Travel Fair

Hi people on the web,

today was really interesting. I've been waiting for this day for a long time, because today we got more concrete on the plan of me going abroad. Today was a fair, I think it is called "Youth Education Travel Fair" or something, and it was really interesting. There were many exhibitors and it was nice to see the people you are eventually going to the other end of the world with.

I found it interesting how different the offers are and how different every organization handles flights, insurance, visa etc. Of course the price varies too, but even how you pay is different. There was one organization that sends you all the original bills from the school, travel agency (for the flights) and other costs in a transparent way, and others just send you a bill from them you have to pay. What is important for me is that I know what is going on, so I think how the first organization handles this is quite good. (And damn, guest families are expensive)

Another thing that is important is that you have someone to talk to. If I for example can't stand my guest family, I want to know that there is someone who supports me. And while I think that every organization does its best to assure that, you never know.

An advice someone gave me is that you can make your life much easier if you go to a smaller school. You can find friends more easily, especially because in the australian school system there is no such thing as normal classes, it changes after every subject. That makes finding friends way harder, especially for someone like me, whose friends are literally only his classmates.

Also, I think a small organization may be better, because when I plan something like this, I want to talk to someone who is familiar with the subject. If someone has to call ten different people, just to ask how much it will cost, I don't feel like this person is very professional. And it is nice to know that the people who choose the school with you know you in person, and not just as a picture and some information on a piece of paper.

That was it for this week. Be sure to let me a comment if you want to know something or only to know you were here.

Bye