Predeparture Dinner

Yesterday, a number of students that were going or had previously gone to Goethe Institut got together to ask and answer questions. Several rather useful bits of information came up.

Banking

1. A number of banks will in fact allow you to make withdrawals in another country with foreign ATMs. They will just charge a fee of about $3 dollars at each withdrawal. This is better than the fee for using a credit card, which is 3%. While 3% might technically be less than $3 for any given purchase, if you have to make a lot of transactions, it's better to take out a hunk of cash once.
2. Credit cards may not even work in Europe because many of their cards are not used by swiping. Instead, they have some sort of chip in them.
3. Tell your bank ahead of time that you are going overseas. If you've been in Pennsylvania, and suddenly your card is being used in Germany, eyebrows will raise and your card might be deactivated.

Travel and Food

1. It is a good idea to travel a bit outside of whatever city you are going to and look at other places. This can be a bit pricey depending on where you go, but train and bus expenses themselves are generally quite reasonable in Europe.
2. If you have to provide your own food, go to the supermarket and buy in bulk. This will cut down on food costs considerably.
3. Sleep on the plane and take naps in the middle of the day to help cope with jet lag.
4. Free water is not a common notion in Germany. If you want water at a restaurant, you have to pay for it, and there aren't water fountains around. It's a good idea to bring a water bottle with a water filter. Even if you are going somewhere where the water is safe to drink, the different bacteria can still give you stomach aches.

Goethe Institut

1. The placement test at the beginning is not entirely final. If you do not feel comfortable in the level you are placed in, you can ask to be moved up or down a level.
2. There will be students from all over the world going there. Try to make friends with people from the different countries. Not only will this give you more cultural diversity, but it will mean that the only language you all have in common is German, so you will be less likely to "cheat" by speaking English.
3. There will be something planned for students practically every night. In Berlin, they distribute booklets with all of the events listed. In other areas, you may just have to ask about something you're interested in doing and see if anyone can accompany you.