The summer before college can be an exciting time for a number of reasons. One reason in particular is learning more about yourself. Preparing for a change such as moving away to another country can invoke a lot of feelings that might be completely new. With all the preparations and changes that will be happening soon enough, it’s important to take advantage of what may become a life changing time in your life. I’ve compiled some activities to do during the summer that I find extremely beneficial to anybody that is about embark in the adventure of a lifetime by obtaining a full degree abroad.

1. Start learning a language

This may seem self-explanatory but knowing at least some the language of your new home country will make a drastic difference. You will be surprised how much one can learn in one, two, or three months of dedicated learning. This is especially helpful in countries that are known to not be as English friendly as others. Check out this helpful link from Education First (EF) to see which countries in Europe are regarded as more English proficient.

What to do: Utilize one of the many free online language websites to learn your language of choice. The most popular sites I have seen are Duolingo (I know it’s tempting but don’t learn Klingon over other languages right now), Memrise, and FluentU. To really test your skills and build proficiency, look towards italki to start conversing with actual people. This will fine tune your ears at a dramatic rate and in no time you will feel the need to talk to other people to practice.

2. Get Active

If you haven’t already developed a routine to stay active, use this as an opportunity to find an activity that you can bond with people on. It can be sports (futbol is very popular activity in Europe), leisure activities (hiking, climbing, exploring, etc.), gaming (worldwide industry with no much language or regional bounds), or another activity that you find interesting. Gaming in particular can be a great avenue to bond with other students or individuals in the region that you are currently residing.

What To Do: There are what seems like an infinite amount of activities to participate in on a daily basis. Outdoors or indoors, this can be activity you can leverage among other individuals in your school or your community. There’s a good chance that the university or college that you will be attending will have a gathering with this particular activity you’re interested in.

3. Learn About You’re New (or temporary) Home but Know Yours

It’s always important to start out on a good foot with people in another with knowledge of their home. If you know nothing about the Netherlands except of their relaxed laws on marijuana, you’re going to look like another typical tourist staying for the week or month. Dive into the origins of the country through online research or go to local library to read about literary greats that come from that country. Remember, you are the outsider in the beginning but you can be accepted very quickly if you don’t act like an outsider.

What To Do: Look up the country you will be attending at online! This seems obvious but from the floods of students going to school overseas for semesters abroad, it really begs the notion to not be a visitor but like a local or resident in the country. You’re a member of their society, temporary maybe, but you can contribute a lot to their perception of your culture you are coming from as well. Put your best foot forward.