Studying abroad: Spring semester packing

 One late evening January 3rd this year (2018) I was frantically jumping on my suitcase to get it to close. I was going on an exchange trip with the Erasmus program and I was terrified of not bringing with me enough stuff.  I had packet one large suitcase, one large duffel bag and a medium sized backpack.

Now, after 4 months and a trip back home during Easter I realize that I probably over packed and could have saved myself a lot of stress. So I thought I’d make a post for all you other students thinking of studying abroad during your studies.

_SAM1961

 

Some clarifications:

  • I am in a long distance relationship, meaning I fly a lot. This has given me a silver membership with SAS which gives me an extra luggage to check in with every trip in addition to the one luggage I pay for on my ticket. Keep in mind that an extra luggage will probably cost more money. I’ve made the main list for 1 suitcase and a larger carry-on and an additional list if you have more room/an extra suitcase.
  • My stay was only for the spring semester in the UK, if you are going somewhere for a longer duration or somewhere hotter/colder – keep that in mind!

Jackets:

  • One larger and warmer jacket for January until March/April
  • One coat for milder days
  • Raincoat
  • A light jacket: denim/bomber*

Top:

  • 4 T-shirts
  • 3 Tank tops
  • 4 Knit/warmer sweaters
  • 4 lighter sweaters
  • 2 cardigans
  • 1 hoodie

Bottom:

  • 4 Trousers (this depends on if you like jeans or other types of trousers the best)
  • 2 Sweatpants/leggings/yoga pants for lazy days
  • 2 shorts*
  • 2 skirts

Dresses:

  • 2 Casual dresses (increase/decrease depending on how much you wear casual dresses)

Dressing up:

  • 3 Outfits for going out you enjoy and can mix and match
  • 1 Dinner/formal outfit (just in case)

Workout clothes:

  • As many sports bras/tops/trousers as days you workout
  • 1 Pair gym shoes

Underwear:

  • Underwear and socks for 2 weeks
  • Warm leggings and socks for the colder months
  • 1 Swimming costume*

Shoes:

  • 1 Pair sneakers
  • 1 Pair ballerina shoes
  • 1 Pair hiking/winter boots
  • 1 Pair heeled boots
  • 1 Pair going out heels
  • 1 Pair sandals*
  • 1 Pair rain boots**

Other wearables:

  • 1 Scarf
  • 1 Beanie
  • 1 Pair of gloves
  • 1 Pair sunglasses
  • 2 Purses
  • 2 Tote bags

Toiletries***:

  • Toothbrush/toothpaste
  • Shampoo/conditioner
  • Shower gel
  • Deoderant
  • Bodylotion
  • Face creams
  • Make up
  • Hairbrush
  • Raizors
  • Perfume
  • Nail polish/remover
  • Face wash
  • Tweezers
  • Hairproducts
  • All kinds of medication you have a prescription on (medicine, birth control, etc)****

Electronics:

  • 2 Adapters if the country you’re traveling to has a different plug than yours
  • 1 Phone charger
  • CAMERA/charger(you’ll regret not bringing it if you have one)

For your room*****:

  • 1 Large towel
  • 1 Medium towel
  • 1 Face towel
  • 1 Set of bedding
  • Hangers
  • 1 Blanket
  • 1 Fork
  • 1 Knife
  • 1 Spoon
  • 1 Bowl
  • Teddy bear if you want to bring something for homesickness

Carry-on:

  • 1 Book
  • 1 Phone charger
  • 1 Adapter
  • 1 Water bottle
  • Portable charger/s
  • Your laptop/charger
  • Exchange documents
  • Travel insurance
  • Credit cards******

Handbag:

  • Passport
  • Plane ticket
  • Phone
  • Headphones
  • Wallet
  • Non-passport ID
  • List of your exchange uni information (cell number and contact person)
  • Local emergency currency

_SAM1937

*If you are visiting home before the weather becomes warmer you can switch out your warmer clothes with this and not bring it all at once.

**Recommended if you’re going somewhere rainy and don’t have water resistance boots.

***I recommend you take with you what you have at home so not to waste it because you can buy all that at your exchange country.

****Make sure you collect the amount of prescription medication you need for your whole stay and documents to validate your usage of them if needed.

*****Some unis have deals where you can order room/bathroom/kitchen packages that will be in your room at your arrival – do some research to see if it will be worth it.

******I recommend bringing an extra credit card for another account or the same to store in your room in case you lose your wallet at some point. That way you don’t have to go days(maybe weeks) without cash because you need to wait for your new one.

_SAM1953

I hope this will help all of you who are going on exchange, and of course I hope you have a good trip!

Let me know if you’re going on exchange and if you use the list! And if you’ve already been on exchange and disagree/agree I’d love to hear your opinion!

Getting enough sleep

I’ve always been the type to function fine on little sleep. Give me 4 hours and I’ll be alright. But that’s the thing, I’ll be ‘alright’. For years now I’ve been sleeping around 4-6 hours a night and thinking this was the best it could get.

Then I read a post from Healthline – 10 Reasons Why Good Sleep Is Important. And I realized that something had to be done. I needed to work on my sleep schedule. So, that’s what I’ve been doing the last month, and I’ve gone from an average of under 6 hours per night to 8 hours this week!

This is the average I had with my Fitbit Alta HR, which tracks my sleep and the quality of my sleep, the last three months. In February and the first half of March I got 4-6 hours of sleep every night.

2018-03-28 (3)

After changing my schedule before bed time I now have an average of 7 hours per night. The average dropped for this month because of the first half, but the last half I’m closer to 8 hours per night!

2018-03-28 (2)

What I did:

1. Set your time of going to bed half an hour earlier every 2 days

I realized quickly that if I was used to going to bed at 2 am, the chances of falling asleep at 11:30 pm was very slim. So I decided to set the times of going to bed back half an hour every 2 days. So by 10 days I went from 2 am to 11:30 pm.

2.  Set a goal for when to wake up

Make sure that it’s a time that will give you the amount of rest you want. I wanted 8 hours of sleep so I made sure that I would wake up at 7:30-8 am since I wanted to go to bed at 11:30-12:00. Even if you don’t go to bed at your set time, make sure you wake up at your time so you’ll fall asleep as normal.

3. Cut the usual last cup of caffeine

I usually had a cup of coffee around 8 pm. I used to think that caffeine didn’t have a huge affect on me since I drink so much of it during the day. But it might have an affect even though you don’t notice it in energy levels. I’ve now switched the last cup of coffee with some caffeine-free tea, and it’s now a part of my evening routine.

4. Build a schedule

Usually I’d wash my face quickly, brush my teeth and lie in bed for about an hour with my phone before turning the lights off. Now I’ve come to realize that if I keep a proper schedule then my body and mind will know it’s time to wind down and get ready for sleep. Now I drink my night-time tea, carry out a set skin routine, brush my teeth and read for an hour with my phone on ‘do not disturb’.

 

I think the most important thing is to set your goals and try to stick with them the best you can. I’ve experienced huge differences in my energy levels and concentration after getting more sleep, and I’ll work hard to keep it as it is now.

 

Hope this can inspire some of you night owls to try to sleep a bit more and hopefully feel a bit better in your every days!

giphy

Guide: Bath Spa, UK.

Nå er det deilig å bare ligge i sengen og gjøre ingenting. I går tok jeg toget 05:46, landet i Bergen 15:30 og startet jobb 17:00. Det var en hard dag som endte med en liten knekk i kroppen.

Forrige mandag var jeg endelig tilbake til Storbritannia hvor favorittpersonen min bor. På lørdag feiret vi 1,5 år sammen så vi tok oss en tur til byen jeg har lyst til å dra på utveksling til kommende våren (krysser fingrene!).

Jeg må bare si at Bath Spa er en av de fineste britiske byene jeg har utforsket så langt. Utrolig mye historie og kultur på en relativ liten plass.

Vi fikk bare tre dager i den flotte byen, men jeg tenker jeg kan nevne de beste stedene å ta seg tid til å se.

Kultur

Første dagen brukte vi på å vandre rundt og besøkte det første offentlige museet i byen, The Holburne Museum. Verkene er samlinger fra Sir William Holburne og søsterne hans, over 4000 objekter fra diverse reiser. Veldig interessant og så mye vakkert å se på. Museet er også gratis, men du kan gi en liten donasjon om du ønsker.

I Bath Spa finner du en av Storbritannias største turistattraksjoner, The Roman Baths. Dette er et romersk bad som varmes opp av naturlige gasser som kommer fra 2700 – 4300 meter under bakken. Om du vil unngå en ufattelig lang kø kan du forhåndsbestille på hjemmesiden deres og gå rett inn, det koster £13.75 om du er student. Men jeg foreslår å skaffe “saver tickets” som gir tilgang til både The Roman Baths, Fashion Museum Bath og Victoria Art Gallery for £18.50. Uansett er prisene verdt det.

Uheldigvis for oss hadde vi allerede kjøpt kombinerte billetter for Fashion museum, No.1 Royal Crescent og museum of Bath architecture. No. 1 Royal Crescent gir en visning rundt i en av leilighetene som er konstruert for å vise hvordan de så ut sent på 1700-tallet. Rommene er fantastisk vakre og hvert rom har en guide som forteller hva rommet ble brukt til og diverse interessante fakta, turen tar rundt 30 min og jeg anbefaler å ta seg tid til det.

Fashion museum tok heller ikke så lang tid. Her vises forskjellige plagg og antrekk fra 1600-tallet til 2017, i tillegg til at man selv kan prøve noen antrekk.

Museum of Bath architecture var også en liten diamant som viser hvordan forskjellige store bygg i byen ble bygget. I midten av museet er Bath blitt satt opp i miniatyr, utrolig gøy å se hvor man har vært.

Mat

Skal du ut og spise har jeg tre steder å foreslå. Første stedet er Green Rocket Cafè. En helvegetarisk cafè med mange veganske retter. Maten smakte fantastisk, prisene var fair og stemningen var magisk og avslappet. Gleder meg til å bli fast kunde her om jeg kommer inn til våren.

Til middag den siste dagen spiste vi på Yak Yeti Yak, en nepalsk resturant. Her satt vi på puter på gulvet og fikk servert utrolig god mat. Definitivt en fin opplevelse utenom det vanlige. Yak Yeti Yak er også bare 2 minutter fra Green Rocket så det er lett å finne den ene om du har funnet den andre.

IMG_4043

Det siste måltidet i Bath ble frokost hos Quails Deli. Ikke så mange veganske alternativer, men masse vegetarisk. Liten og intim med god stemning.

Annet:

Min nye favoritt bokhandel. Glem Waterstone, besøk heller Topping & Company Booksellers. En stor, lokal bokhandel med både populære, nyere bøker og mindre populære diamanter. Stikk innom og få deg en gratis kopp kaffe eller te og nyt lukten av bøker.

Det var det. Jeg gleder meg virkelig til søknadene for utveksling åpner slik at jeg kan søke, for nå vil jeg bare tilbake og ta inn den vakre byen og at den har å by på.

Har du vært i Bath Spa før, eller har du andre fine byer å anbefale meg å ta turen innom på neste reise? 🙂