Things I wish I had known before coming to the Abbey

So there are a few things I wish I had known before I came to the Abbey. Going on this program as a consortium student, I was not as readily accessible to information as most USM students were. When I was first packing I had no idea what to pack. The administration at USM said pack things you love. But I loved all my clothes!! So that didn’t really help me narrow down what I wanted to pack. I ended up only packing 3 American Eagle sweaters, 3 T-shirts, and 2 pairs of jeans. Of course I packed undies, socks, and stuff like that. I figured if I really wanted to I would just buy some clothes in Europe. Well, when I got here, clothes were hella expensive!! So word of advice, pack a little more than just a weeks worth of clothes. One to two things of arm deodorant should suffice for the extent of the 3 month semester along with two things of toothpaste. When it came to body wash, I am really picky and I like to have antibacterial body wash. I had a VERY hard time finding it and just ended up having my parents send me a bottle in a package from home. A good thing to bring is a shoe rack. You can hang it up and put a bunch of your stuff in it!! A north face jacket is definitely a good idea to bring. I personally like to use my hoodie. It kept me warm and comfy pretty much the whole trip. I brought shower shoes (rubber flip flops) for when I went on spring break or traveled on the weekends at different hostels. It is definitely a good idea to bring stuff that will keep you warm in the snow and also shorts and stuff for the end of the trip. It is pretty hard to pack for the spring but just have a variety of clothes for all seasons, you should be set. I wish that I had also taken some French before I came but to be honest, I was able to pick up on the language pretty quick for the three months I have been here so that’s not soo much of something to worry about. I wouldn’t bring a hair dryer or a straightener only because it will probably explode or die even if you have a converter on it. So better off just investing in that stuff for when you get here. Overall, you will have many trials and errors but that will only make you that much wiser and a better traveler!!!