preparations – GW Blogs from Abroad

You Can Never be Too Prepared

AdminJanuary 26, 2015December 14, 2018

If I learned anything my first week abroad, it was exactly that. Studying abroad is a scary concept to most students, but I have come to realize that many of us don’t spend even half of our time worrying about the things that we should. Back in the states, I was nervous about making friends, having enough money to travel, and even gaining weight. But in reality, I made friends before I even touched down in Madrid, I can’t imagine leaving this beautiful city just yet, and I've been welcomed into a culture that has such a beautiful and worthwhile relationship with food (not to mention, I've been walking around so I probably burned it all off).

This first week, I ended up facing a lot of issues that wouldn't have occurred if I had kept my focus in preparation for my trip. I had gotten an “international” credit card that supposedly charged no transaction fees, only to find out that every place in Spain, except for restaurants, require that you enter a pin with your credit card. Of course, I was unaware of this and had no such pin. As a result, I was left without a credit card. I also got European adapters before my trip, instead of converters. This meant that I wasn’t able to use my blow-dryer, hair straightener, or curler. I also spent three hours at one of Madrid’s biggest cell-phone providers, “Vodafone,” trying to figure out a plan with an employee who did not speak English, only to find out that AT&T had not unlocked my phone correctly. Now, I am still without a calling or texting phone. It’s safe to say that I have done more walking this week than during any other point in my life. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the shoes for it. As I write this blog, my feet are still aching simply because I didn’t think about how comfortable my shoes would have to be to walk around Madrid.

What I learned this week was that before studying abroad, you need to make sure that you have covered your most important bases. Don’t worry about making friends and eating too much—instead, focus on issues such as which type of international phone plan makes the most sense, if your current credit card company charges any international transaction fees, how comfortable your shoes are for walking, and even the weather of your host country. So, the main takeaway is this: Don’t stress over the trivial; you are so much better off focusing your time and energy preparing for the various “little things,” that become a much bigger deal once you are actually abroad.

The Home Stretch

AdminSeptember 29, 2014December 17, 2018

By Hannah Radner

I am heading into my last few full days at home (thank gooodness). Those of us who are active members on the LSE General Course Facebook group continue to converse about how people at home think we have flunked out of university because we are still here. A common greeting is some variation of "Hello! When are you leaving?" With a sigh and a somewhat frustrated chuckle, thinking, "I was born ready, please get me out of here," I reply, "Wednesday. I leave on Wednesday night."
Having a great deal of free time between the end of my summer job and my departure has allowed me ample time to get my fill of things I may miss over the next nine months, including the best ice cream ever at the shop where I used to work, fresh bagels from the shop next to it, my dad's pancakes, Pizzeria Regina, and free public restrooms. Boston is my home, but it is not my only home, and in the future it will become one of many. I hope to make London one of the many, just as I have made DC a home. I will miss it, though, along with some other things, in no particular order:

1. My cat, Fuzz. She has been moody all her life, and she is not afraid to let us know when she does not like to be touched. I was always convinced that she didn't like me even though she lived in my bedroom (litter box and all) during the first few weeks we had her. It took me nearly 11 years to figure out how to get her to not run away from me, but I did it. Rub her ears and she dissolves into a puddle. I will miss her "I'm plotting to kill you/you're all idiots" face and her little kitty paws.

2. Eastern Standard Time. I will miss this mostly in relation to my new time zone, which is five hours ahead, and only when it involves communicating with people stuck five hours in the past, which is my entire family and 99% of my USA friends.

3. Any food I find out Britain does not have. I have asked Siri multiple times if they have x kind of food in England. So far, I have found that they do have donuts (they even have two Dunkin Donuts in London! I am saved!), bananas, peanut butter and cheddar cheese (according to Wikipedia it originated there). The jury is still out on bagels. I will keep you updated, as I am sure this is a burning question on everyone's mind.

4. My bed. I always find ways to make my dorm beds comfortable, whether it be with mattress toppers or soft blankets, I do what I need to do. My bed at home though will always be the most comfortable for some reason.

5. Baseball. I know somebody somewhere in London must care about baseball. I will find the pub that shows the World Series and I will be there. Being a Red Sox fan forever and always, my preferred postseason does not exist, but how about those Nationals, right?

There are also things I will not miss about home:

1. My hometown. There is barely anything to do during the summer when people are home from school, but when there is no one gone, you are in at 8 p.m. and you are in for the night. Cities breathe life into me and this is no city.

2. Massachusetts drivers. No one knows how to drive. The end.

3. My neighbors. They are very loud at all times of day. I don't mind noise (again, I am a city person), but I prefer not to know every detail of every argument you have.

4. Most American news networks. Bring on the BBC!

5. WINTER. Average winter temperatures in London are in the 40s, and it rarely snows due to the lack of freezing temperatures. I am okay with this as I started to get cabin fever with all the snow days we had a GW last year.

Finally, there are things I don't have to miss because the UK has them!

1. Chipotle. But do they have sofritas?

2. Starbucks. Not really for the coffee, but the free WiFi.

3. Shake Shack. Overpriced times 1.63 in London, but still worth it.

4. Wagamama. Noodles matter.

5. NANDO'S. I feel so blessed going to school in the only city outside the UK that has Nando's, so it will be like going home, really. I will never have to miss Nando's.

This has been a comprehensive list of things that matter most to me, not including my family and friends (obviously on the "Things I will miss" list), because that's pretty much a given. I look forward to sending you all myriad postcards. My next blog post will be finally be coming to you live from London, England.

It’s All in the Minutiae

AdminAugust 12, 2014December 14, 2018

By Jess Yacovelle

So I have a little over four weeks until my departure from San Diego and about five hundred little things left to do.

The emphasis should be on "little." While it's true that I may have employed a slight hyperbole in the actual number of activities I need to complete, the fact is I have a tedium of chore after chore to accomplish before I depart for London, and no one warned me about all of the minutiae involved.

Oh, sure. As a student, I was warned well in advance to gather the documents needed to secure a visa. I was told to apply for housing at King's College - my host university - and to sign up for classes. I was even told to find a sturdy umbrella because it rains a lot in London.

My mentors conveniently left out, however, the paperwork you need to fill out if you wish to pick up a four month's supply of your medication in advance. I wasn't told about the struggle to find a UK cell phone or SIM card in the United States that you won't have to pay for until you land in the UK. And don't even get me started on the myriad of wall adapters I have to order online so I can actually charge my cell phone whilst I'm in the UK (yeah, that's a thing).

I suppose I'm starting this journey at a slight disadvantage; I've never been out of the country on my own before. It's a common enough reality, until you realize I mentioned earlier that I'm from San Diego. I'm literally an hour and a half away from Mexico, and I've never been. When I was a child, I was too young to warrant such a trip. By the time I grew old enough to truly appreciate the experience, Tijuana had become far too dangerous for naive white Americans to arbitrary venture across the border.

We went to Canada twice when I was child, but I never had to deal with the trivialities of travel; I was young enough that my father took care of it all, and I simply had to show up.

Perhaps I just have poor timing; my driver's license, credit card, and passport were all set to expire whilst I'll be away, and I had to spend days renewing these documents. All I know is there are a litany of little, seemingly innocuous things to deal with before going abroad. If there's one thing I can't stress enough to anyone considering to travel, it's don't skimp on the details. Pay attention to everything, and make sure all of your affairs (insurance, bank statements, cell phone, appropriate clothing, etc) are in order before you depart. Don't wait until the last minute; some things take three or four weeks to be processed, like medication forms.

I still have a few more things to cross off of my list before I go. Wish me luck.