Hello everyone! It’s Mya (Emerald) from Myanmar again! I am an international postgraduate student, pursuing an MA in Creative Writing. I’m here to talk you through what I found useful to pack when heading to university. Around this time a year ago, I was looking at Pinterest boards thinking what to include in my luggage before setting off for a long journey. I was trying not to make it exceed 23 kg but failed miserably as I wanted to pack almost everything I could so that I could save money on buying household items in Exeter. How wrong was I?!
While I took some things out from the luggage, my mom put in a few more behind my back. That’s how I exceeded the allowed weight, and stupidly, I asked airport information assistant how much I should pay for excess baggage. He smirked, and said, “Ma’am, just take a few things out there. No. Probably half of it.” Just like that, my luggage was opened in front of the public; The Secret History and other books were taken out, my beloved vintage blue blender had to go, So, here I am… to help you not to have an embarrassing and hasty exhibition of your beloved items in front of the check-in counter!
Kitchen
The first thing I was worried about when I packed was that I wouldn’t be able to bring enough instant food (Burmese ready-made meals) and essential ingredients like red chilli flakes, fish sauce, tamarind and several other condiments to make me feel at home. My mom could have been thinking the same as she looked concerned when I was performing my suitcase reveal show at the check-in counter. I decided to leave most of the instant noodle packages – but when I walked past the security check, taking my coat off, I found instant noodle packs in each of my pockets. My mom had sneaked these in! I had a good laugh and guess what… I had to bring them in my pockets as both of my suitcases and my backpack plus my tote bag were chubby enough, having no more room to host those noodle packs! (Moral of the story, provided they are not illegal items, it’s always a good idea to make use of any pockets you have on you because honestly, those Shan instant noodles were the best comfort food while settling in!). I do recommend you take unique food items of your culture to make yourself at home.
However, spices and condiments are easily spotted at various stores in Exeter. Mesopotamia and Asian stores such as 168 Oriental Supermarket, BHL Oriental Food Store and Yonk Asian Supermarket have every condiment I need for my cooking, and I have been cooking my traditional cuisines ever since, creating myself a home-away-from-home. As for the groceries, I check discounts from Tesco and order online from Asda. Iceland is a better option for a rainy day because of its affordable prices and sales.
On top of that, students usually forget to bring some items for the kitchen, for example, chopping board, strainer, scissors, grater, tin opener, bottle opener, and ladle. Pots and pans are too heavy to pack in your luggage obviously. So, during the Welcome Week, when University arrange tours to IKEA, it’s a good idea to join these tours to socialise and also to buy heavy household items for your new home! It’s also a good idea to share these items with your flatmates if you are already sharing a kitchen.
Wardrobe
Being a Pinterest aficionado, I found several lists that outline what I needed to pack when going to university. It’s a good place to look if you’re not sure where to start! Instead of packing everything you might need for a whole year, it would be wiser and lighter weight for you to travel with only the essentials, especially if you are an international student.
Obviously, you would want to bring the clothing that match your style. I brought all sort of clothing including summer dresses and evening dresses which I did not regret. Otherwise, I would be shopping at the last minute before the seasonal balls held by various societies here! University of Exeter has a huge variety of societies and the events held by them are regularly scheduled. Even if you did not want to pack a lot of clothing, I want to suggest you bring various attires including winter coats and thermal wear for your first few months of your life here in the UK.
Cultural shock is one thing. Weather is another! Speaking of the weather, I would suggest you bring your favourite sturdy umbrella or a raincoat (to be honest, I prefer to walk in the rain as I am too light weighted to withstand the force of the wind swipping my umbrella away). There will often be a drizzle even in summer. I know right?!
If you didn’t want to pack a lot of clothing and also don’t want to spend a lot on fashion, you can always check out boutiques, second-hand stores and charity shops in the heart of city centre like British Heart Foundation or Hospiscare (where proceeds go towards helping a charity/worthy cause), or order from ASOS or Vinted for much cheaper prices.
Speaking of fashion, if you are into tote bags, please don’t bother bringing any to the University. During Freshers’ week, I collected free tote bags from Students’ Guild. I also went to tie-dying workshops at the University where you can create your own tote bag according to your taste and take it home!
Bathroom
For the bathroom, I chose to only bring the items I would need for the first few weeks. This included a bar of soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, facewash, shampoo and conditioner. Bath towels and hand towels are a must to bring (although you can buy them when you get to Exeter)! I suggest you to bring adaptor as sockets can be different from what you use in your home country. (It’s always better to research before losing your mind as your phone and power bank are running out of batteries after a long flight!) However, you can order online or pop down to Boots, or Poundland for the items that are cheaper. For online shopping, Aldi is the cheapest option you have both for groceries and household items!
Bed
When I thought about having my own place, I imagine my own comfy bed and tiny LED lights on the wall featuring my sketches, random pages of poems and cutouts from magazines. So, even before I arrived in Exeter, I ordered a duvet, duvet cover, and a set of two pillows and pillowcases. Since I ordered from the website suggested by the University’s accommodation page, I didn’t have a lot of options to choose but I made sure to get the right colour, pastel green.
The view outside your window is likely to be green and pleasant since Exeter is in the middle of some of the UK’s most beautiful countryside. However, you can also bring these elements of nature into your room. For me, I had a tiny succulent, welcoming me when I first stepped into my studio room. You shouldn’t and can’t necessarily bring a plant from your hometown (due to Customs Laws etc). But there are ways to get them here; the University of Exeter usually has a huge plant sale at the Forum (Streatham Campus) in May. Even without sales, you can still buy tiny desk plants at the Marketplace in the Forum, or other places in the city.
Tips and Tricks
As the University of Exeter is renowned for offering a great student experience and with all of its societies and events held throughout the academic year, there are various opportunities for new and prospective students to grab free items and experience along the way. I would suggest you come earlier and explore the swapping events before the semester starts. Usually before leaving accommodation, students pass their household items and food to newcomers, so it’s a good idea to reach out to them once you arrive in Exeter. There are also donation points (charity boxes) in various students’ accommodations. For example, at the Birks Grange Village, donation point is located in the Birks Grange Central Common room near the pool table. There were countless items left by old students. I picked one beautiful glass and Game of Throne books!
You can look forward to the Welcome Week (Freshers’ week) as well on the campus! When I arrived just in time to experience Freshers’ week, I got a lot of free stuff ranging from stationery like pens, notebooks, stress balls, personal alarm, ice bucket, t-shirt, and tote bags. The Students’ Guild in Devonshire House also provides post it notes, pens, and papers for the students during the exam week.
Most importantly, when you move into a new place, it’s important to bring things that matter to you. It could be a plushie or your favourite kind of bedding, or the photos of your family and friends, or a drawing given by your beloved ones. For me, it’s a book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” by Haruki Murakami. I brought it to whichever country I travelled, and it has been my sidekick in every international chronicle of mine. Seeing the book sitting on the top shelf of my study desk reminds me of the marathon of life I have yet to run. For now, before you run out of time, I suggest you start making a list of what to pack and I hope you have a general idea of which things to leave as you can always make new memories with the things that can be bought in the UK, most precisely… in this beautiful green city, Exeter!
Love,
Emerald