The number of little Vegemites studying abroad has increased fourfold over the past decade, with most of us flocking to our English-speaking siblings in the US, Canada, and the UK.

And while this experience is still very cool (explaining the difference between arvo and avo is never not amusing), if you’re looking to go that step further, a non-English speaking country is the destination for you.

I sent an application off to a university in Italy on a thoughtless whim, and I was accepted before I even purchased Italian For Dummies. I learned more, experienced more, and felt more, than I would have if I was afforded the convenience of everyone speaking my native language.

Here’s a handful of reasons why you should swap the hello for a konnichiwa or a thank you for a merci.

#1 Your Classmates Will Teach You More Than The Academics 

My classrooms were full of native Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, Danish, and French students. When my professor raises the subject of Casanova in my Italian literature class, the conversation extends far beyond words on a page and is fuelled by cultural perspectives on what love is to different global communities.

I not only learned customs of Italy, but traditions and perspectives of every nationality in that classroom.

#2 It’s The Ultimate Challenge In Adulting 

Especially if you’re still living at home with your ‘rents. You’re on the other side of the world battling the slow pace of European bureaucracy, google translate in-hand at the grocery store, and mentally ordering your paella in Spanish before orally ordering it.

What a legend! What a marvel! You’re oozing with independence.

#3 The Cultural Experience Is Richer

When you have no choice but to shut up and observe, you learn a whole lot more about the world in front of you.

Think of your host university as a magnet. Non-English speaking universities will attract a whole bunch of people who speak a whole bunch of languages and they’re being sourced from places not so similar to our own.

There’ll be more worldviews than days abroad. It will never, ever, be dull. With different languages come different cultural customs, especially when it comes to communications.

#4 You’ll Be Fluent In At Least Two Languages When You Return 

Those two languages will be the English language and body language. You might come back with some level of the national language, which is a huge achievement in its own right, but I’ll argue that your new found expertise in reading facial expressions and bodily stances is even more useful.

Learning to read a situation based on non-aural communication is fascinating and you’ll learn a lot about customs, too!

#5 Your Career! Your Resume! Your Networks! Adult Stuff!

Moving to a new country, especially one that doesn’t speak English natively, requires extreme adaptability. Your LinkedIn will love adaptability – it’s a very enticing quality to potential employers.

You’re not just learning about how to do the whole ~independence~ thing, you’re engaging with culture, language, and customs that are probably unusual to you.

Students abroad in non-English speaking countries build proficiency in communications skills very quickly because it’s a sink or swim situation. It’s also assumed that your problem-solving skills have been fine tuned while you’ve been oceans away from your usual support network.

Global awareness, money management, independence… It’s all part of the deal!

(Lead image: Girls/HBO)