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There are many different types of packages when it comes to home insurance and it can be difficult to choose which type of cover and package to go for. Insurance can cover fire, theft and even liability, however there are many exclusions within policies and you should make sure that you read the small print. To help you here are some tips to get you started.

Make sure that you correctly value the contents of your home. If you are going for a new for old policy then make sure that you value your items at the price it would cost you to buy those items now, not how much you paid for them when you bought them.

If you have expensive items such as computer equipment, mountain bikes or family heirlooms then these won’t usually be included in the cover so don’t automatically think that they are, these will have to be added on as extras to your policy.

You can get cheaper insurance by making sure that your home is secure. Installing mortise locks and deadlocks can cut down the cost of your premiums as can installing security lighting around the outside of your home. It is worthwhile checking the small print of your policy because some policies state that these have to be in place and if not then your claim might not be paid.

Make sure that you keep written documentation of the value of the items in your home and whenever you make new purchases add them to the list to keep it up to date. It can be surprising how things mount up if you don’t care and you could soon find you have greatly underestimated the value of your possessions.

When looking to purchase your policy you should always shop around for the best deal. When it comes to buying insurance you can get the cheapest premiums online.

Doing a simple search from one of the popular search engines will reveal hundreds of online insurance companies all competing to give you the best deal.

Jason Hulott is Business Development Director of Protection Insurance ( www.protection-insurance.com http://www.protection-insurance.com ). Protection Insurance is an internet based insurance business dedicated to getting consumers the very best insurance rates and the best products.

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Nominated for 20 Emmys and 6 Golden Globes, including Best TV Series - Drama, CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) quickly rose to become the number one show on television following its Fall 2000 premiere. The brainchild of creator Anthony Zuiker, the show follows the investigations not of traditional TV detectives working the streets, but forensic scientists who unravel complicated crime mysteries in their ultra-modern laboratory. Either the #1 or the #2 Nielsen rated show since the start of its second season, CSI has helped CBS to reemerge as the #1 network television station, spawning (similar to predecessor Law & Order) two series spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI: New York. Each exciting hour-long episode begins with the theme song Who Are You by The Who, a song more than befitting of a show where criminals are aggressively tracked down, sometimes years after committing their crimes…

CSI focuses on the Las Vegas Police Department’s Crime Scene Investigation nightshift unit headed by Gil Grissom (William Petersen), a quirky outsider whose obsessive quest for the facts and dedication to his work dominates his life. The CSI team is composed of a number of individuals with differing backgrounds and personalities - single mother Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) specializes in blood-splatter analysis, the highly competitive Nick Stokes (George Eads) specializes in hair and fiber analysis, recovering gambling addict Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) specializes in audio/visual analysis, and the rambunctious Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) specializes in materials and element analysis. Throw in hard-nosed homicide captain Jim Brass (Paul Guifoyle), CSI understudy Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda), and lab coroner Al Robbins (Robert David Hall) and all the ingredients are present for a show wrought with suspense, drama, and tension. As transients from all walks of life travel to Las Vegas to enjoy the wonders of its adult playground, increased levels of crime accompany them, and the team at CSI is determined to stay a step ahead of the criminal element…

The CSI (Season 4) DVD features a number of dramatic episodes including the season premiere Assume Nothing in which the CSI team investigates a series of murders involving couples. When one couple meets another in a bar, and the second couple turns up dead, the police suspect a tandem of serial killers are on the loose… Other notable episodes from Season 4 include Jackpot in which a severed head is mailed to the CSI coroner, Dr. Robbins, from Jackpot, Nevada, and Early Rollout in which the CSI team investigates the execution-style murder of a porn star and her husband while the CSI also suffers from some internal difficulties…

Below is a list of episodes included on the CSI (Season 4) DVD:

Episode 70 (Assume Nothing) Air Date: 09-25-2003
Episode 71 (All for Our Country) Air Date: 10-02-2003
Episode 72 (Homebodies) Air Date: 10-09-2003
Episode 73 (Feeling the Heat) Air Date: 10-23-2003
Episode 74 (Fur and Loathing) Air Date: 10-30-2003
Episode 75 (Jackpot) Air Date: 11-06-2003
Episode 76 (Invisible Evidence) Air Date: 11-13-2003
Episode 77 (After the Show) Air Date: 11-20-2003
Episode 78 (Grissom Versus the Volcano) Air Date: 12-11-2003
Episode 79 (Coming of Rage) Air Date: 12-18-2003
Episode 80 (Eleven Angry Jurors) Air Date: 01-08-2004
Episode 81 (Butterflied) Air Date: 01-15-2004
Episode 82 (Suckered) Air Date: 02-05-2004
Episode 83 (Paper or Plastic) Air Date: 02-12-2004
Episode 84 (Early Rollout) Air Date: 02-19-2004
Episode 85 (Getting Off) Air Date: 02-26-2004
Episode 86 (XX) Air Date: 03-11-2004
Episode 87 (Bad to the Bone) Air Date: 04-01-2004
Episode 88 (Bad Words) Air Date: 04-15-2004
Episode 89 (Dead Ringer) Air Date: 04-29-2004
Episode 90 (Turn of the Screws) Air Date: 05-06-2004
Episode 91 (No More Bets) Air Date: 05-13-2004
Episode 92 (Bloodlines) Air Date: 05-20-2004

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find where you can find more reviews of movies and TV series. Source: thedvdreport.blogspot.com/2006/02/csi-season-4-dvd.html http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com/2006/02/csi-season-4-dvd.html .

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Do you love Japanese food? The funny thing about Japanese food is that you either love it or you hate it. There is no in-between. And chances are, if you hate it, you probably haven’t really tasted Japanese food yet or haven’t given yourself a chance to sample it enough. Japanese food is hard to appreciate after only one bite. And sometimes, the idea that you are tasting raw food just won’t escape your mind that you are already predisposed to hating Japanese food even before you actually taste it.

Personally, I love Japanese food. There really is no other cuisine like it in the world in terms of its unique taste and presentation. Who would believe that something so raw could be so delicious? For those of you who have not yet discovered the pleasures of Japanese food, allow me to present the following primer.

The standard Japanese meal always involves a bowl of white rice as well as soup and side dishes such as pickles, vegetables, meat and fish. Japanese food is classified by the number of viands or “okazu” that are served with the rice, soup and side dishes. A meal with one okazu is called ichiju-issai and a prime example of this is the traditional Japanese breakfast which consists of miso soup, rice, grilled fish and one pickled vegetable.

The regular Japanese meal usually involves three okazu to go along with the soup, rice and pickles. Traditionally, each of these three okazu are cooked in a different way from the others. They can either be served raw or grilled, simmered, steamed or deep fried.

Another hallmark of Japanese food is seafood, which is the most popular and most widely consumed food in Japan. The most popular dishes include all types of fish as well as shellfish, squid and octopus. Crab is another favorite delicacy and so are whale and seaweed. Despite the fact that Japanese are not heavy meat eaters, you will hardly find any vegetarians among them either probably owing to their deep fashion for seafood. Beef and chicken are also popular among the Japanese.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for cookingforfun.net/ http://cookingforfun.net/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes articles for outdoorstalk.net/ http://outdoorstalk.net/ and recreationandmore.com/ http://recreationandmore.com/ .

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Learn how to save BIG online by searching for multiple coupons, getting free shipping, comparing prices and researching the brands.

Many consumers think that online shopping is more expensive because they wouldn’t have to pay shipping at the brick-n-mortar store. They don’t know what you’re about to find out.

Did you know that there are thousands of websites that exist just to provide you with coupons for online stores? Did you know you can find sites that compare prices, and brand features, or that entire forums and networks are dedicated to allowing users to voice their own opinion about a product or service? Did you know many stores use their online portal and email newsletters as a quick way to unload overstocked products at below-cost prices? Did you know some stores allow you to combine free shipping deals with dollar off deals, with percent off deals, with buy-one-get-one deals…? Did you know there are companies that allow you to join their affiliate program and save hundreds of dollars by selling yourself their product? I know of one that lets me buy a hosting package for $95 including taxes, and then deposits $100 back into my affiliate account a few months later. They are actually paying ME to buy their product. It says nothing against doing this in the agreement I signed, and as far as I’m concerned it is a don’t ask; don’t tell situation.

Most of these sites did not exist five years ago, at least not with such economic success while providing such unprecedented value. We have the emergence of Affiliate Marketing to thank for this, as you will see below.

The Digital Coupon

I was shopping for a relative’s Christmas present last year and my mother saw me get onto a coupon site. It was www.thecouponmatrix.com http://www.thecouponmatrix.com , which has little coupon-like dashes around the logos, and she asked Are you going to print that coupon out? It dawned on me then that perhaps not ‘everyone’ knew what an affiliate program was, or that thousands of merchants pay bloggers and website owners in every conceivable industry to distribute online coupons via special codes that the buyer types into a field during the checkout process: Save 25% on everything - today only! Enter Code: 12345 at Checkout. Others just apply the code automatically when you click on the link: Get free shipping. Click Here. If you are going to buy the Blue Widget brand of widgets, for example, go to Google and type: ‘blue widget coupons’ or ‘blue widget coupon codes’. You’ll be surprised at how many there are!

Double Dipping

Most ecommerce systems these days are smart enough to allow stores to make coupons not applicable with any other offers. But the employee behind this million dollar ecommerce system doesn’t always have his coffee in the morning and you can often find online stores that allow multiple coupons to the point of practically getting something for free: Free shipping + 25% off + $10 off + Get one free = A heck of a deal! Do a Google search for you can use multiple coupons and see if you can find any of your favorite stores.

Compare Prices

There are plenty of websites out there that will check databases from thousands of online stores and return the result that has the cheapest price for the product you asked for. You might already know some of them, such as: amazon.com, pricegrabber.com, bizrate.com, and Nextag.com.

Compare Brands

Less common than the price comparison site, but equally as useful, is the brand comparison. Before you try to find where to buy, you need to know what to buy. That’s where sites like www.comparethebrands.com http://www.comparethebrands.com come in. They take two brands (i.e. Treo VS Blackberry Smart-phones) and compare features, price, consumer opinion from other review websites, and come up with an unbiased suggestion as to which brand is the best buy, thus saving you money both short-term and in the long run with a higher quality product.

Join Newsletters and Feeds

Get a free Hotmail or Gmail account, and use it only to subscribe to your favorite stores’ newsletters. Before long you will have a library of emails from which to select coupon codes, limited time offers and deep, deep discounts on overstocked items. I often see the price being offered in the email to the newsletter group can be as much as half of that listed on the website for everyone else to see. Feeds are slowly taking over instead of newsletters, and have the added benefit of being more anonymous. You can sign up for Compare The Brand’s 10 Most Recent ever-flowing feed of product reviews just by copying and pasting the URL into bloglines or Google feed reader. You can even get a widget and put it on your desktop.

Sell Yourself and Double the Winnings

Affiliate programs gave birth to this type of service and utility in the ecommerce industry by allowing regular Joe’s to place a link on their own website, or in an email, and get a percent of the sale every time someone went from their link to the merchants’ site and purchased something. What those new to the affiliate marketing industry do not know is that most merchants have no clause in the affiliate agreement about using the discounts to buy for yourself. Just join all the programs you can, keep a page somewhere online that you can put all of the links on, and next time you want to buy something just go through your own link. Not only will you save by using the coupon code, but you get a percent of the sale. How much cash back does Visa give - 0.02%? Hop on over to Commission Junction, Shareasale or Linkshare to get up to 25% back every time!

Remember: Compare the brands, join the newsletters, compare prices and double dip those coupons while selling yourself on a Great Deal! You’ll be the best customer you’ve ever had. I promise.

Everett Sizemore is an online copywriter for websites like www.comparethebrands.com http://www.comparethebrands.com and has worked with affiliate programs, search engine optimization and online marketing for five years.

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Everybody knows that collage life requires finance. Any student who wants to pay his way through college seeks a source of finance to pay for education, studying material and everyday expenses. The problem begins when the student’s family can’t support monetarily during emergencies or daily expenses due to being far away.

Student Credit Cards become a must and so, when shopping for a credit card one can’t be careful enough. There are many things one needs to know before applying for a student credit card; following are some tips that will help you get started with the application process and will also teach you some basics on credit card proper use:

Fees and Rates

Student Credit Cards have somewhat high fees and interest rate, this is due to the fact that students usually lack a credit history and so, the credit card issuer is making a blind guess so to speak.

If you want to get a lower interest rate, though not required, you can always apply with a co-signer. A co-signer will become responsible for the card debt along with the credit card holder and if the holder fails to pay, he will have to cancel the debt. If a co-signer is present, his credit score will be considered in order to calculate the interest rate, and if the co-signer has good credit then, the card will carry a lower interest rate.

Starting six months 0% APR

In order to make things easier for students, most student credit cards offer a 0% APR for at least six months. Students tend to use this special promotional rate to pay for all he moving and settling expenses. Starting college is usually very expensive: moving expenses, studying material, college costs, more than usual phone calls, etc. And it is good to have cheap finance during this initial period, once the promotional period ends, the student will be already settled and won’t have so many expenses.

Additional Benefit

Another benefit that comes along with being a credit card holder is that requirements for obtaining other services like a phone line, ISP, etc. or even renting an apartment will be eased due to the fact that owning a credit card is prove of credit worthiness.

Moreover, some landlords actually require tenants to own a Credit Card in order to lease them rooms or apartments. In any case, being a credit card holder is always a plus not only for the use you can make out of it, but also because of what having one implies.

Getting the right Student Credit Card

At this point, you surely want to know where you can get a student credit card. There is no single answer to that question. However, the best way to finding the right student credit card for you is to perform an online search and request information from different credit card issuers, comparing them and once you’ve found which one is best for you, you can apply directly online. This way, you’ll get the best deal at the lowest cost.

Bryan Quinn is a financial advisor with more than thirty years of experience in the field of finance who aids people undergoing financial problems and helps them obtain personal loans, home loans, student loans and grants, consolidation loans, car loans and many other financial products regardless of their credit situation. For more smart tips on Credit Cards you can visit www.badcreditloanservices.com http://www.badcreditloanservices.com and also learn more about other financial options.

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We’ve all been disappointed at some time or another by products that didn’t live up to manufacturers’ claims. Just take a look around your home or office: How many items do you see that could use a bit of tweaking to make them more useful, make them work better - or make them work, period!

You’ve probably never considered following through on your simple ideas for besting design engineers at their own game. But chances are that once I explain how easy and affordable it is to test the waters, you’ll be canvassing your surroundings for items that could use your personal touch or be motivated to hatch the next blockbuster idea.

Many of my clients come to me with what they think are million-dollar ideas. They’ve polled a trusted group of family and friends on the merits and marketability of their invention and the consensus is that it’s a shoo-in. Lucky for them, these clients approached me at a critical juncture in the product development process- a crossroads where guidance in choosing the right path could help them avoid costly mistakes and wasting thousands of dollars.

Unlike firms that offer to shepherd your product idea to market in exchange for exorbitant up-front fees, my job is to act as your product development coach. In this role, I help clients on limited budgets to do it all themselves and to engage professionals on an as-needed basis along the way.

My overriding objective is to steer clients in the right direction - which means I might point you to China or back to the drawing board. I learned firsthand the ins and outs of the process when I brought my own new invention to market over 10 years ago - the Bowdabra. Since then, I’ve undertaken several personal projects on a limited budget and gained valuable experience in deciding when to proceed with a new idea and how to monetize it as efficiently as possible.

In my first session with a new client I discuss the viability of the product idea, as well as the do-it-yourself method of exploring whether an idea is patentable using the online services of the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). If you’re on a tight budget and can devote several hours to this task, you’ll find the process user friendly enough. Otherwise, you can hire a lawyer to conduct a patent search for +/- $750. One way to locate a registered patent attorney or agent is through the USPTO’s directory (www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/oed/roster/index.html).

If your search results reveal that your idea is indeed unique and patentable, you’ve got a green light to proceed to the provisional patent - a powerful option that is little-known outside the realm of experienced inventors. The provisional patent helps would-be inventors overcome one of the biggest obstacles they face: reluctance to reveal their idea to the very audience who is the bona fide market for the product.

It’s a common “catch 22″: Do I take the risk that someone will copy my idea or proceed with just the encouragement of family and friends. Clearly, it’s a valid concern among the uninitiated who do not understand the “patent pending” features that come with the provisional patent.

The provisional patent provides a low-cost way to protect your idea from potential competitors for 12 months while you do your market research. This is important because conducting demos and surveys among sizable target market segments is the only way to see if your idea has legs long enough for sustained profitability.

The provisional patent gives you the breathing room you need to assess whether it makes financial sense to go on to the next step of applying for a utility patent, which protects the way a product is used and works for a 20-year period, and/or an international patent.

Sandy Sandler is creator of the Bowdabra? bow-making tool. Her products are designed to help the “creatively-challenged” create beautiful crafts, accessories, and home d?cor. For craft ideas, visit www.Bowdabra.com http://www.Bowdabra.com . Or email jaimevivre@mac.com jaimevivre@mac.com or bowdabra@mac.com bowdabra@mac.com .

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More and more, families are finding that their connections with each other are not as strong as they should be. With the rush-rush attitude of today and TV and the internet taking up more and more of our individual time, we often take our families for granted. To that end, many families have begun creating ‘game nights’ as an opportunity to spend time with loved ones while having a great time. With the business of modern day life, scheduling a game night once a week or even once a month can provide a much-needed break from the stressful aspects of life. When we play games, we allow ourselves to have fun and let the wild side of our personality come out. You can learn a lot about your family members when you take them on in a board game challenge!

Having a good time with their parents is one of the greatest opportunities that you can give your child. Society often tells us that to be good parents, we need to take our children to various activities, signing them up for sports and hobbies and letting them learn things on their own. Game nights provide a way for children to interact positively with their parents and siblings, helping them to develop a stronger sense of family than most children.

If your children are hesitant about the idea of participating in a weekly game night, one method to get their children excited that some parents partake in is a points system. When you play games, assign points to everybody playing the game when the end comes. You can assign a prize for the person with the most points in a week, month, or whatever amount of time you choose. If you’re working on a tight budget, you can make simple rewards for game night winners such as a week without chores.

Relaxation is often neglected by those in today’s world. Just taking a night out of your schedule to relax, kick back, and enjoy games and fun with your family can offer an enormous payoff on your psyche. Everyone deserves a break, and game night can provide exactly that.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles for familyinformationsource.com/ http://familyinformationsource.com/ - In addition, Kadence also writes articles for kidsandteenscentral.com/ http://kidsandteenscentral.com/ and forsocietiessake.com/ http://forsocietiessake.com/ .

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Interest rates are rising. News reports tell of increasing home sales and mortgage foreclosures. You’re financially stable, but are keeping an eye on interest rates. A great way to save money on interest is to refinance to a 15 year mortgage. Of course, your payments will be higher, but in the long run, you will a considerable amount of money on interest. .

Loan Term Determines Interest Savings

If you’ve had your home for a few years, and want to refinance a 15 year fixed rate mortgage can give you peace of mind along wit significant savings. Your loan will be fully amortized, and the interest rate will not be subject to adjustment. Your principal and interest payment (P & I) will be consistent. Here’s an example of how much you can save by converting from a 30 year mortgage to a 15 year mortgage.

Let’s say you’ve got a 30 year mortgage at 6.00%. Your original mortgage amount was $300,000. You want to refinance for the original amount to pay off lingering credit card and consumer debt, and are considering a 15 year mortgage loan. Your payments on the 15 year loan will be $2531.57, a difference of $732.92. Sure, that is a much higher payment, but depending on the amount of debt you refinance, you will have some extra cash available to meet the payments. Before you decide that the payments are too high, consider that you will save approximately $209,293 in interest compared to a 30 year loan at the same rate!

Refinancing: Part of the Big Picture

Everyone has a unique financial situation, goals, and priorities. If you’re considering a mortgage refinance, it’s wise to consider your entire financial situation including debts, anticipated needs, savings for college and retirement, and your present and future income. Consult your financial advisor to develop a plan that meets your needs now and in the future. Refinancing to a 15 year mortgage can be part of your overall financial plan.

Source fanniemae.com http://fanniemae.com

Karen Lawson is a freelance writer with more than fifteen years of experience in mortgage banking. She holds a Master’s degree in English from the University of Nevada, Reno. For more about mortgage refinance visit www.loanpage.com http://www.loanpage.com

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When you come home to find holes all over your lawn, and you have a dog, there may be a correlation there. But don’t bother trying to confront your dog after the fact. Punishment after the fact is widely known as the least effective and potentially most damaging form of dog training on earth. Even if you bring your dog to the spot, hold them by the scruff of the neck, and scold them while you direct their head deep into their handiwork, they won’t have any idea what all the fuss is about.

Instead, take a deep breath, and complete your after work wind-down routine. Then, calmly return to the back yard to locate your dog, with the intention of asking a few questions about their habit of excavating your property.

If you are unable to locate your dog, AND the holes in your lawn are all found right along the bottom of your fence line, then you may not need to ask the first question, which is, Are you trying to escape? If your pet is not fixed (neutered or spayed), then they may be entertaining their roaming instinct. They will return, and they may even bring a whole family with them when they do.

Another possibility is that your dog is digging to freedom in an attempt to find you. If your dog is near or even somewhere on your property when you return from a period of absence, they may in fact have separation anxiety issues, which you’ll have to treat directly. Once you do, the digging will be an afterthought.

If your dog is there, your next question to ask is, Are you getting too hot back here when I’m away? We all know that dogs pant when it’s hot. But they also like to burrow, especially when there is not a spot of shade in sight. So you’ll need to rule this out as motivating factor for your dog’s digging, and make sure they have a place to stay cool.

Lastly, you’ll have to ask your dog, Are you burying your stuff? This is simply an old habit that stems from the fact that their ancestors often killed more than they could eat in a sitting. This habit may be tough to break, but changing the range of treats you leave with your dog when away, for instance, a massive juicy bone may be a great treat for your dog when you’re around, but might be something you don’t leave with them when you’re gone.

Nonetheless, you may have to change the dog’s access areas, or fence off an area that you’d like to keep for the kids’ soccer pitch. You can also try setting up a dirt area or sandbox where digging is allowed and encouraged. Many dogs are wild about sand, and you can even attract them to the area by burying treats in the sandbox. I’ve seen this work well.

In the grand scheme of dog obedience problems, however, this should be more of a nuisance than anything. Often I remind dog owners that it’s more than likely their lawn will forgive the dog, and that having a healthy and happy pet sometimes comes with the sacrifice of a perfect lawn.

Martin Olliver is a proud member of the Kingdom of Pets team ( www.kingdomofpets.com http://www.kingdomofpets.com ). For more great articles on problems with digging dogs, visit: kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/articles/digging_dog.php http://kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/articles/digging_dog.php

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Welcome to your new country. You’re come here for fun, excitement, change, challenge, and perhaps money. Will the locals speak your language? I’m not trying to scare you, but perhaps they won’t. Will some people there speak your language, oh most definitely. This is only one of the things that you may have to think about when you plan on going to a new country.

Culture shock is an interesting phenomenon that doesn’t affect everyone the same way. Some just can’t understand it when the locals don’t speak English. Some can’t comprehend why there aren’t any English signs anywhere to be found. Why are things done this way, and not that way? Why am I even in this situation? It would never happen in my home country. Questions like these can cause people to get stressed out and want to go back to their own countries. People can get frustrated when faced with change. Many people deal with it their own way, head back home.

In 1998, I traveled to Taiwan. I never once felt that I suffered from culture shock, personally. I always felt it was more like culture fascination rather than culture shock. I was amazed with everything that I saw and encountered. But I still had many questions. For instance, why aren’t there English street signs on the corner of every intersection? I felt that they would be very helpful for me and also for other people from English speaking countries. What I didn’t think about was that the people that live there can read the signs just fine, and it certainly isn’t necessary for them to change them all just for me. A friend of mine had a girlfriend that hated everything about Taiwan and couldn’t understand why it was different from her home in San Francisco. She hated the people, hated the food, hated the smells, hated the transportation, all because it was different from San Francisco. I asked her if she hated everything so much, why doesn’t she just leave. I cared about Taiwan and its people and to be completely honest, I didn’t want to hear any more of her complaining. She ended up leaving eventually, but after many more complaints. This is what happens to some people, they can’t adjust to their new environment properly.

Others suffer from a much more realistic and understandable reason, homesickness. It’s easy to miss your family, your friends, and your familiar stomping grounds. For people that decide to go overseas, they have to stay focused, enjoy themselves, and be strong. Yes, this new place isn’t like home. Yes, this new place is strange and different. No, your friends and family aren’t here. This was one of the biggest challenges that I had ever faced and I thrived on it.

Another factor involved can be diet. The foods that you’re used to eating may not be available in this new location. You may have to actually try something different. Believe me, this is a good thing. Trying new things will also be a test for you. Try the food that the locals eat everyday. It’s obviously not bad for you, or these people wouldn’t be eating it themselves. I have to laugh to myself when I hear about people going to Taiwan and eating McDonald’s all the time.

The culture in your new destination will obviously be different when compared to where you’re from. Things they say and do will most likely also be different. When I was in Taiwan, it was generally accepted for people to ask others how much money they made. In Canada, this is just an awkward question that is rarely asked, even amongst close friends. Actually, now that I think back to that time, I felt uncomfortable every single time I was asked my rate of pay. I was asked quite frequently and I never actually gave up that information to my inquisitors.

As I mentioned previously, culture shock affects different people different ways. I knew a guy who went to Taiwan; he was originally planning on staying for a year. He lasted 5 days. In my opinion, this small amount of time is not enough to give a fair evaluation of the country. But that’s me, and that was his decision, not mine. I just goes to show you that people are different. Don’d be worried about how culture shock is going to affect you, just buy a book and read a bit about your destination. Nothing will totally prepare you for what you’re about to discover. Enjoy yourself and make the absolute most of your experience. Don’t fear culture shock, embrace it.

Andrew Greenham, the founder of ESL Job Site, ESL Elite. ( www.eslelite.com http://www.eslelite.com )

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