Excitement! Craziness! Dreams! Hopes! Ambitions!! And many such feelings go on in our mind before we leave our home country to study abroad.
The first month after arriving to a new country is always exciting. You see a new country, new faces and most of the time a completely new race! So, be prepared to enjoy the beauty of the new place along with facing different challenges it has to offer to you.
Since living in a new country, there are times when you feel lonely and depressed, eventually arrives the time when you start missing home and the comforts of being pampered. So, here are some tips to help you to have a positive mindset always.
1. Make new friends!
Try to socialize with new people and go out to have fun with them! Friends transform a boring place to an amazing venture. Tartu is a beautiful city. To socialize with others, there are events that are organized by the ISA – International Student Ambassadors – and the ESN. It gives opportunities to get to know other cultures and to adjust to the new place.
2. Bring pictures of family and friends!
Keep pictures of your family and friends. Stick them to your wardrobe, so you can see them every morning and they also keep you motivated. It is a good idea to carry some of the pictures of your loved ones so, you can always have it with you. Your loved ones are like your support structure. They are always there when you need them. So, bringing their pictures or printing and having them close to you is a good idea.
3. Travel as much as you can.
Never miss an opportunity to travel whether it is with friends or a solo trip. Always make it a point to go out. Walk around and you might find beautiful interesting places! It keeps you happy and makes you feel good. At the same time, you are also creating amazing memories! Trips are usually organized by the University or various groups or it can be self-planned with friends. But first and foremost, you should begin with visiting all the beautiful cities in Estonia.
4. Adjust to your new surroundings.
Adapt to the new place. Get accustomed to the city and the weather. Since you are here to stay for a certain period of time, it is very important to get used to the new place and the people around.
Winters in Estonia can be overwhelming. The temperature could drop to minus 26 degree Celsius! So, prepare yourself and buy good warm clothes to help you survive. 🙂
Some shopping malls where you can buy winter clothes are as follow:
- Kvartal Mall
- Tasku (for jackets)
- Lounakeskus
- CCC shop in Tasku for boots
Stock up with food supplies so you have something to eat when you feel lazy to go out.
5. Eat healthy and stay fit.
As they say, health is wealth. Eat healthy and try to have a schedule for workouts. If you have good health, you can enjoy every weather and make great memories wherever you go. Apart from this, one should always have time to eat yummy food! 🙂
There are good restaurants to look up to when you miss home and want to indulge in the amazing cuisine that Tartu offers:
- HesBurger (open almost the whole night)
- McDonald’s (open almost the whole night)
- Fasters (open almost the whole night)
- Taverna (for yummy pizza)
- Hot Pot & Asian Food (for good Asian food)
Most supermarkets have good variety of food and one can get up to 50% off on food after 9pm in Tartu!
Last but not the least, people in Tartu are very helpful so when in need they always have suggestions and will help you out.
