Study Abroad: Settling In

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Enjoying Your New Home

As soon as you arrive and set your bags down in your new home, the first thing you need to do "phone home!" Your parents want to know that you arrived safely and in one piece. So phone or e-mail home within hours of arriving, so you can then focus on settling in.

The day of the week that you arrive on affects the number of things that you can immediately accomplish. Many cities and towns shut down during weekends, so when you arrive on a weekend, you can catch a bit of a breather and do some leisurely unpacking. Two things that you need to do, regardless of when you arrive, include:

• Take the time to get to know your roommates or other students who share your living space. Don't play those silly icebreaker games from your first year of college; going out for a pint with them, having dinner together, or chatting in the common room works well.
• Learn how to place an emergency phone call (fire, police, ambulance).

During the first few normal business days in your new home, make your way through these basic tasks:

• Change more money.
• Find your way from your accommodations to the university. Scout out where the international student office is located, introduce yourself, and see whether the staff has any information for you.
• Familiarize yourself with your environment by walking around the city, catching the bus or train (finding out transportation schedules between home and school), and taking a campus or city tour. Ask your roommates or other students which routes are safest or quickest for everyday travel.
• Find out where the closest convenience store, supermarket, self-service laundry, and post office are located.
• Open a bank account (check out Chapter 16 for more on banking while studying abroad) and get a cell phone, if you've determined that you need either one.

Venturing Forth: Finding Food and Shopping

I guarantee the first time that you head to the supermarket will be an adventure. Taking a friend, especially someone who's a local, makes the task easier, and so does discovering the ins and outs of the supermarket before you ever go. Where are prices and quality best? Do you have to pay in cash, or do stores take credit cards? Are prices fixed or open to negotiation? When is the supermarket busiest (don't go at these times in the beginning, because doing so can increase your stress level)? You need to set aside a good chunk of time and make sure you have plenty of patience. If you go to the store alone, watch how others shop and take note of things such as payment, weighing produce, and bagging groceries. Although navigating a supermarket that you're not used to, especially one that requires you to function in a different language, is not easy, it can be fun.

Finding the right shop or the right kind of food in any place new to you often comes down to luck and experience. For example, I spent an entire month thinking that Ireland sold only whole milk before discovering where skim milk was located in my neighborhood supermarket and what it was called. Even when you're in an English-speaking country, food items may be known by different names. Furthermore, you may not be able to find food items exactly like they are produced in the United States, so aim for close approximations.

Your favorite convenience store may be within walking distance of your accommodations, but I caution against making it the place where you buy most of your food. Convenience stores are notoriously more expensive than supermarkets — there goes the sightseeing cash.

In addition to groceries and staples, make sure that you take time to scout out nearby fast-food or take-away restaurants and places that offer home delivery. Let's face it - you're not going to want to cook for yourself all the time! If you're a pizza fiend, you may have a hard time finding U.S.-quality pizza abroad (unless you're in Italy). I was very disappointed that I couldn't get a decent piece of pizza in Dublin. So stick with local food - like fish and chips in Dublin - or try the other classic take-away options like Chinese, Indian, or Thai.