Written by Emily Malone
Since a new family is taking our flat, I have new families on my mind and what they need to know. We have a fabulous website {aka AWF} that many women have spent hours thoughtfully putting together, which is definitely worth a thorough perusing. However, I thought I’d just high light a survivor’s guide for preparing and the first few days.
As you prepare…
Housing- you can look for flats online with agencies, as well as on Gumtree. AWF has tons of info on this, I am sure. Make sure to ask what comes with the flat- is it furnished? What does that mean- does it include linens and dishes, or just minimum furniture? This will help you plan.
Regardless of whether you come with a flat secured, or just a temporary place to stay, google and print maps with how to get to the University, as well as one of the main grocery stores: ASDA, Morrison’s, or Sainsbury’s. All 3 of these places have groceries, of course, but they also supply stuff for your home, including linens, dishes, etc.
Once you arrive…
You may also want to keep those maps handy for eating- probably you’ll be on your own for food, so know that each grocery store has a cafe as well. Come with some pounds {you can even change money at the airport} if you don’t have credit cards or a bank account you can use yet. If you are planning on using your American cards, make sure you know what charges your bank will charge you for using pounds, etc.
Also, there is the HUB on campus, which has a Subway on the ground floor, as well as a student cafeteria with lots of options on the “first” floor. This may or may not be open if you come before the start of term {end of September}, but Subway keeps good hours.
For phones and internet…
I think this may be the best info I provide you with… It takes a long time to get phone lines and internet set up here. Know that. Thus, my biggest recommendation would be to get a mobile phone as soon as you can. Head down to ASDA- a 20-25 min walk to the beach from the Uni, or a bus ride {Beach Retail Park on Route 14 / 15}… Anyway, buy 2 pay-as-you-go mobiles (what they call cell phones). You won’t have a credit history here, so no contract- you’ll just pick out a phone and pay by the minute. Then, you just “top it up”, meaning add pounds at a time. ASDA has a good selection and well-priced minutes 4-8p/minute. Get your phones so you have a way to call people and communicate in country. This way you won’t go crazy as you need to ask for help, etc.
I would also advise the student to get registered on campus, so you can have log-in info for computer access. That way, you can go to the HUB or somewhere on campus and use the internet.
We have a FB page!
Lastly, I did want to make sure you know about our women’s page on FB…Aberdeen Women’s Fellowship…search it and then like it. The ladies here post random stuff that’s going on, things they’re selling or giving away, etc. It’s great! While we’re on that topic, we don’t have Craig’s List, but we do have Gumtree- you can find so much and it might be helpful for when you first move here.
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WELCOME NEWCOMERS! This Month’s AWF meeting will be an Ice Cream Social to get to know the new folks in town. Please join us on Monday, October 3rd at 7:30pm at Christy Sumner’s house.
