Settling in... surprisingly fast and well

Exchange students always expect many obstacles settling in a foreign place such as jet-lag, disorientation, culture-shocks, feeling incapable of dealing with a huge influx of independence etc. I must say I have experienced very little of these. I have settled in almost the first day in this city. For one, Manchester is a metropolitan city much like Hong Kong; besides English is not exactly a foreign language to me, or all of Hongkongers. So that's probably the best thing about choosing an English speaking country to go on exchange; while you can blend in more easily, (should there be any thing you find puzzling, you can ask away  your flat mates/ neighbours), you can also actually learn things, other than the local language, academically or non-academically. 

I thought I had packed a lot of stuffs in my suitcases, it was not until I unpacked them in my room that I realised I haven't brought all I need. 

Luckily living in a city means you can get things relatively easily, and living in Manchester, which boasted itself as the biggest student cluster in the whole of UK, means you can get things at a relatively cheap price. I have also been so lucky to have received the hospitality of my flat mate's parents', who drove me to IKEA to furnish my room and kitchen area. Really grateful of that.

That's so much of settling in, last piece of advice/recommendation/information would be to those who are coming to Manchester/ the UK to do your exchange, I'd advise you to bring more long sleeves clothes (though short could do too), because Britain is not as cold as you might imagine, you can normally put on just a shirt whilst in your room, or even outside sometimes; and when it gets colder, you just put on more layers, thick jackets will take up too much of your space in your suitcase and you don't always find them useful. Some medication for cold/ flu might prove useful, because during the fresher/welcome week, students normally catch the so-called fresher flu, medication could be cheaper at home and more convenient if you bring it than purchase it here, where although you can have free service from the lovely NHS, certain drugs will require a prescription. And for boys who apply chemical/gel to our hair, DO bring more gel/hair product, you'll soon find it's not really easy to find the gel you're used to, or even substitute, around all the local stores. So unless you want to drop the habit of being fussy about your hair, bring more of the hair product you use here!

Next up, I will be talking about the fresher/welcome week, all the drinking and mingling... Stay tuned.