For people who want to learn to speak English, one of the quickest ways is through the immersion method, where you’re surrounded by people who are speaking that language, seeing signs in English, and only reading books and newspapers in the English language. And one of the best ways to immerse yourself in a language is to move to a country where that language is spoken. For many students, a year abroad in the United States during their secondary school or university years is an excellent way to get a good fluency in English, but even knowing the basics of the language won’t help when you come up against parts of American culture and idioms that might be hard to understand. The Buzzfeed site has a funny list of things you might find weird about America, like the fact that the ground floor of a building is called the first floor (and the first floor is called the second floor, and so on) – something that’s essential to know if you want to find your way around a new campus.

English can be a weird language all by itself, even without the extra confusion created by American terminology, especially if you’ve learned English in a former British colony. For example, you might be used to wrapping up a flapjack to take as a snack on a long hike, but if you suggest that to one of your American friends, they’ll think it’s a little odd. Flapjacks are thick pancakes or batter cakes in the United States, and your snack is called a granola bar. You’ll pick up these differences fairly quickly if you make an effort to join in campus activities and talk to people. That will help you practice your conversational skills as well.

If you’re planning on spending a few months or a year studying in the United States, check out the school’s website for resources for international students. They’ll be able to direct you to conversation groups, tutors, English clubs, and other opportunities to improve your English and get the most out of your time abroad.