Tips before going abroad

well..here i am in australia.. brisbane exactly..

actually it’s only my childhood dream to study abroad.. i am so grateful that i have this chance.. so watch out to your dreams, coz sometimes it might be come true..

i have been in brisbane for a week.. i traveled by airplane, jakarta-singapore-brisbane.. i went on friday 25th December 2008 at 4pm and arrived in brisbane on saturday 26th December 2008 at 10am.. it was a tired day..

because this was my very first trip abroad, so there were lotz of things happenned at the jakarta airport.. i gave you some tips based on my experience before you going abroad, especially for study..

1. Do NOT bring too many stuff.. or you will have to pay the excess baggage, and the fee isn’t that cheap.. 1 kg = 22 USD.. you just have to bring your clothes and your laptop.. that’s it.. checked and reviewed what all the things you would need the most.. get the list, dont bring junks.. the limit baggage is about 30 kg per person. But you can get extra baggage if you’re in a group..
2. Do NOT bring any kind of food or you have to be checked in brisbane.. they will not let you to bring any kind of food (even abon).. but you may bring instan cooking spices or flavor such as bawang putih, nasi goreng, etc).. it would be very helpful especially for people who dont like to cook, like me.. you may bring coffee or tea also.. but it will be checked..
3. Bring all of your sertificates of graduate school or courses.. dont bring heavy books.. if you can, just put all the data to your laptop..
4. Do NOT forget to bring money.. coz for the first month you will need some money to survive.. the first two weeks would be the hardest days..
5. Bring Rp.1.000.000,- for paying the viskal.. they dont take dollars, only rupiah..
6. Go to the airport early.. You must be at the airport at least 1 hour before boarding, so you wont be in a rush.. and because you have to be in line to pay the administration such as viskal..
7. Spend time with your family and boy/girl friend before you going..  otherwise you will get homesick easily..
8. Do NOT forget to bring UNIVERSAL ADAPTOR.. coz in most countries, they have different stab for cables..
9. The last but not least.. i think you should bring a pack of cigarrettes.. if you dont smoke, you can give it to your friends there.. because cigarrettes become a valuable things there in other country.. coz it’s expensive..
10. Make sure that you have told the people from university all about your flight and time arrival.. Write the complete address incase if they not pick you up..

I hope the tips will help you,, so you wont get any troubles in the airport,,

Enjoy the trip