Welcome!

You just started your exchange experience in Portugal and we would like to wish you the best! Being an exchange student is without a doubt a unique and very exciting experience. It’s also a big challenge and it involves certain adjustments and situations to be faced and solved. Here we have a few tips to help you out in these first weeks, so that you can get to adjust easier.

Be positive

One of the key aspects for a successful experience is to start it in a positive way. Enjoy the fact that you are an active component of this experience. Be optimistic and keep an open mind. When L.O.S.T. follow these letters:

Listen carefully to the advise of your host family, volunteers, teachers an other Portuguese that can support you in understanding our culture.
Observe how the Portuguese do things, act and talk.
Speak about your observations and clarify any questions you might have.
Try! the food, the language, the interactions.

Meeting your hosts

You just met your host family and we really hope you are enjoying your time with them. However, don’t expect magic to happen during these first days with them. Building a relationship with a family takes time and effort. Your host family may be as nervous as you still probably are. They want you to feel comfortable with them and they want you to like them, too. Somehow, the less you worry about the awkwardness of the situation, the less awkward it will be. So, relax and enjoy it! Be careful not to form opinions about them too quickly. Give yourself time to get to know them and let them get to know you too. And what should you call them? You cannot go through the entire experience tapping them on the shoulder or waiting to get their attention before speaking to them simply because you don’t know what to call them. Get interested in getting to know all the family members. Start by trying to learn their names and find out the names or nicknames they prefer you to use in addressing them. You have a 1st Learning Activity (Starting Life as a Family) that might help you clear some things – do it with your host family during your first weeks!

Exhaustion and jet lag

You might be feeling a bit exhausted after your trip and by all the activity you find in your new surroundings (many people to meet, new places to go, new things to do, etc.). In addition to this, trying to understand and speak a new language requires a lot of energy and concentration. Early in your stay, try getting more sleep than you ordinarily need. This is not always possible, as your host family may have planned special activities for you during these first days, leaving you little time to rest. People who are overtired can get upset by confusing situations and small annoyances that would normally not bother them. Getting enough rest will help you cope better with the unfamiliar and confusing environment. And don’t worry, this is part of the adjustment and in a few days or couple of weeks you will feel fine about this aspect.

«This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Don’t worry: missing your life back home is normal but once you make new connections, it will feel like a new home.

Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Talk to new people, try new experiences and do something you have never done. There will be many ups and downs, but to appreciate the happy moments you have to go through the hard ones. Take one day at a time and do the best that you can do now. The best moments come when you don’t expect them. “Expect nothing, appreciate everything” and remember which wisdom the experience gives you.

Try as much food as you can. The food is a part of the experience. Don’t be afraid to talk about how you are feeling because there will be many emotions throughout the year. We wish you the best, força!»

AFS Students from Costa Rica, Italy, Thailand and United States of America.

Tips from AFS'ers

Here are some tips about how to survive Portugal.

First of all, this won't be easy, but worth it! Trust us, you will eventually learn the language and remember not to compare your experience to other or to expect too much.

These next tips are mentions some things that will help you:

1. Work to make yourself part of the family;

2. Don't make too much contact with home, even though it can be hard;

3. Eat everything and don't be afraid of gaining weight, because you will eventually;

4. Talk to other AFS'ers because they know and understand what you're going through.

5. Ask for Help if needed;

6. Crying is normal. Cry if you need to;

7. Laugh, because you're going to make mistakes.

All in all, enjoy your experience and be open to everything because in the end you will wish for more time in Portugal.

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!

Intercultura - AFS Portugal

Rua de Moscavide, 71

Parque das Nações

1998-011 Lisboa

213 247 070 | 913 966 662 | mariana.carvalhais@afs.org

intercultura-afs.pt

Try the food

Remember you are in your host family’s country and the idea is for you to live the way they do. At least, try sampling a bit of each thing, especially at the beginning. It is always a good idea to thank the person who prepared it! We all like being flattered off and on. If you don’t like something, be polite when expressing your dislike, don’t use strong words about it, and explain that it is very different for you and that you’re not enjoying it.

Communication

Language is a key to get involved in your new family and culture. Even if you can’t speak it that well, your attempts to communicate in Portuguese will be appreciated and welcomed, and it’s the best way in which you actually get to improve it. Also, pay attention to the non-verbal language (gestures, postures, social distance they maintain, etc.) as it can lead you to a better understanding and it allows you to better communicate your ideas. “Por favor”, “Obrigada/o”, “Bom Dia” are all free expressions and Portuguese will love to hear you saying them.

Integration

People behave according to established routines, conforming to them rather unthinkingly. Observing your host parents/siblings will help you find out about their routines and how things are done in your new home. Also, it is recommended that during the first days with your family, you take some time to try to communicate with your host parents and find out about their basic rules and routines such as:

- Permissions to go out with your friends, curfew, etc.

- Use of toilet and shower, where to hang your towel after you take a shower, etc.

- Procedure for washing your clothes: where to put your dirty clothes, if you are going to be in charge of your own laundry, what to do with your underwear, etc.

- About the meals: if there is any time when all the family get together for a meal, who is in charge of cooking, if you are allowed to take whatever you want whenever you want or you better ask permission, etc.

Once again, we remember you have the Starting Life as a Family activity – do it with your host family!

House chores

Offer your help in any of the many house chores. There must be something you can do every day. Remember that you are not living in a hotel. After a few days, insist with your host parents in case they have assigned you no or very few house chores, as in the beginning they can feel ashamed to ask you for help. Take the initiative and always be willing to cooperate.

Keep your room clean and tidy! Some host parents (well, most of them really) get very upset when your room looks more like a disaster area. Watch out for this! Make your bed every morning! Don’t put shoes and clothes together and separate the dirty clothes from the washed ones – never use any belongings of your host parents or siblings without asking first!

Show interest

If your host family suggests a trip, for example, try to show enthusiasm, even when things do not turn out to be as you expected. Keep in mind they want to show you something new and probably something they feel proud about, even if you may think it is not something special.

Being an exchange student does mean sharing yourself with people. Your first days in the host country may be hectic, but you will soon settle in as you adjust to the family and community. It is important to remember that you don’t have to become someone other than who you are. The role you play in your family and your community is unique, and you and your unique personality have a large part in creating it. You have your own special strengths and for sure you will find the way to better fit in with your host family and community. Just relax and give your very best, not forgetting the importance of a smile!

Support

If you need help during your first days, contact your AFS Support Volunteer, your AFS Chapter Coordinator or the Support Manager at AFS office:
213 247 070 or 913 966 662
mariana.carvalhais@afs.org