Documents: Make multiple copies of all of your important documentation. That includes your passport, your license, birth certificate, SS card, insurance card, credit and bank cards, tickets, etc. Keep these in separate bags, one copy set in your carry-on, and at least one other set somewhere else in your luggage. Keep the originals with you at all times. Also, take a list of phone numbers, addresses, and other information for people you will want to keep in contact with, including friends and family, but also school officials, the US Embassy, credit card and insurance companies, etc.
Proof of Solvency: you need proof that you will be able to leave the country you are entering, or they won't let you in. They don't want people who will just hang around and won't help their economy or won't be able to leave. A bank statement and a return ticket should be enough. You may also need proof that you will be studying at a foreign university--that school or your program, if you travel with one, may provide you with a document stating this on official letterhead.
Luggage: Do yourself a favor and weigh your bags before you arrive at the airport. The fines for overweight baggage vary per airline, and you will have to pay each airline you fly with. Generally it is a flat fee regardless of the amount overweight. In most international flights you can only have one carry-on and two stowed luggage; generally, a purse does not count, nor does a laptop, so you can have an additional carry-on bag if you have either one of those (but NOT both). Call all airlines you will be flying with ahead of time to determine the bag number, weight, and size limits. Leave some room (and allow weight) in your bags for souvenirs, unless you plan to ship them home (which is expensive, and they can easily get broken). Do not bother to pack things like paper or binders, as the paper size in Ireland is different. Do pack clothes for all sorts of weather, especially if you're going in the spring--you'll have a wide range of temperatures and conditions to contend with. Good walking shoes are a must; two pair is better.
Tickets: obviously, if you take an indirect route, your trip will be less expensive, and goodness knows that international flights are not cheap. However, it will be significantly longer if you have multiple stops in foreign countries, not only because there will be more in-air time, but also because many airports are simply ridiculous in their setup and may require you to go through security even though you have just stepped off of a plane. So it depends on how much crap you're willing to put up with: long flights are no picnic. Do try to sleep during the flight, or you may be tired at the airports and either miss flights or get lost. Also, sleeping prevents extreme jetlag. Of course, this unfortunately prevents you from partaking of the free booze. ;) For example of long, zigzagging flights, take both my trip there and back. I left for Ireland on Wednesday, the 1st of the new year (yes, one of the stupidest times to travel, but don�t ask me, ask my study abroad program). The first flight was from Manchester to New Jersey, where I met up with the rest of the group that was taking the group flight. The flight from NJ to Frankfurt was pretty long by my standards, 6� hours, but the flight from Frankfurt to Dublin was shorter, about an hour to an hour and a half. I don�t envy my fellow Amherstian her 15+ hour trip to Shanghai. I�ve also never been in a double-decker plane before, but the international one had two levels, and was 11 seats wide. I must be sheltered (or live in a box!). I arrived in Dublin on the 2nd because of the time difference (5 hours).
School concerns: Make sure that your classes at the foreign institution will count towards your home school's graduation requirements--are you taking enough credit/semester hours? Are they similar courses to ones your school normally accepts (i.e. a liberal arts school is unlikely to accept business courses)? If they're for completion of your major, meet with your advisor to verify that they will count, and what information s/he or the department will need to award credit towards your major. Find out what the lowest possible grade you can have abroad for transfer credit is--for most institutions, it's a C or higher. Also, for your own peace of mind, find out whether the credit will transfer as pass/fail or as letter grades. Make certain that your home school knows you are studying abroad, and to expect a transcript from X University. Finally, ensure that your abroad school knows to send your home school a transcript, and in the correct format--have an exact address of the Registrar to give the abroad school. If you're on financial aid, make sure that that transfers too, or, at least, that you'll have enough funds! Meet with your dean or financial aid advisor to make out a budget to follow while abroad--they will likely know what to expect for expenditures, or can tell you where to find out.
If your school or the abroad school has a webpage or office for study abroad, go there! Get handouts, fliers, information, whatever you can get. Meet with an advisor or talk with an abroad alumnus.
Luggage: make certain that you have a photocopy of your itinerary with your name, address, and final destination in each and every piece of luggage, even those you intend to hold on to, as they will have to go through security with you. Lost luggage, I am told, sucks. Luckily I escaped that curse.
Passport: have your passport handy, along with your ticket and boarding pass(es). Also, it's nice to have a few dollars in your pocket in case you want to get a book or snack before you leave. Also, have a few bills of the foreign money of your final destination (most countries in Europe use the euro, so you could conceivably use that at any point of call within the European Union).
This brings up something else important, that may seem obvious, but when you're traveling for a long time you tend to get a bit out of it. Remember not to follow your watch, especially in an airport catching your next flight, unless you change the time.
The Bad:
Upon arrival in Dublin, the group and I settled into our hostel in the heart of Dublin, by the River Liffey and the Ha�penny Bridge. A very scenic spot it is not, with the river little more than a glorified stream, and streets upon streets of shops. The streets themselves are very narrow and some are cobbled, and they were definitely built around the buildings rather than the other way around, so that it�s quite difficult to navigate, especially for a directionally-challenged person like myself. So basically I always stuck to one or more members of the group when we ventured around Dublin those first few days. Cars will as soon kill you as stop for you (oh, Amherst, how I miss thee!), and the whole driving-on-the-left thing takes a bit of getting used to. Also, it is much colder and more raw than I expected weather-wise, with the sun not coming up until around 8 am and setting around 5 or 6�yikes! And everything is more expensive than in the states, so we leave our heat off unless we really need it, or it�s morning�-no heat at night! Gah! Froosty! And don�t try drinking the water from the bathroom taps-�you�ll get sick as a dog because it�s not filtered, only the kitchen water is. Also, don�t try drinking the alcohol either, because it costs as much as 3 times as much as it does in the States. I don�t know how the Irish do it!
Advice: There was more to it than that, and many of my first impressions were affected by jetlag, homesickness, and generally feeling out of sorts. Many people, if given half a moment to themselves, will begin to think on how much they miss home and their family and friends, especially when confronted with a whole new bunch of people (either within your program, or within the country you are now occupying). This is normal and fine--just don't start making plans to head back right away! It gets better! The grayness of the weather and the short days are only temporary! Go out of your way to meet people. Don't be afraid to ask directions, especially in Dublin (though, as with any big city, your chances of getting an English speaker are definately less than 100%). It's difficult to find a balance between new and old, and between taking time to think and adjust and time to see the sights. But you'll be here for a whole semester, so take your time! And remember, this experience is what you make of it, so try not to allow yourself to become depressed or dwell negatively on the differences. I'll admit that I called home in tears at least once, feeling isolated and different, but the feeling passed.
The Good:
I go on later to start thinking that, in spite of all the negative things I�ve mentioned, I loved it there! There were twice as many good things, and I kept learning and seeing new stuff all the time. The streets in downtown Dublin reminded me of an odd amalgam of Boston and New Orleans, with all of the buildings for a whole block literally abutting each other, all little shops, and full of life (though everything but the pubs and nightclubs shuts down at 6 pm, and those close at midnight or one if you�re lucky). The architecture is unlike anything I�ve seen in the States, lots of brick and stone and stucco houses, all the same, very small, plain, with brightly-painted front doors (which often have great doorknockers, and sometimes even have the knob in the center of the door). The government buildings, museums, and Trinity College are all amazing, huge beautiful edifices with a great sense of history. (Because, as we all know, Europe is where the history comes from, as Eddie Izzard reminds us, and everyone has a castle apiece.) Maybe it�s the diminutive size of dwellings matched to the majestic size of public buildings that makes the sky so big. It seems as alive as the heath in Wuthering Heights. The plantlife is different as well, with flowers even now, and things that look suspiciously like tropical plants and palm trees. You can�t escape the pigeons and seagulls even here, but there are also very interesting crow-like birds with black tail and head, white body and wings, and iridescent blue shoulders. What else? The grass is probably no different than grass anywhere else, and I have not yet ventured out into the countryside, but everything does seem to be greener, more hardy and vibrant. I got a chance to talk briefly with an Irish student, who was certainly blessed with the �gift of the gab�, though I think that I took away far less about him than he did of me (as appears to be true of all Irish-American interactions because of the reserved nature of the Irish). I had an honest-to-God skeleton key for my room. My mattress was made of what looks like straw, lint, and springs, but was surprisingly decent.
I go on to ignore my own advice of temperance and moderation, and within one week, I got lost repeatedly in Dublin, ate at a medieval-themed restaurant with live Irish music, went to two bars and one pub, had a Guinness, saw St. Stephen�s Green, walked through Trinity College�s grounds, went to a play by Irish playwrite Sean O�Casey, bought a cell phone (yes, I who live in a box now have a cell phone), moved into my dorm on campus, and attended my first class. This has a great deal to do with the fact that I was part of a program, and they had a very rigorous schedule for us to follow.
Advice: It sounds clich�d, but living in Ireland was a very different way of life from what I�m used to, not only because I had to cook and clean for myself all of the time(gasp!), but because the perspective of the Irish is so drastically different from America's consumerism. This small but noticeable difference permeates absolutely everything, from the prices of things to the size of shops to the variety of things to buy to the number of times one goes to the grocery to the size of rooms to the popular modes of transportation.... Petrol, for instance, costs 4 euros a gallon. Even in those few short days of "orientation", settling in on campus at University College Dublin, I developed a greater understanding of American and international life, and my own formation of self. Also, over more time, I came to appreciate all that I take for granted in America, especially at Amherst. Not the least of these are free buses, internet in my dorm room, pedestrian-friendly roads, supermarkets, and being close to home. Not to mention heat. I love heat. ;) But not everyone has all of these luxuries at school anyways, so it's not that big a deal.
The main point is that Ireland is a small country, and as such, thinks on a smaller scale. They have a greater appreciation of their natural resources, and thus tend to consume less and recycle more, and there is much less land devoted to transportation or industry. Dublin belies this, but the general sense of the country is like this. Even in Dublin, which is very cosmopolitan, there is a great sense of culture and history, and less focus on strict consumerism. There's an awful lot of contradiction in this, isn't there? It's because a country can't be simplified down like I'm trying to do here. Ireland, because of its history, is a complex place with both a desire to preserve and to downplay their own culture. Because so much of their history was one of oppression, they seem to lack a sense of self, and are searching for ways to become both more cohesively Irish and more European and world-oriented. Like portions of Canada turn to the UK for inspiration, Ireland turns to America. It is becoming increasingly Americanized, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. You can't go to a bar and not hear a majority of American music. You can't walk down a main street in Dublin without seeing an American line of clothing or restaurant.
Because of this, you'll feel oddly out of place while simultaneously seeing things that remind you of home. It can definately be confusing, but my best advice is to let it wash over you. Take note of all that you can, don't pass judgment, and bring into yourself the portions of the culture, the way of life, and the place that inspire, interest, or entrance you. In truth you'll only be here for a little while, but spending any amount of time in another country is informative and changes you. It's up to you how you change, and how much.
Ok, so there's no "Indifferent". Sue me. ;)
Ireland has a great tax system for visitors, even people staying as long as a semester. Many businesses, especially larger ones, department stores, and souvenir shops, offer tax refunds for gifts if you ask. This doesn't include food purchases at restaurants or that kind of purchase, though. Have the clerk post-date it if you can, as they are only good if you intend to leave within 3 months of your purchase. Figure out ahead of time whether you can mail them or will be turning them in at the airport, as the kiosks at the airport of your departure from the EU may be hard to find when you're in a rush for the next flight.
You can take a bus pretty much anywhere in Ireland within 6 hours. From Dublin to Galway, for instance, is 4 hours. The trip itself will usually be four hours of hell. I hate buses, and I hate Ireland's poor excuse for �highways�. They are more like rutted roads connecting every darn city, town, and hamlet along the way. You can try to sleep, but you'll just end up deprived and zombie-like. But as I've said it's relatively inexpensive, and does interconnect much of Ireland, so in this respect it's very handy, especially if you don't have a car.
Cars...that's another thing. Unless you're only planning on staying for a bit, don't get a car. Petrol is excessively expensive, the roads are very narrow and in some places quite scary, and bicyclists and pedestrians rule.
Don'f forget to close bank accounts, return library books, cancel cell phone plans, return keys, and all the good stuff you're used to doing at the end of the year at your home institution. If you can't pack everything, consider donating it rather than chucking it. Also, this is kind of late, but ensure that your grade report will be per your registrar's format and will be sent to the correct address.
Consider mailing your books home, if you intend to keep them. They'll just weigh your bags down, and the international bookrate isn't excessive. Don't tape the box shut, though, as somebody (the mail or customs, I'm not certain who) will want to ensure that you're sending books and not leprechauns.
Make a list of all the gifts you've bought and all taxable items, and figure out the total amount of money spent on these things. You'll need to fill this out when going through customs.
Be a dorky tourist. Take lots of last-minute photos of friends, places, buildings, quirky elements of the culture or place you're in. Go to all the major tourist traps, and some of the less-well-known spots of interest (ask natives where the action's at). Re-visit the places you love--you may not be back for a while, if ever.
Post-Ireland Update: A Return to "Normalcy"?
I don't know how
the International Students at my home school do it! What a long flight: at first, my airline
had me set up for a direct flight from Dublin to Boston, but for some reason
decided they didn't want to offer it anymore. So they revamped my schedule,
so that I'd be flying from Dublin-->Frankfurt-->Boston. But this plan
was destined to fail, as well; for it to work, I would have to be on two
planes at once. Hmm. Unless my name is Hermione Granger, I just can't do
that, Mr. Lufthansa Airlines. So they changed it again, less than two weeks
before my departure date, so that I'd be flying from
Dublin-->Frankfurt-->DC-->Boston, and then drive to NH, spending
about 24 hours total in transit. Before even traveling, I had issues with
the school dormitories re: not having anyone to turn my keys in to (read:
heavy fines), but that worked out. A desperate American is very convincing,
I guess. So then the traveling. Needless to say, my internal clock was
confused. But I'm young and adaptable and except for blistered hands (gah,
heavy bags, security, customs, et al.) and sleeping until mid-afternoon the
next day, I was back & ready for action!
Coming back to the States was coming home, of course, but it was
not-quite-home, as the people and place have changed, as have I. I haven't
been able to mentally catalogue all of the changes, but I think that they'll
sink in slowly. It will be nice to return to Amherst in the fall, though I
will have to worry about an English thesis and completing a double major and
all that jazz. I certainly missed all of my friends and family! And I can't wait to share my
immense photo collection! *evil laughter*
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