Article shared by Kylee Madison Borger, NYU Shanghai
January 23, 2015
When I moved abroad, I was so excited to be starting my college life in China and was ready to experience the world — or at least Shanghai. Like many freshman college students, I had never lived on my own (away from my parents) and had no idea how to do adult things, like pay the bills.
And while study abroad is really exciting, moving and leaving behind friends is hard. Not knowing the area or the language or the culture makes it even harder.
Here are a few things you can do to make your first week of study abroad a little easier.
Speaking from experience, setting up a phone that works in your new study abroad location and figuring out how to pay the bill can be two completely different things. This is especially true if you do not speak the local language and choose to ignore those pesky messages telling you to pay the phone bill in a foreign alphabet that look just like the other advertisements and spam.
Make friends with someone who speaks the local language and do some online research about where is the best place to buy a phone or SIM card. Smartphones are the best because you can use it as a phone and as a GPS to help you navigate a new city. If you already have a smartphone, an easy option is to just buy a new SIM card for the phone (provided the phone’s already unlocked).
Should you stick with your home bank in China? Does that bank even exist in France? Does your home bank have a partner in Germany? Wherever you study abroad, picking the cheapest option (no international transaction fees) for banking allows you to have more spending money to use to do the most important thing in study abroad — experience the local culture.
Besides banking, make sure you know the exchange rate and about how much things should cost in the local currency. This will help you budget, as well as (hopefully!) keep you from getting ripped off.
Former study abroad student Angélica Marrero Sanchez of University of Puerto Rico says the first thing she did upon arriving in Barcelona was she “changed to Euros.” Though some countries will take USD and credit cards, small shops and restaurants will often only take the local currency.
Sanchez also suggests you “make a budget” in your first week so that you can plan for all of those exciting trips you’ve been meaning to take.
Also, certain study abroad locations, like China and Mexico, don’t always have safe drinking water. While on your adventure to find where to buy food, you need to make sure you also find where to buy safe drinking water.
Besides learning the immediate area surrounding where you live and where you are going to attend classes, get to know the city you are going to call home for the next semester. Learn the metro system or any other public transportation that exists in your new city. It’s cheaper, and especially during rush hour, it can be faster than taking a taxi (as long as you don’t mind full train cars or buses).
Just like moving to any new place, you need to learn all its quirks and individual aspects that make this place special and made you want to study abroad.
Don’t be afraid to explore and make friends with local people and take advantage of their expert advice on the city (or country) you are going to call home for the next 4-5 months.
And while study abroad is really exciting, moving and leaving behind friends is hard. Not knowing the area or the language or the culture makes it even harder.
Here are a few things you can do to make your first week of study abroad a little easier.
FIND A PHONE — AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO PAY FOR IT
One day, my phone just suddenly stopped working and I could not figure out why. I thought I broke it. I asked one of my friends from China to help me get my phone fixed. She asked to see my phone. She told me the world is not ending, my phone is fine, and I only had to pay my phone bill. What? Paying a phone bill isn’t automatic? Oops.
Speaking from experience, setting up a phone that works in your new study abroad location and figuring out how to pay the bill can be two completely different things. This is especially true if you do not speak the local language and choose to ignore those pesky messages telling you to pay the phone bill in a foreign alphabet that look just like the other advertisements and spam.
Make friends with someone who speaks the local language and do some online research about where is the best place to buy a phone or SIM card. Smartphones are the best because you can use it as a phone and as a GPS to help you navigate a new city. If you already have a smartphone, an easy option is to just buy a new SIM card for the phone (provided the phone’s already unlocked).
FIGURE OUT MONEY AND/OR BANKING.
Each country’s banking system is different. You probably find this obvious, but it presents challenges to study abroad students.
Should you stick with your home bank in China? Does that bank even exist in France? Does your home bank have a partner in Germany? Wherever you study abroad, picking the cheapest option (no international transaction fees) for banking allows you to have more spending money to use to do the most important thing in study abroad — experience the local culture.
Besides banking, make sure you know the exchange rate and about how much things should cost in the local currency. This will help you budget, as well as (hopefully!) keep you from getting ripped off.
Former study abroad student Angélica Marrero Sanchez of University of Puerto Rico says the first thing she did upon arriving in Barcelona was she “changed to Euros.” Though some countries will take USD and credit cards, small shops and restaurants will often only take the local currency.
Sanchez also suggests you “make a budget” in your first week so that you can plan for all of those exciting trips you’ve been meaning to take.
FIND FOOD.
Make sure you take care of your basic human needs. Yes, food. Even if you would never forget to eat, finding the nearest grocery store and restaurants will make finding food when you are hungry so much easier.
Also, certain study abroad locations, like China and Mexico, don’t always have safe drinking water. While on your adventure to find where to buy food, you need to make sure you also find where to buy safe drinking water.
LEARN THE AREA.
“I read a mini guidebook on Shanghai just so I could have a mental map of where I lived and all the things to do nearby,” says NYU Shanghai student Veronica Hernandez.
Besides learning the immediate area surrounding where you live and where you are going to attend classes, get to know the city you are going to call home for the next semester. Learn the metro system or any other public transportation that exists in your new city. It’s cheaper, and especially during rush hour, it can be faster than taking a taxi (as long as you don’t mind full train cars or buses).
Just like moving to any new place, you need to learn all its quirks and individual aspects that make this place special and made you want to study abroad.
Don’t be afraid to explore and make friends with local people and take advantage of their expert advice on the city (or country) you are going to call home for the next 4-5 months.
Kylee Borger is a student at NYU Shanghai and is a spring 2015 Collegiate Correspondent.
Related posts:
1. University Life in China
2. Making The Most of Your Study Abroad in China
Related posts:
1. University Life in China
2. Making The Most of Your Study Abroad in China
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