Shaking off the “I-am-moving-to-a-new-country-by-myself” jitters is no easy task, but as I was saying goodbye to my family and heading through security to embark on my 45 hour long journey to the other side of the world, I knew that I had to embrace the butterflies in my stomach and dive head first to fully enjoy my time in Melbourne, Australia. Going on some of my first walks around the city felt surreal, and I was amazed while exploring this new place. The first week of your study abroad experience is beyond exciting, but there are also many aspects that can make it scary and overwhelming. Luckily, there are numerous things that you can/need to do to settle in and start making your new location a little bit more like home.
Choosing a Phone Plan
Nowadays, it is almost impossible to live without our phones, and I am sure that most of us are dying to sort out a new phone plan as soon as possible. Obviously, every place will have different plans, but make sure to do your research and go to multiple mobile service providers to compare options. Here in Australia, I was happy to discover that pre-paid plans are way cheaper than in the U.S., and taking time to thoroughly look through all of the providers left me with an amazing plan. Something else to keep in mind is how good the coverage from the various companies are like. You might find an amazing deal but later discover that the coverage is actually horrible and you often are left with no service. Also inquire about non-prepaid options, as I have found that some places have short-term contracts. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, triple check that the phone you plan on using is unlocked. I thought I would have no problem with my phone since it is a dual SIM phone, but the moment I inserted my new SIM card I realized that it was not. That meant I had to pay the remaining price of the phone to get out of my contract back home, which was a large and unexpected expense. Once you have a working phone, you will be able to get around more easily with Google Maps and start connecting with new people that you meet.
Attending Orientation Week Events
I imagine that not every university has orientation and events for the incoming exchange students, but I am lucky enough to go to a school with a large number of exchange students, so the options were ample. I have never been the type of person to go to these university hosted things, but I figured that I would try something different this time. To my surprise, many students attended these functions, and it was a great way to meet people. By beginning to make friends and creating a network of people you know, you will automatically feel more at home. A critical aspect of going abroad is putting yourself out there and going to these events can be a great place to start.
Figure Out Your Finances and Get Accustomed to a New Currency
Depending on where you are studying, going abroad means increasing or decreasing your monthly budget, but you will likely be spending a good amount of money and trying to enjoy the place fully. Truthfully, I have been eating out more than I normally would back home because I feel like trying out new restaurants and new foods. It also does not help that the fridge in the apartment where I live is broken, but do not underestimate how tempting the new restaurants will be. With things like that in mind, it is crucial to know how much you can spend every month and closely track your spendings. From talking to people from Northeastern that were going abroad, I discovered that the large majority only gets a credit card back home with no international fees and use that for their entire stay. I decided to do things a little differently and actually opened a bank account in Australia. The process was super easy and I was actually able to open the account and transfer money to it all while still in the U.S. Once I arrived in Australia, I ordered a card for the account and was all set. I have found that this method works well because I do not need to be constantly converting between two currencies in order to track my spending. It can be hard at first to adjust to a new currency and know if prices are good, so I have found that a local card with the local currency is very helpful. Additionally, many cards with no international fee will still charge you fees for withdrawing money from ATMs. Before going with a similar option that I chose, make sure that you do your research and that you can easily close the bank account at the end of your stay because some places make that process really difficult.
Decorate Your Room
While packing for my abroad experience, I continuously said to myself, “pack as little as possible.” This was the advice that I heard from every single person that has been abroad. I really took that to heart and packed minimally. When debating whether or not to bring photos and decorations with me, I thought that would be a waste of space. Now seeing how cutely decorated my roommates’ rooms are, I wish that I had brought one or two things from back home. I look forward to filling my walls up with decorations I find here, but I think that having something small to remind you of home can make the foreign place you are living in seem a little bit more familiar.
Reflect on Your Intentions for the Semester
Time flies, and I know that my time abroad is going to go by incredibly quickly so I wanted to take time and set my intentions for my time here. By doing this, you set yourself up for a good start. Personally, I hope to learn more about Australia because I sadly do not know much about its history, politics, and culture. I hope that by taking an Australian history class, by meeting locals, and by paying attention to local news and debates, I can gain knowledge on this part of the world that previously seemed so distant to me. I also want to say yes more often in order to explore things here as much as possible. Lastly, I am just excited to meet new people, locals and exchange students alike. I love having friends from all over the world, and this experience provides me with an opportunity to meet people from various places and cultures.
Although I do not feel completely settled in yet, it has been super helpful to do these few things in order to get myself more oriented and start to make Melbourne my home. My walls are still mostly empty, but I am eager to fill them up with great memories throughout my time here.
