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palais-soleil-blog · 5 years

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Problems You May Encounter Your First Week of Studying Abroad (Part 1):

AKA everything that went wrong for me

Studying abroad in Europe for a semester? Congratulations!! It will (hopefully) be one of the best experiences of your life! Ngl, that first week(s) is going to kick. your. ass. I SHOULD KNOW. So I wrote out LITERALLY everything that went wrong for me in hopes that you won’t make the same mistakes I did.

1. Your original packing plan is JUST NOT WORKING OUT OKAY

holy shit was this a problem for me. My initial packing plan was a massive checked duffel bag, a large-ish carry-on suitcase, and my backpack. That plan died quickly. ADAPT. Whether this means taking out some clothes and paring down the essentials even more, or you bite the bullet and fucking buy a bigger suitcase (aka me). Also, high-key recommend packing sooner than 2 nights before you need to leave; that way, if you do need to buy a bigger suitcase, you have the time to get a good and inexpensive one you like.

2. Your checked luggage is more expensive than planned.

This one was all my fault and could have easily been fixed by me checking the airline’s checked bag rates for INTERNATIONAL flights instead of DOMESTIC. In my defense, I was in distress because suddenly 1/4 of my clothes weren’t going to make it to Paris (see above problem). So either check the right fucking website initially (recommended), or swallow down the “holy-crap-this-is-expensive” vomit at the airport, pay for it, and learn from your mistakes. Or my mistakes. Either one.

3. YOUR CHECKED LUGGAGE GETS LOST

First things first: take a second at baggage claim to be pissed and frustrated and terrified. Then take a deep breath and go find an airline clerk who can help you and be nice to them. They did NOT personally chuck your bag out the plane as it was taking off. They will help you! Make sure you have your checked bag receipts with you, a description of the bag (hopefully you put a bright-ass luggage tag or ribbon on it), an ADDRESS it can be sent to, and a number they can call. For me, the address was my study abroad office and their phone number. My office did all the communicating with the airline, tracking it down and making sure it got to me. In the end, it took almost 5 days for me to receive the bag that contained literally all my clothes

Which brings me to my next point! Make sure your carry-on has AT LEAST 1 change of clothes, some underwear and socks, a pair of pajamas, travel-size toiletries of important things (like contact solution), and warm weather gear if necessary. Personally, I wish I had brought 2 shirts and one more pair of jeans. But I also went 5 days without clothes - most people get their bags within 24-72 hours (HA).

4. The drive to your study abroad office/home makes you nauseous and you don’t get to see any sites!

@me lol. First tip: don’t sit backwards in the vehicle if you have the option not to. Second, take some pepto-bismol or Tums or drink a sprite/ginger ale as soon as you can! Hopefully all your medications were in your carry on. I ended up with my eyes closed and head down for most of the ride, and I was pissed because I missed my first views of Paris! In the end, it didn’t matter. Walking Paris is a lot nicer than driving through it, and honestly I was so overwhelmed I don’t think seeing anything would have helped my inner navigator.

5. You can’t get into your apartment

You made it. You got out of the car with all your luggage, you have your keys, you made it up the stairs/elevator if you’re lucky. Now you’re at your front door and it. just. won’t. open. F*** this. First things first, take some deep breaths. Next, check your paperwork and make sure you are on the right floor and in front of the right apartment. For me, this meant checking that the doormat in the picture I was given matched that of the door in front of me. Now, be patient. Start with the deadbolt. In Paris, you’ll turn it at least 2 times, sometimes 2.5. Next, try the handle lock. Again, 2.5 turns and pull the door towards you a little bit to help it not stick. Doesn’t open? Check to see what’s going on. Does it seem to want to open by the handle, but not near the deadbolt? You may have accidentally locked the deadbolt. So turn the key the other way in the deadbolt, then try the bottom lock again. Still not opening? Turn the bottom lock the other way and see if that helps. KEEP TRYING. If you’re in front of the right door and just keep experimenting, it will open eventually. Also, I don’t know if it’s true for all doors in Paris, but mine unlocks with clockwise turns and lock with counterclockwise turns.

6. Your apartment is not what you were expecting

HOLY CRAP was this an issue for me. I had watched so many videos on Parisian studios/apartments, I thought I knew what was coming. The kitchen would be tiny, I wouldn’t have a dryer, I’d have minimal space in general. That was find. I was NOT expecting:

-the toilet to be separated from the sink and shower/tub by an entire room

-no drawers for clothes - all open shelving

-no oven, only a microwave

-weird pillows/comforters

So what do you do when nothing is how you like it? First you let yourself cry a bit (see the next item on this list) and call your mom if you can. Then you take a deep breath (are you seeing a theme yet?) and Figure Shit Out. How can you fix things and make them better?

-the toilet to be separated from the sink and shower/tub by an entire room: I bought a bottle of hand sanitizer to keep in the bathroom for emergencies, like if my roommate is using the shower. Otherwise, I just avoid touching door handles to go to the sink.

-no drawers for clothes - all open shelving: My issue with this? My panties and bras don’t need to be on display for everyone who comes over, spilling everywhere. Buy some baskets. There’s a discount store on rue de Rivoli called Tati that sells pretty inexpensive baskets and other organizational stuff. Get what you need and know that you can trash it or leave it for the next person. Display your prettiest stuff, like scarves or sweaters, on the more public shelves.

-no oven, only a microwave: I’m still figuring out how to deal with this. My main thing is toast. My roommate and I are not sure how to make toast without an oven or toaster. But otherwise, we have a pretty fancy microwave that we are working out how to use, and I’m going to get really good at pan frying things! (or just make a lot of pasta. Probably just make a lot of pasta).

-weird pillows/comforters - Buy another pillow. Monoprix had them for like 8 euros I think? And I had packed a pillow case from home. You can also buy another blanket, but I brought a blanket and top sheet from home. They will keep you warm, even if they aren’t a down duvet with pleating or whatever.

Have a problem and not sure how to fix it? Call your mom. Talk to your housing director. They probably have extra hangers, or can hook you up with that missing shower curtain.

7. You have a panic attack in the middle of the day and can’t call your mom because #time change.

This will only affect you if your flight gets in early like mine did. If you’re landing at like 4pm, your family should be awake by the time you get to your apartment. For me, I got to my apartment, freaked out, sat down on my bed to have a good hysterical crying session, and then 30 seconds later I heard my BRAND NEW ROOMMATE, whom I HAD NEVER MET BEFORE, trying to unlock the door. Talk about a bad first impression. I have never tried to clean up my face so fast. Meeting my roommate went fine, but I wish I had the time to cry it out. I think I would have been more willing to figure shit out. Instead, I took a 6 hour nap, woke up to eat dinner, and went back to bed. I was awake for a long time okay? But that’s the best advice I can give. Have your freak out, take a SHORT nap if necessary, eat a snack, and then figure shit out. Or play games on your phone until you CAN call your mom. Up to you. But you’ll scare her less if you can call her without crying.

This has become a long-ass post, so please see part two for everything else that can go wrong during your first week!

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