去年我告别了在英国利兹稳定的学生生活，来到了美国南卡罗莱纳州度过了一年难忘的留学生活。我的周末基本都在图书馆里度过，也很高兴在课余时间游游泳，看一看美国是什么样的，跟我新的国际大家庭一起观看美式足球比赛。
我意识到在我离开英国之前，出国留学办公室给我的建议都是非常正确的，并不只是一些介绍的小册子。以下是为大家独家翻译的去美国之前应该要了解的10件事。
做最好的准备，最坏的打算
当你准备去国外留学时，你最好做好可能发生最坏情况的心理准备。这个可能听起来很负面，但是当你离开你的国家开始独立生活，你必须在离开之前确保你会有一个B计划，这将对你很有帮助。把你所有的签证信息复印两份。带上你购买笔记本电脑的收据，以防你可能需要向保险公司索赔。最重要的是，购买一份包含最广内容的保险，因为当你在一个陌生的环境里生活，安全永远比后悔好。
出国留学会经历情感上的波动
在我动身去美国南卡罗莱纳州之前，有人告诉我，我可能会经历情绪上的调整，从适应期到兴奋期再到崩溃期。但是每个人都是不同的。我发现我在美国的情感经历不是像过山车一样的跌宕起伏，而是像一杯慢慢沉淀的鸡尾酒。我会非常想家，也会兴奋或者不知所措，但是我都解决了这些问题。即使某一个东西不适合我的口味，但是我也从未停止发现、预测和冒险的脚步。
你需要的不仅仅是短裤和T恤
当我得知矮棕榈州的气温一年里的大多数时候都是温暖的，作为一个充足阳光长时间被剥夺的英国人，我飞快地打包了我的比基尼、短裤和T恤。但是直到美国南卡罗莱纳州第一次下雪，我才明白我需要厚外套和袜子!
你不需要额外的行李箱
我彻底后悔带了一个额外的行李箱去美国，更不用提我为了携带这个行李箱而付出的额外费用了。对于搬到大西洋对岸去生活的这件事，我感到很紧张，因此我试图带上我所有的东西。但是到最后我发现，有一半的衣服和东西我都没有用过，而且我还不得不在年底的时候又出钱把它们给寄了回去。如果你现在正在准备出国留学，你应该尽可能地让你的行李重量轻一点，因为不管怎样，到了新的国家，你很有可能会想要买新的东西。
美国没有街角的小商店，只有大型的超市
在英国的时候，我一直喜欢去一些附近街边的小商店购买东西 (或者就是美国人说的便利店)。我从未意识到在我看来这些商店是多么理所当然，直到我搬去了美国生活之后，我发现在邻近的商店能够买到的最方便的东西就是薯片和糖果，在那里没有牛奶，没有鸡蛋，也没有面包。这意味着我不得不每周都计划去沃尔玛购物。还真是有些不方便呢。
尽早参加联谊会
一直以来我都对美国大学的联谊会和兄弟会，以及他们在美国大学中得到偏见的现象很感兴趣。直到我完成了留学，我都没有真正好好地了解一下联谊会文化，我只能带着我的好奇心和遗憾结束我的留学时光。所以如果你打算去美国留学，记得提前查清楚联谊会的招募信息，因为他们经常在你抵达美国之前就开始招募。
你太贴心了不是一种称赞
我刚到南卡罗莱纳州时，听见别人说你太贴心了，我还以为它是亲密的昵称。但是，后来一个朋友告诉我这是意思完全不同的东西。这句话实际上有一种非常居高临下的态度， 南方的说法类似于，没有冒犯你的意思，但是你真傻。
你可能一整年都喝不到一杯好茶
尽管我打包的行李已经很重了，但是我还是希望我能够带更多的茶叶包。如果你是一个英国茶的爱好者，而且将要去美国生活，那么你需要准备好你自己最喜欢品牌的袋泡茶，因为你能在美国超市找到Yorkshire或Tetleys这些牌子的茶的机会是微乎其微的。
美国人比你想象的更喜欢开车
在我到美国哥伦比亚之前，我完全不知道美国的驾驶文化会对我的留学生活产生多少影响。尽管我是在南卡罗莱纳州的首府城市，至少我可以说，哥伦比亚不是一个对行人很友好的城市。我很快意识到，如果你满了21岁却没有驾照，这件事在英国是非常正常的，但是在美国却是一件非常奇怪的事。很多次当我去附近的小镇时，总是发现走着走着脚下的人行道就没有了。
逆向文化冲击比最初的文化冲击更糟
在我等待回英国的飞机降落地面时，我松了一口气。我在大西洋对岸生活了整整一年的时间，度过了一段了不起的时光。我没想到的是，在国外那一年的生活对我造成的日常影响远远还没结束。适应回家之后的生活，还有离开我在美国新的家庭是整个这一年最难和最令人意想不到的事之一。尽管这种冲击在几个星期之后就消失了，但是想要恢复到英国文化，却不可能达到100%。无论我去哪里，我都会永远记得有一个令人感到惬意的南卡罗来纳州哥伦比亚市的美国社区，我相信我很快还会再回去那里。
以上文章由独家翻译，英文原文请浏览第二页
Last year I swapped my steady student life in Leeds, England, for an unforgettable year abroad inSouth Carolina. I waved goodbye to weekends in the library and welcomed spending my spare time by the pool, exploring the US and watching American football games with my new international family.
Ive realized that while the pre-departure support and advice I received from the study abroadoffice was second to none, there were just some things that briefings, orientation sessions and information booklets couldnt have prepared me for. Here are 10 things I wish Id known before I plunged into my awesome year in the almighty USA:
1. You dont need the extra suitcase
I totally regret taking an extra suitcase out to America, not to mention paying for it. I was so nervous about moving my life across the Atlantic that I tried to take it all with me. In the end, I didnt use half the clothes and supplies and had to pay to ship them all back at the end of the year. If youre preparing to study abroad, pack as light as you can chances are youll want to buy new things in your host country anyway.
2. You wont drink a good cup of tea all year
Although I did pack too heavily, I wish Id packed more teabags. If youre a keen UK-based tea-drinker heading to the US, youll need to take a generous supply of your favorite teabag brand, because the chances of finding Yorkshire Tea or Tetleys in American supermarkets are extremely slim.
3. Hope for the best but plan for the worst
When preparing to study abroad its best to adopt the mentality that the worst that could happen might just happen. It sounds negative, but that way, when youre out in your host country and living independently, youll have a safety net of Plan Bs that you ensured before you left. Make two copies of all your visa information. Take your laptop receipt in case you need to make an insurance claim. Most importantly, buy the most extensive type of insurance cover because its always better to be safe than sorry when youre living in unfamiliar surroundings.
4. Bid for a sorority early
Ive always been intrigued by the phenomenon of sororities and fraternities and the polarizing reception they get in US universities. I ended my year abroad with a nagging curiosity and the regret that I never got to understand sorority culture from the inside. If youre heading to America for a study abroad year, remember to check out sorority opportunities before you leave as they often start recruiting before youre due to arrive.
5. Studying abroad is an emotional cocktail (not a rollercoaster)
Before I departed for South Carolina I was told that Id most likely go through phases of emotional adjustment, from orientation to the honeymoon stage to the ominous disintegration phase. But everyone is different. I realized that my emotional experience in the states wasnt a case of ups and downs, like a rollercoaster, but an emotional cocktail. Id feel homesick, excited, overwhelmed and settled all at the same time. Even if the individual elements werent always to my taste, they never ceased to make for an overall concoction of discovery, anticipation and adventure.
6. Bless your heart is not a compliment
When I came to South Carolina I heard people saying bless your heart and thought it was a term of endearment. Later in the year a friend told me it means something totally different. Its actually quite condescending a Southern way of saying something like, No offense, but youre pretty stupid. Thanks for the heads up!
7. There are no corner shops, just enormous supermarkets
Having spent my life in England Ive always been within a few streets of a nearby corner shop (or convenience store, as Americans call it). I never realized how much I take them for granted until I moved to the US and the only convenience items available in the nearest shop were crisps and sweets: no milk, no eggs, no bread. This meant I had to plan my weekly shopping trips to Wal-Mart with military precision if I didnt want to go without my beloved cups of tea for the rest of the week. So much for convenience
8. Youll need more than just shorts and t-shirts
When I learned that temperatures in the Palmetto State stay mostly warm all year round, as a Brit long deprived of sufficient sunshine I went into overdrive packing bikinis, shorts and t-shirts. Little did I know that Id need thick jumpers and socks for South Carolinas first occurrence of snowfall in years.
9. Americans love driving more than you can possibly imagine
I had no idea just how much American driving culture would affect my year abroad until I arrived in Columbia. Despite being South Carolinas capital city, Columbia isnt pedestrian friendly, to say the least. I quickly learned that being 21 without a driving license is the rare British exception to the American rule. There were so many times when Id set out to the nearby town to find the pavement stop dead at my feet, turning my innocent shopping trips into questionable expeditions along the side of the road. Bless my heart!
10. Reverse culture shock is worse than initial culture shock
As I was waiting for my inbound plane to pull in to the airport for a long return flight to the UK, I breathed a sigh of relief. I moved my life across the Atlantic for an entire year and had the most phenomenal time. What I didnt expect was that the day-to-day impact of that year abroad was far from over. Adjusting to life back home and parting with my new American family was one of the hardest and most unexpected trials of the whole year. While the shock went away within a few weeks, the reverse back to British culture will never be 100% complete. Wherever I go, Ill always remember that theres a welcoming American community out there in Columbia, South Carolina, that Ill be sure to meet again sometime soon.
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