As an international student at UBC coming from Indonesia, the process of moving to Canada for university and adjusting to where I am now has felt like a rollercoaster. I had never been to Canada before going to UBC, but I love travelling and have been to several different places with my family and friends. Adjusting to a new place with a different culture and environment can be tough at first. It took me quite some time to blend in with the people around me, and understand how the schooling system works around here. I think it is really important to have the right mindset to be successful when coming to a new place. The right mindset for me means being curious and open minded to gaining new experiences and meeting new people. Whether you are planning to go on exchange when the border reopens or coming to Canada for the very first time after doing a year of online university, here are my tips and recommendations which may help you adjust when moving in to a new place.
– Be open minded. When coming to a new place, you may notice that things work differently around there. It is important that you stay open-minded and accept the culture of the new place. One thing that I noticed about UBC is how diverse the people are, with lots of people coming from different countries with different backgrounds. Being mindful about other people’s different opinions and perspectives can foster a healthy relationship with the people around you.
– Budgeting. Allocating the right amount of money to each of your expenses is crucial when you are living on your own. You do not want to end up having insufficient money when you are far away from home. It is also important that you have some extra money for backup. You just never know what might happen when you’re living on your own. Back in my first year, I got ill once and needed to go see the doctor. The doctor fee was covered by the MSP, however, I had to pay for the medicine which cost extra money. Having some money for backup will never hurt! For more information on budgeting, Go Global at UBC has made this worksheet that may come in handy. Another thing that worked for me was to make an excel spreadsheet on all the expenses on that particular month. This allows me to note if I am overspending in the middle of the month. One of our IKBLC Assistants, Keli has made a resource for budgeting – https://learningcommons.ubc.ca/my-journey-to-getting-better-with-money/.
– Try connecting with the locals. It may be tough at first to open up and connect with the locals due to cultural differences and language barriers, but it is a really rewarding experience. Coming to a new place as a stranger usually means that you don’t know anyone in the city. Reaching out to locals and building connections will not only help you grow as a person, but you can also get someone to take you around the city and experience life as a local. Getting that local experience will be much more eye-opening as you learn their way of living. Here’s a tip from a UBC alumni on how to make friends in a new place.
– Plan things ahead. Finding information about your destination may make things easier later. This may include figuring out your transport options once you arrived at your destination and the weather of the place you are arriving at. Planning things ahead also gives you a rough idea on the cost you need to move in. Back in 2019 before I arrived in Canada, I used to contact one of the people I know from my high school about what I should expect when coming to Vancouver. Connecting with someone that has lived there for a while may be beneficial as well, as they can guide you and provide recommendations about the things you might need to be aware of. Also, UBC has this list of reports from students who did an exchange at another university abroad. The list provides lots of really good tips and recommendations from students reflecting on their own experiences abroad.
– Get out of your comfort zone. Coming to a new place provides a lot of learning opportunities. Go try new things and you may learn something about yourself that you never knew. Personally, I have learned so many things since I came here. I find cooking and sharing my food with other people really enjoyable, which is a new hobby that I picked up since I started living on my own. Meeting local people who are native speakers of the language used in the city you visit may help you learn the language. As I am not a native English speaker myself, I felt that my English was terrible at first, but trying to connect with my peers who are native English speakers has helped improve me a lot. Check out this article about one of our UBC students, Marisha, sharing about how she got out of her comfort zone.
– Get used to the different time zone. Arriving at a place with a huge time difference may cause you to feel jetlagged, which causes you to feel sleepy during the day and stay awake at night. This is because your body is still synced to the previous time zone, instead of the new time zone. One way to reduce the length and intensity of your jetlag is to make your body adjust to the new time zone a few days before your travel date. Forcing yourself to stay awake during the day after moving also helps!
– Stay connected. Don’t forget to have regular check-ins with family and friends back at home. Living somewhere far with a huge time difference may be a reason why it is hard to maintain relationships while abroad. But don’t let it be the reason to lose all the relationships you have with your loved ones. Finding time to do video calls that work for both of you can be a great way to maintain those relationships. Personal tip: Surprise them by giving them small gifts during special occasions such as Christmas and their birthday to show them you haven’t forgot!
– Attend to your homesickness. Moving to a new place far away from home may be overwhelming for some. It is going to take some time for you to adjust to your new surroundings. Personally, I felt really homesick 6 weeks after I arrived in Vancouver. Not only did I miss my family and friends at home, but I also missed Indonesian food from back home (there is not much around here!). So to deal with this homesickness, I called my family and friends quite often at that time. I also learned to cook Indonesian food, which allows me to make dishes that I love from back home. If any of you are feeling homesick right now, remember that the feeling won’t stay forever! Once you get used to how things are at the new place and start making new friends, you won’t feel as homesick anymore. Also, try not to be hard on yourself when you see other people adjust faster than you. Some people only take a moment to adjust, while others may need a longer time, but everyone will eventually get there. Check this out for more information on how to deal with homesickness.
There are all of my tips on how to adjust to a new place! I hope you found my tips and experiences useful. One last thing, don’t forget to reflect and applaud yourself for challenging yourself to move to such a different place. Know that you have learned a lot of new life lessons just by adjusting to a new environment.
