Guide to International Greeting Customs

As you prepare to go abroad for your internship program, it’s worth taking a moment to study up on the regional greeting customs so you can avoid any awkward encounters with new friends and acquaintances.

UK: You will not encounter much physical contact in London. A handshake or nod of the head accompanied with a “hi” or “how are you” is all you’ll see here.

Australia: Greetings are usually informal, “hello”, “hi”, or “g’day”. In formal situations such as business settings, shaking hands and a “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon” are traditional greetings.

Italy: Greeting kisses are the norm among family and friends. When meeting someone for the first time, you usually stick to a handshake. You might end the conversation with a kiss on each cheek. Some say right cheek first, others say no rule, but don’t go in too hard or you could have a clash of sorts.

Spain: Greeting with 2 kisses, strictly right cheek first, is acceptable at all times.

France: Within Paris 4 kisses have been adopted as the standard greeting between friends, left cheek first. The rest of France generally sticks to 2 kisses.

~posted by Jennie

Looking to Work in Spain? Better Bring a Watch.

While schedules for internships can differ, it may take a while to acclimate to the typical Spanish work day. With siesta’s still popular but not enjoyed across the board, Spanish businesses are beginning to flex toward a more “American” or “European” schedule. Still, it isn’t odd to see Spaniards working from 9 am to 1:30pm, taking a two or three hour siesta, and then it's back to the grind until 8 or 9 at night.

The most interesting schedule of business occurs with banks and government offices during the summertime. If you need to make a transaction at 3pm don’t be surprised if you find the door locked and the lights off. Many of these offices will set schedules between 9am and 2pm and may not be open in the afternoons, especially in August.

This leaves a lot of time for you to explore the cities before dinner – at 11pm!!!

~ Posted by Marc

Things to Keep in Mind as you Prepare to Start your International Internship

So you’re getting ready to start an international internship, congratulations! You’ve made the decision to make your resume stand out from the crowd by gaining international experience. Maybe you’ve had an internship at home, maybe this is your first internship, either way, as with any new experience, you’ve probably got some questions running around your head. “How should I act?”, “How should I dress?” and other such questions.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Always dress professionally:
* Clothing should be clean, neat, modest, and of good quality. Never wear jeans, sneakers, or dirty/wrinkled clothes to your internship.
* a suit and tie may not be necessary, but dress slacks (for men and women) and a button up shirt/blouse, or skirt/dress and nice shoes (closed toe) are good things to keep in mind while packing
* Good rule of thumb: if you’d wear it to church or to a nice dinner with your 85 year old grandmother it’s probably ok, if you’d wear it to a nightclub, the beach, or the gym, it’s probably not.

2. Make sure you arrive to your internship on time and stay until your work-day is over
* you are there to gain valuable work experience, this includes building good work ethic
* the more seriously you take this internship, the more seriously your supervisor will take you, thus the better chance you have of being given more responsibility

3. Be positive and pro-active
* Have a positive out look and work hard at the tasks given to you
* If you finish the task given to you, ask for another or create one for your self

4. Network!
* Take advantage of the opportunity to make international contacts, they make great references for future job applications and are a wealth of knowledge in your career field – you can learn more from a conversation with someone then you can from your text books
* Take an interest in the company you work for and the people you work with, the more interest you show the more willing people will be to show you things and give you special projects/more responsibility

Most importantly, have fun and take advantage of every opportunity presented to you. This is a once in a lifetime chance and the more you put into it the more you will get out of it.

Post By: kristen@globalexperiences.com

How A "Study Abroad" Bill Becomes Law

Remember that cartoon “How A Bill Becomes Law” from your junior high civics class? Me neither, but that’s ok. The point was that your voice matters.

Did you know that only one percent of all U.S. undergraduates study abroad each year? That amounts to just over 200,000 students a year. Not that impressive when you consider the breadth of international knowledge required in today's global society.

That’s why Global Experiences and other members of NAFSA, the nation's largest association for international educators, recently spent a day on Capitol Hill meeting with Members of Congress and Senators to talk about study abroad.

You can help too! The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act will be voted on in the next few weeks in the House of Representatives and the Senate. An extremely important bill for anyone interested in study abroad, national security, language learning or international business, the legislation provides that, within 10 years of enactment:

• Not less than one million U.S. undergraduate students will study abroad annually; and


• The demographics of study abroad participation will reflect the demographics of the U.S. undergraduate population; and


• An increasing portion of study abroad will take place in nontraditional study abroad destinations and especially in the developing countries.

Please help us to promote study abroad by writing your Members of Congress and Senators regarding the Simon Study Abroad Act (H.R. 1469 in the House of Representatives and S. 991 in the Senate)!

Click here to learn more about these bills and to submit an online letter of support to your Representatives.

- posted by Mike

Global Experiences provides customized international internships, teaching English abroad certification courses, fashion experiences, high school service learning programs and other unique international experiences.

Quick Tips for Your Travels Abroad

1. EXPLORE!!!

Of course you need to see the major attractions; you can’t exactly be in Paris and never see the Eiffel Tower. But once you’ve done the “tourist” stuff, get off the beaten path and explore the city that is your new home. Learn the side streets, neighborhood café’s, and local markets and boutiques. Truly immerse your self in the culture. Not only will you see a side of your host city usually only seen by the locals, but you’ll have a chance to make new friends! Some of my best friends are people I met in small local markets or pubs during my semester abroad in England. My abroad program may have ended 2 years ago, but I’m still in constant contact with them.

One of my favorite experiences abroad was a 3 day weekend in Paris by myself. My first night there I chose to explore the neighborhood near my hotel in Montmartre. Wandering along, I found the most amazing little café I’ve ever been to This small, dim café, lit mostly by candelight full of hard wood and soft leather, and excelent jazz, was the exact match to the picture I had in my mind of a “traditional French café”. I spent my evening chatting with the owner/host/waiter/chef who kindly supplied me with a free glass of wine to go with the steak he recommended. I can honestly say, it was one of the best meals, and best evenings of my life, and I’d never have found it if I hadn’t gotten away from the tourist traps!

2. Learn the Language

You’re in another country, be respectful of that and learn the basics before you get there. You’ll be surprised how far “please”, “thank you”, “Hello”, “goodbye”, and simple phrases such as “where is the bathroom?” and “my name is….” will get you. Never taken a foreign language or in a country different from the language you studied? Grab some language CD’s from the local library before you go and learn some of the basics. Not only will it make a good first impression on the locals (Hey, being able to approach someone in their own language is simply the polite thing to do), but it will make your first few days a little less intimidating. Being familiar with the language spoken around you, even if you’re not fluent, will be comforting while you’re experiencing the stress, frustration, and adjustment of jet lag, culture shock, and homesickness.

*** Note: POCKET DICTIONARIES!!! I had one for both French and Italian and lived out of them during my travels! They’re easy to find at any bookstore. (They may not fit in your pocket girls, but you can find them small enough to fit in a purse/tote/backpack which you’ll probably be carrying anyway!)

3. Relax and be open to new things!

You’re going to mess up and say or do something considered “stupid” or “wrong” by your host country. Just accept it, use it as a learning experience, and move on; no sense in crying over spilled milk. You’re not the only person to go abroad and make a mistake, see my post “Experience the Local Culture” for examples of my own embarrassing mistakes. Going abroad gives you the opportunity of a life time: the chance to live and work/study in a new culture….take advantage of it! When else are you going to get to learn how to prepare and serve a proper English Tea, get to run with Kangaroos in Australia, or learn Italian while in Italy? You are the guest in your host culture, be understanding that things will be different from home. This does not make them wrong, or you wrong, just different. That’s part of the excitement! How boring a world would it be if we were all the same?

I can promise you, that if you take the time to explore and be open to your new surroundings and take advantage of every new opportunity presented to you, you will learn more about yourself, the world around you, and your place in it, then you can ever learn in the classroom.

~ post by Kristen

Advice: Working hard or hardly working?

It doesn't matter what your reasons are for going abroad - an international internship, foreign language training, a vacation, or a crop circle convention in Wiltshire County, England - you're going to have certain expectations going into it.

For those of you interested in interning abroad, my best advice is to expect to work hard. International Internships are designed to give you the career exposure you need to differentiate yourself in the global marketplace. You will enjoy your experience, and there's no question that cities like Rome, Florence, Sydney, Melbourne, Paris and London are an absolute blast, but in order to get the most out of your time abroad, you will have to put in some hard work.

Of course since you'll be interning in a field that you love it won't always feel like work, but you need to remember that just like everyone who starts a new job, you'll have to cover the basics first. Take this time to learn how the company works and how they fit into the marketplace. Eventually, as you prove yourself to your bosses, you will be able to tackle bigger tasks and integrate yourself better into the company.

Posted by ~ Marc

The Price is Right

One of the most exciting and enriching parts about living abroad is having the opportunity to travel while you are there. On a budget? Don’t worry! If you can afford dinner, you can afford a flight from London to Rome. With airlines such as Ryan Air and Easy Jet offering flights for as little as about $1 USD before taxes one way flights within Europe (total flight cost can often be as low as $20 USD), how can you afford not to go? So hop online and then hop on a plane. You never know how close (and affordable!) your next Grecian vacation may be.

Posted by Susannah