The language is a great one to know because of business, and Korea's economy is strong; they also do a lot of trading with the USA. And... Russia? I'm not sure. The language seems pretty cool, but I'm not too sure about the country? So, what country do you think I should go to?! Give me good reason! :) (and preferably pick between my top 3, but if you see a different country that is awesome, list some reasons why and I might have a change of heart!) Thanks for everything! ... & reading this. :P P.S. The only country in which there is a language requirement is France, which is 3 years.
Studying Abroad - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Well, if you are looking for a country for the language and business, go to India. There are tons of indians in the US now and also we do a TON of business with them, besides the fact that we also outsource to india A LOT. You'd be a head of people here if you learned hindi and about the indian culture in general. but...sure south Korea sounds nice?
2 :
go to Sweden!
3 :
The only problem with just picking any old country (I'm not sure about this program either personally as I never researched it) is that there might be language requirements. If that's the case, then that severely limits where you can go. Make sure that you have the language requirement (if there is one) for these countries before you set your heart on them.
4 :
Well my pick would definitely be Korea, amazing country, completely different culture so it's a cool experience plus Korea is fun and Koreans are cool and outgoing plus you can learn Korean easily as you already know some of it. Also, Koreans like americans (probably only country, lol). But dude, you can't except that once you speak a second language you can become some international business man, language really isn't everything. Millions of Koreans speak english and they are just regular people. And you're also wrong about Norwegian. Swedish and Danish are almost the same languages so you can speak there Norwegian too and people will understand, plus most people in Norway speak good English. Climate isn't exactly pleasant in Norway either and it's like dark and depressing for most of the time. And dude, you don't want to go to Russia. Not only the language will kill you, plus nobody there speaks English, maybe except a some young people but that's about it. Also, Russians are not exactly used to foreigners and I think that at some point you might not feel welcome in Russia. Plus it's not exactly rich country, if that matters to you. So yeah, I would probably go to South Korea, my second choice would be Italy (awesome people, good food, lot of nightlife and fun). When I was your age I went to Australia (to learn English). I'm European - not from any country I mentioned. PS: don't listen to the chick who talks about india. India has probably more english speakers than united states, so even if you by some miracle learned the language you're never gonna use it, maybe not even in india.

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