If someone from Iceland, Ghana, or Oman were to visit you in the States, wouldn’t you want them to understand some things about your culture before they arrived? From popular culture, movies, YouTube videos, articles, blog posts, and travel guides, we can derive culture, cultural context and clues. We encourage you to do this as you prepare to visit someone else’s home country! Here’s a list of resources that may help you understand your host culture and ease the transition between home and host countries:

Recommended Books and Guides:
Lonely Planet
http://www.diversityabroad.com/global-diversity-inclusion
Frommer’s
http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-blog/carry-on/2014/2/18/12-tips-to-make-international-travel-easier
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Trip Advisor (phone app)
http://www.vayama.com/etiquette/

Recommended Videos and Movies:

Local Information:
http://www.orientation.cisabroad.com/blog/tag//

Language Resources:
Google translate
Word Lens
Mango
iTranslate
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationadvice/10218763/Learn-a-language-for-free-the-five-best-websites.html
Living Language
busuu
Duolingo
Memrise