1The IGraSP Guide for getting to Purdue! Updated on July 16, 2014 CONTENTS 1. BAGGAGE AND PACKING………………………… 2. CLOTHES, UTENSILS, FOOD TO BRING………. 3. STATIONARY, TEXT BOOKS TO BRING………… 4. IT'S PACKING TIME………………………………… 5. THINGS TO DO IN THE WEEK BEFORE TRAVEL……………………………………………….. 6. ONE LAST REVIEW OF IMPORTANT THINGS…. 7. ON THE DAY OF TRAVEL, IN-FLIGHT INFORMATION…………………………………………. 8. FORMS TO FILL DURING THE FLIGHT………….. 9. FINALLY LANDED IN THE USA……………………. http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~igrasp/ Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] I. BAGGAGE AND PACKING 1. First of all, is there something that I should "NOT" bring when I pack my luggage? Electrical Appliances: Appliances here are designed for 110-120V, unlike the ones in India (230-240V). Unless you bring a converter, they will be useless. Try to minimize these, they add weight and are not worth lugging them all the way. In any case, appliances like iron boxes, mixers etc. can be bought for cheap from Walmart. 2. Suitcases: Before you buy the suitcases, contact your airlines and confirm what are the sizes specifications and the weight in it that you can carry. All airlines are very strict about this, so it's best to know this before you start. Here are some tips when you buy them: • Buy one/two good ones (depending on airlines) - they should be able to withstand a lot of mishandling. Go for the good branded ones, as they are now available in light-weight and durable materials. • Get a good carry-on hand baggage - cabin baggage. Buy a Backpack - Get a good one, you will use it almost all the time in US. The airlines, as of now, have rules to allow only one backpack and one laptop bag. But increasing fuel prices have put this luxury at risk as well. So please check with the airline or your travel agent. • Strictly follow size limitations, regulated by your airline. • Have some kind of identification marks and labels both inside & outside the boxes. They will be helpful when you need to retrieve your baggage here at your destination. • Write your name in bold, legible characters. Americans find it difficult to pronounce Indian names. • If one of your flight segments involves travelling on a domestic airline; make sure you meet these additional requirements as well. Usually, the US-Domestic airlines have their own specifications, very different from the international airlines. They may/may not allow more than one cabin baggage (including a laptop bag) or only 2 check-in baggage. • More often than not, your airline from India would allow you to get an additional baggage as part of a student discount scheme. Such schemes are not entertained by the domestic US airlines, even though you get a package deal from your airline. Check with the domestic US airline or your travel agent IMPORTANT: Get suitcases that have wheels as you may have to move them around a lot during your trip and you don't want to tire yourself carrying them. Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] II. CLOTHES, UTENSILS, FOOD TO BRING 1. Clothes: West Lafayette weather ranges from -20 0 C to 35 0 C. Winter is bone chilling. Generally, the winter stuff available in India is not enough for the harsh winters here even though they come with 'Made in India/China' tags. You can always buy them here; winter sales are often publicized by major stores. Small, typical Indian winter clothing not available here can still be bought from India. They are mentioned below. Remember that you would be doing your laundry approximately once in 2 weeks so you should bring enough to last you those two weeks. Although many come with high hopes of doing a laundry more often, the rigors of classes and work and the fact that it costs you every time, usually puts a spanner in the execution for such aspirations. • Jeans: 4 to 6 pairs • Shorts: 2-3. • T-shirts: 6-8 • Formal suit & Ties - 1-2 pairs. You rarely need them, once in a year or so on occasions like Convocation ceremony and interviews. If you are doing a MBA, then you will definitely need them. • Undergarments...a lot of them...10-15 pairs • Socks...10 pairs you can bring even more because you would be wearing shoes most of the time. Do not get nylon socks. Cotton ones is better. You can also buy them here as they are cheap enough. • Get a muffler, monkey cap, woolen gloves and • A fairly good woolen jacket to get you started; you can buy some here for the 'severe winter' phase • 2-3 belts one formal leather belt and others as you please. Out here one rarely tucks in the casual dresses. • Traditional clothes - These would be good during Cultural meets. It would be nice if you can get matching footwear also (this is only secondary; do not compromise more important stuff for this in your luggage). • Towels 1. Footwear: It is better to bring 1 pair of sports shoes, 1 of formal shoes and a pair of sandals when you come here. You can change this according to your preference. Footwear is affordable in the US and so you can get these for the time being and buy the rest from here (if you need to). Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] 2. Personal Accessories: By all means yes but do not keep them in your hand baggage. US rules do not allow you to carry any liquids, gels or aerosols (deodorants etc.) in your hand baggage. They must be in your checked in baggage. Personal accessories: • Wallet - one that has space for cards - you normally don't carry much cash with you in the • US. Here, paper money is replaced by "plastic" money. So you tend to carry credit/debit cards (they can be used anywhere) rather than carrying hard paper cash. • Shaving kit & Blades • Soap and other bathing accessories (till you go for the first groceries in US)-a soap and a couple of shampoo sachets are enough • Combs & hair oil (if you use-ex: Parachute oil is more expensive here) • A small pair of scissors, safety pin bunch • Blankets and quilts can either be brought from India or bought here. The only reason being that they are extremely voluminous and tend to occupy a LOT of space in your luggage 3. Utensils: Depends on whether you guys plan to cook alone or with your housemates. Since most people don't get time to cook daily, food is generally prepared for a couple of days in one go - so keep this in mind when you buy vessels, etc. It is better that you team up with someone you know is coming here, and decide to buy utensils. This way you can both share the stuff, and will also relieve you off some of the baggage weight. Even if it may cost a little more, remember to go for melamine and plastic stuff over steel, as the weight will be less. Most important things about all utensils: • Try to minimize steel utensils as they have more weight. • Get microwave-safe plastic as you will use the microwave oven a lot. • Do not buy chapatti makers as you get ready made chapattis, rotis, and parathas here in nearby Indian stores at good prices. (They also taste good-though nothing compared to the "Ghar ka Khana"!!) Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] Typical stuff you may want: • Plates (3-4 plastic plates of normal size) • Spoons (tea spoons and table spoons) • Glasses • Plastic bowls (katories) and Cups • Serving spoons • Forks and Butter Knives (get plastic or steel ones) • Couple of cooking vessels • Pressure cooker - 3 liters (buy this, as Americans don't use Pressure cookers) • 1 pressure pan (Prestige), ask your prospective roommate to get one too • Cooker containers and spares (rings and valves) - Very Important as it's very common for first-time chefs (!) to blow up pressure cooker valves. • Non-stick frying pan with turner (the spatula kind of thing) • Tongs and knives • Cutting board for vegetables (not exactly required but recommended) • 2-3 patella's that fit into each other and that preferably have handles • Utensils holder (chimta) 5. Food Items: Most Indian foodstuff and spices are available here. Don't come loaded with these as you may have problem with baggage weight and customs. Get only a little, to get you started initially. Try to get "instant" stuff, as people don't have much time for cooking in the US. MTR stuff is more expensive here. It is recommended that you bring small amounts of the following stuff so that you can cook for the first few weeks without worrying about where to get them from. Bring approx. 1-month supply of masalas. Fruits, vegetables and other biodegradable items are not allowed by customs in USA. Health insurance provided by the University covers most of the common ailments (except dental and eye-care) and the medication is only slightly expensive here. Recommended Food Items: • Different dals in small quantity for initial use. • Get 1-2 packets each of Haldi, Red Chilly Powder, Garam Masala, Dhania, Jira (powder or seeds), Instant Masalas (like Chicken Masala, Paneer Masala, Sambhar powder, Rasam powder, etc.) Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] • Ask your mom to prepare a dabba with spices (the circular one with smaller round dabbas with various spices in it). It is very useful here. • Mustard seed packet. • Tamarind paste • Asafetida powder. (If you dig sambhar!) • Pickle bottles (get sealed ones and cover them so that they don't leak). As far as possible, avoid the bulky bottles and get packets. • Instant coffee + tea leaves or powder (if you are a regular drinker) • Sugar, Salt, Elaichi, clove, etc. (Only if required) 5. Medicines: Be informed that any medicines you carry should have its appropriate prescription (US Customs norms). Generally people carry standard medicines for stomach problems, light fever, cold etc. simple tablets like Crocin (paracetamol) is not available here, people use Tylenol (slightly stronger and more effective). So get a few such basic tablets, if you have gotten used to it. Sudden changes in your regular medicine may have harsh effects on you. It might help specifically in the initial period when one does not have University/other health insurance and possibly even later. If you are not allergic to a particular medicine only, get more of it. Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] III. STATIONARY, TEXT BOOKS TO BRING 1. Stationery: Basic stationery is pretty cheap out here and you will get good stuff from Wal-Mart and other stores. However, it is best you carry something with you when you come here, so that you don't have to run around for it. Students here generally do not use notebooks. (Get a couple, if you are really used to them). Students here use sheets and file them. Also, class lecture notes are handed out, and filing is easier. Don't get the files we get in India. You get good folders for less than a dollar. (The standard is a 3-pin file). 2. Textbooks: It will be a good idea if you can get text books from India as it is going to be much cheaper. Books are about 10 times more expensive here. (~$100 or more) Find out from seniors what text books u will need (depending on your subject/research area). And then, there are some standard reference books which always help. Ex. Kreyszig for Math, Incropera & Dewitt for Heat/Mass transfer etc, Oppenheim/Shafer for Signal processing, Ogatta for Controls, Anderson for Aerodynamics (our apologies to non-engineering students). Remember you are coming here to study, so do not compromise "book weight" for anything. 3. Calculators: It is definitely suggested that you get a good calculator; those Casio ones are pretty good. They are also allowed here. Most students here tend to buy the graphing and programmable calculators. They are much more advanced and are capable of doing complex math like integrations, differentiations, FFTs, Partial Differential Equations, etc. If you are picking on a major that requires intense mathematical calculations, then wait till you come here. You can get those sci-fi calculators by Texas Instruments. Nearly all professors permit students to use these even on exams. 4. Laptops: The average cost of a laptop over here varies from $800-$1200 (this includes brands such as Dell, HP, Sony, etc.). Most people buy their laptops from online sites that give you amazing deals. Unless you own a laptop already, it is highly recommended that you buy your laptop from here. It will cost you much less. For a given price, you get far better features on laptops here than in India. You could also pick one up if you are coming via Singapore or Dubai or someplace like that. If not, it is highly recommended that you buy it here. Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] IV. IT'S PACKING TIME!! Packing Tips: • Start your packing well in advance. If you rush at the last minute, you are bound to forget something. • Since you will be buying at least 2 boxes, it will be a good idea to divide all the things to pack equally in both the boxes. Reason is that sometimes one of your boxes may get misplaced by the airlines. You can still use stuff till the other one arrives. • Keep a list of what you pack in each box. That way you won't have to wonder whether you forgot something. • NEVER ever put any original documents, certificates, cash, and other very important stuff in the boxes. Always keep them with you in your hand baggage. This is extremely important. If you lose your box, you may get refunded by airline insurance. But if you lose your original documents, then you're in big trouble! • Keep one pair of shoes aside to wear on the journey. This will save space in the box. Hand Baggage: These are the suggested things you can carry in your hand baggage, as far as space permits: • Original documents (I-20, visa, tickets.)-See next section • Instruction Sheet (with Purdue/IGRASP contacts - this will be provided by the IGRASP towards your departure date) • Money (Cash, Traveler's Checks, Drafts, etc.) • Address book/phone book (your contacts in India & US) • One pair of clothes (for emergency-in case your luggage arrives late/goes missing) • Some medicines (something for air-sickness, headaches, fever)-only basic medication with prescription are allowed inside the cabin. Simple tablets/medications like paracetamol and ibuprofen may be allowed (confirm with your airline @ the check-in counter). • Novel or magazine for in flight reading (though all airlines provide this)-or your portable MP3 player or things like that • Sweater/Jacket (it may be cold inside the aircraft cabin). A jacket is recommended since it would have a few pockets and you can keep handy items in it. (Do not carry a lot of things in your pockets; you would have to go through more than one security checks wherein you will be required to empty all your pockets) Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] Documents to carry: All of the following documents should be carried in original (no exceptions!) • Passport and VISA (this will be stamped in your passport) • All college and Post College-level transcripts (report card/grade sheet), Convocation • Certificate of undergraduate degree, other certificates such as Birth certificate, etc. You may not have all of these if you are fresh graduate. • I-20 and acceptance letter from Purdue University. (Take all the I-20's with you if you have more than one) • Scholarship / Assistantship letter from your department (if applicable) • Driving License and International Driving Permit (IDP) (recommended). Get one made, if time permits. It can be useful to hire cars; IDP is recognized by agencies here. (At least here in Indiana). • Try to take a print-out or write down all the contact information you received from IGRASP. IMPORTANT: Remember to take photocopies of all your original documents and keep them at readily accessible places to you Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] V. THINGS TO DO IN THE WEEK BEFORE TRAVEL Important Things to do: You will be traveling soon and it is important that you feel relaxed. These are some of the things you should get done in the last week to avoid a last minute rush. • Reconfirm your ticket. Cases have happened when travel agents have told that ticket has been booked and they later report that airlines cancelled the ticket. If possible, get confirmation of your ticket in paper. • Important: Vegetarians: make sure you tell your airline about your food preferences. It is a long flight and you would not want to be stuck with the "wrong" food • Put your signature on 10 plane papers, write you name below it, and keep these at home. It may be needed for any purpose like authorization to collect marks sheets, Provisional certificate, Transfer certificate, Bonafide certificate, Degree certificate, Migration certificate from the university, applying for the refund from the college etc. • If you have a bank account, make it joint so that your parents have authorization to use it, if the need arises. • Arrange to collect/redirect mail from your room/hostel (if applicable). • Get sufficient dollars in small denominations (in 1s, 5s and 10s). A monetary exchange or bank will be able to provide this for you. Also remember to carry at least 3-4 dollars in quarters (25 cents)-coin currency. Keep some money in hand baggage and some in your backpack. • Do not keep all the money at one place • Keep the receipt obtained from Currency/Foreign Exchange dealer. • Get travel insurance (recommended if you will be taking the university insurance - as this would cover you for the time till you get Purdue insurance. Coverage for 2 weeks to one month is sufficient.) • Book the conveyance from Chicago / Indianapolis to Purdue. It's going to be holiday season and it may be difficult for you to get on spot conveyance. Keep gaps of at least 2 - 2.5 hrs hours between your expected time of arrival of your flight in US and your Chicago Air Coach (or other conveyance). It takes a long time to complete all custom formalities inside the airport. THINGS TO BE LEFT AT HOME: • List of addresses/phone numbers at which you can be contacted while in the US • One copy of all your important documents (Passport, Visa, airline tickets). • A copy of all relevant parts of medical history files. Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] Final things to do: • First of all, call up and find if there is any change of the schedule of the plane (and also inform the people coming to pick you (IGRASP) up of any such change). • Confirm with the airline about your food choice • Find out the name of the person who is coming to pick you up at the airport. • Remind those people of the flight timings, airline no, your name. Do not forget to inform all these to your people at home. • Arrange for the conveyance to the airport, if you don't have a car. You can book with any private transport facility like City cabs. • Relax the day before journey, and check all the documents you are taking with you once again. (For your own good, keep the late-night partying to the week before you travel!) • Get ready to face the long journey. Have sufficient sleep. • Meet friends, relatives and say your good-byes!!! VI. ONE LAST REVIEW OF IMPORTANT THINGS Travel Check-list: This is a suggested check-list to make sure that you have everything in place on the day before you leave. Note that while comprehensive, it may not necessarily cover everything. • Keep your ticket, Passport, VISA and I-20 ready. • All the money that you are carrying is on your hand-baggage and not in the luggage box. • Make sure you have ALL your documents (certificates, license, etc.) in place. • Make sure you have completed the health documentation (immunization record) that you may have to submit when you arrive there. • Your travel insurance paper, if you chose to take one. • Keep a printout of any specific information IGRASP has given you. • Your address book / phone book are with you. • All boxes are packed well and secure. • Prepare your own check-list with things you know you would want, apart from the important things mentioned here. Keep this check-list with you at all times and go over it frequently to make sure you have everything. Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] VII. ON THE DAY OF TRAVEL, IN-FLIGHT INFORMATION Day of travel: • Check all the documents once again and keep them at appropriate places so that it is easy for you to take them. • Since it is going to be a long, a really long, flight; wear something comfortable (cotton dress + full sleeves shirt). Wear your shoes - in flight you can remove them. • Be at the airport 3-4 hours before the departure. • If you were not able to get change for dollars, get them at the airport. All international airports have authorized money exchange counters. (Though the exchange rates are higher) • Relax during flight, sleep as much as possible. • For vegetarians - watch out before you eat - you may get non-veg even if you had asked for Veg. Vegetarian food is generally bland - fruits/juices are good choices. (Before ordering anything on board check if, you have to pay for it separately). Also confirm this at your check-in counter. If nothing has been done, the attendant at this counter can scramble something for you at the last moment (if you are lucky!) Transit flights: Most flights originating from India have a transit stop somewhere in Europe (usually: Swiss Air in Zurich, Lufthansa in Franfurt, British Airways in London, etc.). When your flight reaches your transit: • Listen carefully to any instructions given by your flight attendants before you disembark. You will hear information about departure time, gate number etc. (This is usually made in-flight before you land) • Proceed to the terminal from where you will depart. All airports have well marked sign boards and you should be able to find your way. • Although you can move around in the airport, be at the designated gate within 1 hour of your flight's departure for the onward journey, 'cause they may require checking your tickets etc. • Do not leave your baggage unattended even for a short while. If you need visit the restroom, carry your hand baggage with you. It's no big deal. • Ask questions when in doubt. Gate change happens frequently. So, keep checking the gate number of your flight at flight schedule terminal frequently. • Remember that you might not have a transit visa, so legally speaking; you are not even allowed to stand on that country's soil!! So do not do anything crazy like venturing out on your own! Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] Jet Lag: When you're flying from India to the US, you will be flying across nearly ten time zones. The human body has a natural biological clock that makes us wake up in the morning, feel drowsy at night, and so on. When you change time zones, this gets upset because your body is not used to it. The best way to counter this is to have plenty amount of sleep in the plane. When they serve you food, do eat it even if you are not feeling very hungry. Drink lots of water and fruit juices. (Not aerated drinks). Do not be embarrassed about frequent trips to the restroom. Liquids help hydrate the body and keep the salt balance adequate enough to keep you active. And when they dim the lights, take some time to sleep well. Water, food and sleep help avoid jet-lag almost entirely. Of course, you won't feel like sleeping the whole 20 hours, so take a break and watch one of the in-flight movies. VIII. FORMS TO BE FILLED DURING THE FLIGHT In the final part of your trip, just before you land in the US, you will have to fill out one form: • Customs Declaration (Form 6059B): The second form - Customs Declaration, Form - must be filled out and surrendered to the U.S. Customs inspector at the port of entry into the United States. This is not a very important form, but you still have to fill it out. It's a declaration of the things you are bringing into the country. Remember to click yes in the food column but no on the dairy products. They might ask you what food you have, just tell them you have some indian spices and ready-made packed food to avoid confusion. • I-94 Immigration Form: The rules for this form have changed since the last 2 years. Now, the immigration doesn’t provide an I-94. However, once you come to Purdue, remember to obtain it online using this link https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/ . It is essential that you print your I-94 and keep it for your records as it is required everywhere for registration purposes. You will be eligible to obtain this online only after immigration. You will be given more details of these forms on the flight, when you are close to destination. Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] IX. FINALLY LANDED IN THE USA-WELCOME!! 1. I have reached the Port of Entry. What do I need to do first? A Port-of-Entry is any international airport where you first land in the U.S. the first step is to get immigration and customs clearance. Once you are out of the plane go straight to the immigration counter. It might take 0.5 - 1 hour here. Keep your I-20, passport + VISA, admission & Aid letters ready. Also make sure that you have filled out the I-94 and Customs Declaration Forms. There are a couple of things to pay attention when you are ready to get out of the aircraft: • Try and keep up with passengers from your own plane. Try not to alight separately. It helps to follow them and keep you from straying away to a wrong corridor. • Listen to the announcement for your luggage conveyor-belt number. Some airlines already know this and announce it before you get out of the aircraft. Either way, ask the airhostess before you get out. • On alighting from the plane you may ask officials or signs will guide you to the immigration to make sure you are going the correct way. Do not hesitate. Immigration processes would be slightly faster if you stick to your own plane. At the immigration counter you might be asked some questions, such as: "Is this your first time in the US? Student? F-1 Visa? Which University?" ANSWER EXACTLY TO THE POINT AND CLEARLY. THE AMERICAN OFFICERS MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND THE INDIAN ACCENT EASILY. DO NOT TRY TO LIE. THIS IS LIKE A MINI VISA INTERVIEW. LISTEN TO/READ THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN CAREFULLY. After that, they will take your fingerprint, just like your visa interview. You will be given the counter foil of the I-94 form, normally stapled to your passport. Officers are generally friendly, they might even be speaking casually and welcome you to the US at first! So try to be friendly on your part as well. Remember that these officers meet and clear hundreds of people every day. So try not to irritate them. Try and smile (might be tough, after such a long journey) whenever they say hello or crack a joke! Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] 2. What documents do I need to keep ready before I see the Immigration Official, at the Port of Entry? Keep the following documents ready with you. There is no strict order on how they are to be arranged, but follow any instructions if given. These should already have been packed in your backpack and kept handy. o Passport o VISA (this is usually stamped inside your passport) o I-20 o Customs Declaration - Form 6059B (to be filled up before you land) o Other documents such as Dept. letter, Scholarship letter, etc. (generally they don't ask for these) 3. What do I do next? Go to the baggage area to fetch your luggage. Go to the designated conveyor belt allocated for your flight. Be aware that these may change. Pick up a cart to carry the bags. (At some places the cart is free, at some places you may have to pay). Pick up your bags as they come out on the conveyor (suitable eye-catching labels help here). Remember as we suggested earlier, tie your baggage with rope of a bright color that is visible from a distance. All this is to make your baggage appear distinct. If you don't get your baggage, inform the inquiry section - you may have to wait 0.5 - 1 hour here. Cart your baggage to the nearby customs. If asked tell them that you are a student, F-1 visa, school, dept., coming to US for the first time. Normally they don't ask students to open their baggage, but if asked to open your baggage do so slowly - do not mess up the place. If asked about the "masala powders" tell them that they are "dried Indian spices" to make traditional Indian food like curry. Rarely might they ask you to go the agriculture dept nearby - if that happens, it's a pain. If asked about "vibhuti" tell them that it is a holy powder. Note: Based on previous student's experiences, in most cases (99%), you will not be asked to open your boxes at all & you will be simply waved through. Fall 2014 Indian Graduate Students @ Purdue [IGRaSP] 5. Are we there yet???? Yes, almost there. Now start following the Instruction sheet (which will be provided by IGRASP towards your departure date). Please make sure you follow each and every step from the sheet. This will help IGRASP to help you get to the campus safely and conveniently. Welcome to Purdue - the Boilermakers!! Get in touch with IGRASP once you are here. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! • DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK ANY DOUBT AT ANY POINT IN YOUR JOURNEY. (IN- FLIGHT: AIRHOSTESS/STEWARDS; AT AIRPORTS: SECURITY OFFICIALS) • ASK QUESTIONS TO OFFICIALS AND NOT YOUR NEIGHBOURING PASSENGER (he/she might even know less than you!!) • IF YOU MADE A MISTAKE WHILE ENTERING INFO ANYWHERE, BRING IT TO THE • CONCERNED OFFICIAL'S NOTICE. MISTAKES ON SUCH OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS/RECORDS CAN PROVE VERY DANGEROUS LATER AND CAN COST A FORTUNE TO GET THEM CORRECTED • ALWAYS, ALWAYS STAY ON THE ALERT AND KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS OPEN FOR IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SING BOARDS. • DO NOT PANIC FOR ANY REASON. A CLAM MIND ALWAYS HELPS IN BETTER THINKING. A common problem faced by students is using money while calling or taking a luggage carts. The standard small-change for this in the US is a Quarter (25cents). It is always better to keep them with you (ask for it specifically to your foreign exchange agent). If you still want some quarters, the best place to get them is by a vending machine. You can spot them anywhere at the airport. Vending machines accept $1 and $5 notes. To get quarters, • Insert the note in the designated slot. Generally, the side with the face picture should be on top and orientated to your right. (Make sure you take out creases before you put it in) • Once it accepts the money, press firmly on the "Refund Money" tab • The machine refunds you money completely in quarters (25cents). They drop down into a slot at the bottom of the machine. USE THIS METHOD AS A LAST DITCH EFFORT TO GET QUARTERS American Coin Currency: 1cent (=”Penny”; bronze color), 5cents (=”nickel”; silverish), 10cents (=dime; silverish, slightly smaller than a nickel), 25cents (=quarter; silverish, biggest coin), 50cents.