Many students have the opportunity to go abroad at some point of their course but often think of it as a utopic experience that you just dream of but that you’ll actually never experience since it takes forever before they can actually go. Then, they open their eyes the next day and are on their way to the airport to finally go live abroad and live the experience of their life or at least that is what they heard. Viewed from the outside , everything sounds so amazing : a new place, a new home, new friends and above all, total freedom. However, some time before the departure day, they start the countdown and realizing that they are not as ready as they expected even though they had months ahead of them to prepare. Suddenly, so many questions pop into their minds and panic arises : “What if I end up being lonely ? What if I do not manage to adapt to the new environment ? What if I am not ready yet ? What if I run out of money ? What if I do not manage to understand and be understood by people ? What if I miss my life back home ?” Does all of this sound all familiar to you ? In the summer of 2020, I was in your shoes and went to an exchange program in South Korea during the coronavirus pandemic. I started to freak out one month before my departure and realizing what I actually dragged myself into. Until I went, it just felt like some documents on the computer but soon enough , I was about to leave everything I knew and go live in a foreign land 9000 km far away from my home. My initial plan was to come back in France in December and I was looking forward to come back even before I stepped in my new country. However, I managed to create the most amazing experience for myself and stayed two more full months without the intention to ever go back. During my time abroad, I made friends from all over the world, learnt to speak new languages, discovered new ways of living but above everything else, I connected with myself like I never did. This experience was so eye-opening that it lead me to prepare for living abroad again in the future. By writing this little book, I want to help other future exchange students who may have the same concerns as I did by sharing them the tips I learnt the hard way during my stay. With all the time I had to reflect on why my experience was so incredible, I came up with the 12 rules I lived by. I wish someone told me those before I went so I could have spent my time more wisely. All the advices I am sharing here are related to what I experienced during my stay and made me have the most incredible time I ever had. These tips are based on my personal experience so what worked for me might not be the best thing for you and you should apply the ones you think will be the most relevant to your exchange program personal goals.