Clothes:
Note: Conversion rate is 1.77 (ANG) GUILDERS = $1.00
Jeans
Shorts
Tshirtsl
Solid colored Polo-Style Shirts
Males: A Suit or Dress Pants/Dress Shirts/Ties (Will be used for DPS, school research days, events, ceremonies, etc)
Females should bring at least a few articles of clothing to dress up for DPS and research days
Dress Shoes
Dress Socks
Slippers (1-2 pairs, because they may get worn out quickly)
Sneakers
Swimwear
Enough socks and undergarments to last you in case you dont get time to do laundry every week
A Sweatshirt (Library and classes get cold)
Sunglasses
Pajamas
Household Items:
Toilet Paper(in case your housing doesn't have any when you arrive)
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Mouth Wash
Shaving Cream
Shaving Blades
Shaving Trimmer
Deodorant
Hair Gel
Cologne/Perfume
Contact Lens/Solution
Soap
Body Wash
Bath Towels / Beach Towel
Bed Sheets/Pillow Cases
Mosquito Repellant
Laundry Detergent (Available at supermarket here)
Sunscreen lotion
Laundry Hamper
Closet Organizer/Bandaids
Advil/Tylenol/Pepto Bismol/Neosporin
*NOTE: Everything is available at the supermarket, but the more you can bring with you, the more money you will end up saving, and your first few days will just be easier if you have everything you need.
Kitchen Items:
Most Kitchen supplies are available at La Curacao, but anything you bring will save you a trip to the local store
Real spoons, forks, and knives will be provided to you, along with some pots, pans, and drinking glasses. Plastic forks, knives, spoons, and cups are available at the supermarket.
Cereal Bowls are not provided, so you may want to bring a couple of these.
Plates will be provided, but you can bring some of your own plates if you dont want to use ones that have been here.
Coffee Makers (Not provided in some housing so check with someone. Otherwise, bring it because they are about $50US for the cheapest one here)
George Foreman Grill (Very useful)
Toaster (Not provided in some housing, bring if you think its worth it)
Things to wash dishes are also available at the supermarket, but if you bring them, it will save you a trip
School Related:
Backpack
Laptop case
Pens
Pencils
Highlighters
Notebooks (Classes are Anatomy, Histo, DPS)
Calendar (Either in a planner or to hang on the wall)
Clipboard (Very important for lab)
Headphones for laptop if you listen to music while studying
Scotch Tape (comes in handy often)
Scissors
Stapler
Paper Clips
Desk Lamp
Flash Drive minimum 1 GB, this will be used heavily
Blank CD-Rs/DVD-Rs (Not too many)
DPS Stuff
1 Lab Coat
2 Pairs of scrubs
Stethoscope
Blood Pressure Cuff
Patella hammer
Tuning Fork
Mini Eye Exam Chart
Banking
You can open up your own account here with MCB or you can use your account from home, and just use the ATM here to withdraw money. You might want to check first if your bank charges for withdrawals in Curacao.
Food:
Most things are available here at the supermarket (Centrum,Colon, Aarti's, Goisco, Mangusa etc) which is just a 15-20 minute walk or drive from school, however things are a bit pricey compared to back home. This is because everything is imported from the USA, so after customs and duty, these prices add up to about double what it would be back home. Bring as much junk food as you can to snack on, cereal bars are good on the run, noodles, macaroni and cheese, granola bars, and anything you can cook quickly. You dont really get much time to prepare gourmet dinners for yourself.
Favorite Hot Sauce if you have one (Tobasco is available here)
Spices
Heinz ketchup
8 Minute Pasta or Rice
Soup in a cup
Frozen vegetables
Cooking Oil
General:
Cell Phone (Required Unlocked, quad band phone will guaranteed work. Some Tri Band phones also work, but bringing a quad-band phone is the safest bet)
A Laptop & Its charger (Required) Both Mac & PC are compatible on campus
Multi outlet switch (6 outlets)
External hard drive if you have one, its useful to store all your AUA files for the next few years.
Signup with some VOIP Service (Skype, Vonage, Viatalk, etc
)
Alarm Clock
Umbrella
Flashlight
Keychain/Ring
Ear Plugs
Any favorite TV shows or DVDs, this comes in handy after a long week of studying. (If you bring an S-Video Cable, you can display the video from your laptop to your TV)
Drink only bottled water
Hooks that you can stick on the wall or behind a door (hanging clothes, keys, etc)
Religious Items
Electric Outlets in housing are the same as USA
Pictures/Frames of family
Webcam to communicate back home
Digital Recorder (If you like to record lectures)
Drivers License
Air Freshner (Febreeze, etc dont bring Glade Plug Ins, they may cause fires)
Dont carry too much cash on the flight.
Brita Water Filter
Passport
Immunization documentation that SMU requires
Immigration letter from SMU
Sending Packages: If your parents mail you a package here on the island, it will be mailed to the school address. Then, when it arrives, you will go to the admin office and look for your name on a list. If your name is there, they will give you a slip. You will take this slip to the airport and retrieve your package after paying customs/duty/tax.
Stores that they have here:
Radio Shack This is where you will purchase your internet connection card. The average cost is about $300 USD for 4 months, which is $75 USD/month. Its expensive, yes, we know.
Subway Just like back home
KFC Just like back home, but no Honey BBQ Wings
Office Supplies store in Woods (Forgot the name)
Digicell Cell Phone Carrier
UTS Cell Phone internet Carrier
El Taco Loco Mexican Food & many more nice Restaurant to Eat