Toujours Bon à Savoir!

 Cell Phone :

Students have all experienced the need to have a cell phone abroad. It is reassuring for family, precious for friends and very useful to have when travelling abroad. Most students buy one when they get over here (70 – 80 €), some use their American one with wide band width – you still need to buy a connection chip here (around 15 €) – some buy it used from their student friends who are coming back from Europe.Then you’ll have to buy minutes on a card when calling. No charges on incoming calls while in France. 

 Telephone Home ! :

How to stay connected with family and friends in the US and still save a lot of money?

 For- appointed- additional and longer conversations on the internet. 

We recommend you subscribe to Skype.  www.skype.com

It allows you to phone your family & friends for free through your Laptop and not use the too expensive cell phone to make calls home. You just need to buy a good pair of earphones with a mouth-piece.

 Train Passes:

Eurail pass is the best way to save money if you decide to travel several days in Europe during the breaks or during the week-ends. It can only be purchased in the US. www.eurail.com But once in France you can also buy train tickets, plane tickets from www.voyages-sncf.com at very good prices.

 Laptops:

We strongly advise you to bring your laptop, no matter what your mother says… (Please avoid shipping it, it causes many trouble with the French customs and might, in the end, cost you more than the laptop’s worth.)*cf receiving gifts and parcels

The whole center is wired and you’ll also have Wifi access in the Center and the “dungeon”. But make sure you buy a Wifi card compatible with the European standards:

Wifi card B or G compatible B.

And go to your local computer store and buy GOOD adaptors. What you’ll need is:

1- Your own laptop AC adaptor (check voltage range)

2 – A ground adaptor to change your plug into two prongs

3 – An adaptor plug for French outlets

 Credit Card and ATM machines:

ATM : When you use a cash card with a MasterCard logo or a Visa logo, ATM delivers euros € without charging any fees, but does not indicate the balance on your account. Ask your bank before departure how you can check your balance on the internet from France. Also remember to tell your Bank you’ll be abroad for a few months (specify the dates). If you don’t, your  Bank might block and cancel your credit card assuming it’s been stolen from you. It has happened, many times before to numerous students!

 International Student Card (ISIC)

http://www.isicus.com/MyISIC/   This card can save you a lot of money while travelling, (train and plane tickets) and also allows you to get better prices and sometimes free entrance for many things (museums, cinema, theatre, some bars & discos etc..)

 Receiving gifts and parcels from family and friends:

Is always a pleasure, and sometimes turns into a nightmare when a bill comes along… Please tell your family and friends to use regular US postal service (with a track number) if they send you gifts, magazines, candies and that kind of things. Make sure they do not declare a “fake” high value, hoping to get a high refund…if it gets lost, because you’ll be the one paying for the taxes on this fake declared price.

If they are gifts, it should be written clearly that they are gifts on the declaration form for the customs (cadeaux) and listed.

If it’s a bunch of used items you’ve asked your mother to send you because you need them, it also must be specified clearly: used personal belongings on the box (effets personnels usages). And list them carefully, so that the parcel can be checked.

If they need to send you valuables ( plane tickets – eurail pass- new credit card) then use FedEx or UPS for security, but double check when these Cies state you won’t need to pay taxes to get used goods such as a camera for example, because it’s not always true (Especially with FedEx) and sometimes the recipient still has to pay for the custom taxes. For any valuable and retailable items make sure a copy of your original bill is in the box to prove it belonged to you before you went overseas and that you are not trying to smuggle goods to make money.

 

 

Qu’est ce que je dois mettre dans ma valise???? Session d’été

Vous devez sûrement vous demandez ce que vous devez mettre dans votre valise avant de venir à Vanderbilt in France… pour la session d’été, voyagez léger!  Voici les conseils de Jennifer Montesi

 

Qu’est ce que je dois mettre dans ma valise ??

 

Une valise avec un sac-à-dos ou un sac de marin (duffel bag), ça sera parfait !  On n’a pas besoin de plusieurs valises, mais faites attention de laisser assez de place pour les souvenirs que vous allez acheter !) Je vais écrire la liste en anglais pour qu’elle soit plus pratique:

 

Casual, comfortable clothes for  springtime weather. 

·        You will find that by bringing layers, you will be able to wear a lot of the same things you brought !

·        Remember sandals if you wear them.

·        Some people will dress up a little in skirts and sundresses, but this is not necessary. 

·        In general, you can find whatever you need around town, and you will be able to survive (if worst comes to worst) without your luggage in the event that it’s lost… so relax !

·        American t-shirts are comfortable, easy to wash, and versatile.  If you find that you are treated differently while wearing American tshirts, then you can stop wearing them ! 

·        You may want to take some jewelry.  Just don’t take anything extremely valuable, although I had no problems with having things stolen in Aix. 

 

Clothes that you can wear when you « go out » at night. 

 For girls, this can be as easy as jeans and a black shirt (we learned to accessorize with a scarf or necklace—and recycled lots of outfits !).  Guys can be casual, as well.  Just know that you probably will go to dinner or bars and may want to dress up a little sometimes.

 

Stuff

CDs/portable music, and/or something to read for the plane ride, train rides, and bus trips.   Not necessary, but definitely made travelling less monotonous.  You can buy music in Aix, and if you need English books, there are 2 bookstores that are full of good reading material.

Laptops are great—if you bring yours, remember to take the surge protector (that connects your computer to the wall) and you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a transformer.   (The surge protector will ensure that you don’t blow fuses—which can be very expensive when computers are involved. 

·        You may want to throw a few blank cds/floppy discs into your bag—they’re extraordinarily expensive in France, and you may want to burn digital pictures, documents onto cds (to print out at the center).

·        Digital cameras are great if you’re bringing a laptop—several of the group members last semester set up websites where we could all view the pictures they took !  If you’re not bringing a digital camera—don’t worry !  You can buy film for your camera and disposable cameras all over town. 

 These are things I wish I had known while packing, and I hope they help !  Use this list in addition to the list given to you by Vanderbilt—just as extra information !  Pack your suitcase, then go back and take out whatever you can !  You’ll be much happier later.  Bon Voyage !