Cannot emphasize enough how important it is to ask questions if anything is unclear. Stay after class for a few minutes if you need to. Use office hours if you can. The students who did the best in my classes always asked for clarification on stuff and I was thrilled to take time and give whatever help I could. It shows that you’re making an effort to learn, and you’ll stand out (which can sometimes count for a little extra something at the end of the semester if you’re on the fence between two grades).

Big Black’s recording of Pig Pile. Not even a top 10 band for me, but the energy of that show is incredible.

Cases of a favorite beer sounds like a good idea! My mom always urged some kind of consumable as a gift in these situations. Consider if there’s anything unique to where you’re going (e.g. if I went to Hawaii, I’d bring back a Kona blend coffee).