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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

SGU Grenada - Things to Bring *updated*

Packing:
  • #1) Don't forget your Passport
  • Unlocked phone - Those Cheap SkypePhones from England won't work, sorry. You can buy a cheap one here, but its cheaper to bring one
  • Sunscreen*
  • Sunglasses, Bathing Suit, Towel  :)
  • bring a sweatshirt (for the study hall and lecture hall)
  • bring an UMBRELLA, jacket, poncho or whatever you need for a monsoon. The weather here is incredible, but it tends to rain quite hard for a short while, then right back to blue skies. Everything dries in the next hour or two, but be prepared for when you might need it. 
  • bring DRESS CLOTHES FOR CPD + if you plan on going to Unity Ball - Need button down shirt, tie, slacks, socks, shoes. Laidies, smart-formal wear is fine. It's formal clothing for dealing with patients, and eventually when we start going to the hospital in 5th term you'll need clothes. 
  • bring your Labcoat
  • ATM Card
  • get familiar with the SGU post, you can find whatever you forget on there (Link above)
  • Bring atleast $100 for your laptop fee at customs and your first couple meals. 
  • Bring a flashlight
  • A Fan (if you live off campus) - if youre in Newcastle, buy one there or get one from someone when you get here
  • your favorite hot sauce (in your checked luggage)
  • Anything Expensive (it will cost you 50% tax at the post office to have it shipped here, yes they look up the price of stuff)
  • **IMPORTANT UPDATE**: for your appliances. There are PLENTY of USA and UK style plugs on campus, so if youre on campus you can ignore this I guess. For those living off campus, you will need A Step Down Converter (basically a huge resistor) to keep your high energy USA appliances from exploding. You must get one of those here, trust me, they are at least 20 pounds of metal. Those of you coming from England, BUY YOUR HIGH VOLTAGE STUFF THERE!! They work perfectly here in the UK outlets without any additional plugs. That includes hair clippers, fans, microwaves, blenders,  For low energy appliances like phone chargers, laptop chargers, etc make sure you pickup a Universal charger or a USA->UK converter at the airport or at the grocery store when you get here.
those are the top essentials i can think of right now...

Banking: 
  • You don't need a bank account, just an ATM card. 
  • those of you with Bank of America:  ---> Scotia Bank is your goto guy for free withdrawals (like Barclay's was in England). 
  • Most places will take USD or ECD as currency (but they usually round up with dollars). 
  • I don't think they will take canadian money.. so bring an ATM card. 
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updates:
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 Cell phone companies

  • Get what your friends get. 
  • You have two options: Digicell and Lime. Go buy a simcard right away if you want. I recommend getting what your friends get because its cheaper with In-network charges. They have been offereing top-up matching, but the matched minutes they offer are only good for in-network calls and only for 2 weeks. I would say, about 50ECs worth will give you your best value for that offer, but most people just put a ton of money on there (a couple hundred), and never worry about it again. 
  • It's easy to fill up on minutes, you can do it at the store, or easily online with a credit card. 


to be continued... 

1 comment:

  1. Just a small note: not all campus housing has both 110 and 220v. Married housing only has 220v, so you'll need a converter.

    ReplyDelete