As I keep repeating over and over again like an absolute tool, I no longer live in my hometown, but in Serbia's capital. I am a complete newbie to the whole big city scene - public transport, traffic jams, pickpockets, expensive cabs, etc - everything is new to me, so I thought it would only be right to share some of the things I've learnt the hard way over the past month. This might be helpful to some of you who are in a similar situation, so keep on reading to see what stupid mistakes I've made.
1) Starting with a simple one - always bring a water bottle with you. This sounds dumb and obvious, but you're gonna wish you'd thought of that when you're sitting in a 2 hour long lecture dying from thirst and counting down the minutes to when you can exit the classroom and buy some water.
2) Try to always have a book on you in case you get stuck in traffic or find yourself in a really long queue or if you have a long gap between lectures. If you're not a huge reader, bring some sort of entertainment, even if it's a game on your phone, which brings me to my next tip.
3) Always, and I repeat, always have your phone charged! You never know when you're gonna get lost or take the wrong bus or lose your friend or simply get bored. The absolute best thing would be having one of those portable charger things - that would be a lifesaver for me!
4) If you have a companion (roommate, friend, boyfriend/girlfriend or anyone at all) that you spend a lot of time with, commute with or live close by to, learn their phone number by heart. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be able to call someone in case your phone dies and you get lost or simply need to call or text someone from somebody else's phone.
4) If you have a companion (roommate, friend, boyfriend/girlfriend or anyone at all) that you spend a lot of time with, commute with or live close by to, learn their phone number by heart. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be able to call someone in case your phone dies and you get lost or simply need to call or text someone from somebody else's phone.
5) And finally we get to the good stuff - pay attention in buses! Try not to get distracted by your phone, nap or do anything that will distract you too much in buses or any other for of public transportation. Be alert and pay attention to the station you're at.
Storytime: It's 10 pm. Me and my BBF/roommate are sitting in a bus. We have one station left until we need to get off and get into the next bus. I am sitting behind my alert friend and slowly zoning out. I am googling something that must have seemed significantly important as I totally lost track of where I was. By the time I look up from my phone, we have arrived to the station and my friend has gotten out. I realize that I am also supposed to get out and I rush to the door. It closes in front of my face. I see the horror on my friend's face through the door. Oh, I have 5% battery as well. I call my friend and tell her that I'll get off at the next station and meet her in the next bus. I had to ask multiple people how to get to the station where I needed to take said bus and find a way to figure out where I was. Both me and my friend were freaked out and by the time I reached the station and wanted to call her to tell her that I'm okay, my phone died. Luckily, there was a nice girl next to me whose phone I borrowed to text my friend and we managed to meet each other in the next bus.
Storytime: It's 10 pm. Me and my BBF/roommate are sitting in a bus. We have one station left until we need to get off and get into the next bus. I am sitting behind my alert friend and slowly zoning out. I am googling something that must have seemed significantly important as I totally lost track of where I was. By the time I look up from my phone, we have arrived to the station and my friend has gotten out. I realize that I am also supposed to get out and I rush to the door. It closes in front of my face. I see the horror on my friend's face through the door. Oh, I have 5% battery as well. I call my friend and tell her that I'll get off at the next station and meet her in the next bus. I had to ask multiple people how to get to the station where I needed to take said bus and find a way to figure out where I was. Both me and my friend were freaked out and by the time I reached the station and wanted to call her to tell her that I'm okay, my phone died. Luckily, there was a nice girl next to me whose phone I borrowed to text my friend and we managed to meet each other in the next bus.
Moral of the story: have a charged phone, pay attention & remember the phone number of the person you're commuting with.
I'd love to hear everyone else's experiences in a new city because at the moment, I feel like a total idiot. Share your stories and/or tips in the comments below.
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