1 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT GUIDE 2 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT DESK PRESENTATION GETTING READY FOR THE START Visa information Cultural adjustments Before you go Once you arrive overseas How to survive school life: suggestions ON ARRIVAL: WHAT TO DO Residence permit Information for extra EU students Registration to Comune di Rome Information for EU students Immigration single desk Tax code Health care Registration to the Italian Public Health Service Health care services Private health care Pharmacies STUDENT LIFE IN ROME How to reach us Airports Public transport Accommodation Living expenses Finding your accommodation in Rome Accommodation channels Opening a bank account Debit, credit and charge cards Useful info and numbers Telephones Emergency numbers Italian public holiday TOURISM AND FREE TIME About the city of Rome Useful links What’s on in Rome Top things to do in Rome ATTACHMENTS TO THE GUIDE Addresses and useful information IED Rome agreements Forms and fac similes 3 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT DESK PRESENTATION Dear student, Welcome to IED – Istituto Europeo di Design! We hope this guide will help you to learn more about life at IED. Please read it carefully before you arrive and keep it ready at hand for future reference during your stay. INTERNATIONAL STUDENT DESK is the landmark for all the initial necessities of your new adventure in Rome and at IED. The staff will help and support you in organizing your stay here in Rome, providing you with all information concerning the following: Necessary documents for living in Italy (Residence Permit, Tax Code, Health Insurance, etc), Practical arrangements, Accommodation, Living and getting around in Rome, Getting familiar with school issues and school life, on how to integrate into an interna- tional environment. You may contact us at: ALCAMO CAMPUS BRANCA CAMPUS IED Visual Communication IED Moda Via Alcamo, 11 IED Communication 00182 Rome Italy IED Master Ph. +39 06 7024025 Via Giovanni Branca, 122 Fax +39 06 7024041 00153 Rome, Italy Ph. [email protected] +39 06 5717651 Fax +30 06 57305476 [email protected] CASILINA CAMPUS [email protected] IED Design Via Casilina, 51 00182 Rome, Italy Ph. +39 06 70612111 [email protected] Opening Hours: from Monday to Friday 8.30 am - 21.30 pm 4 GETTING READY FOR THE START Visa information - one of your main jobs while abroad is to figure out for the new If you are a Non EU citizen, you might be requested to culture what those differences are… where they come from… apply for a studio visa. Please check on this site if you need it. what they mean… and how you are going to respond when conflict or misunderstandings arise. Throughout the process of preparing and studying abroad, it is important to guard against Cultural adjustment the natural tendency of humans to be critical of cultural practic-es and attitudes which are different from their own, Cultural adjustments: especiallyi n the early stages of adaptation. How to survive in a foreign country It is equally easy to make snap judgments about groups or You have stepped off the plane into a new cultural world. individuals if things are not going well. While stereotyping Initially you may experience a sense of overwhelming fascination may be temporarily satisfying to some-one in the throes of and awe. Everything around you is new: a different language, culture shock, it is destructive and alienating in the long run. different dress or a confusing transit system. Slowly you begin to Ten transition tips: manage the change and enjoy your new life! adapt.You learn some Italian and begin to notice certain cultural The following tips are drawn from reports of hun-dreds of nuances. This process takes time. thousands of study abroad students who have preceded you in Remember: you are surrounded by a new culture! travelling about the globe. Culture: the hidden dimension One of first things you will encounter when you go abroad is Before you go: something you cannot really see, but which, if you do not un- derstand what it is and how it works, can seriously affect how Know your destination! you adjust to and enjoy your time overseas. That “thing” is CUL- Understanding something about where you are going is guaran- TURE. Culture is a neutral term, neither good nor bad, and teed to assist you in being accepted. Knowing something about refers to the broadest conception about the learned knowledge the arts and architecture of the local region, or developing an that humans use to fulfil their needs and wants. It refers to the interest in it, will be greatly appreciated. collective historical patterns, values, societal arrangements, manners, ideas, and ways of living that people have used to order Prepare to be understood and to understand! their society. It is comprised of all those things we learn as part Knowing facts is important but so is understanding something of growing up including language, religion, beliefs about eco- about intercultural communication. What we call “communica- nomic and social relations, political organization and legitimacy, tion” is a matter of much more than words. Our body language, and the thousands of “Do’s and Don’ts” society deems important the degree of directness or circumspection, the use of silences, that we know to become a functioning member of that group. and the pace and tone of our words often convey as much infor- Going abroad without understanding the likely points of con- mation as the words themselves. It is essential to be aware that tention across cultures, and why they tend to occur, is a sure each culture has its preferred mode of expression and traditional recipe for problems. Things are not always what you think they ways of conducting conversations. are and the most ordinary interactions may occasionally take on a surreal quality. Why? Because the simplest things matter. Errors Learn the language! might arise from language mistakes in which your word choice It goes without saying that you are going to have an easier time in French or Swahili sends your audience into gales of laughter overseas if you speak at least a little of the language of the coun- or shocked silence! Or you use the wrong hand (who knew there try. While functional fluency would be nice, at a minimum one was a “right hand”?) to pass food at a meal in India and your host should know the proper daily greetings, how to make requests, looks at you like you just did something really gross. ask directions, and how to say “thank you,” “please,” and other A good start towards figuring this all out begins by acknowledg- verbal etiquette. It is not only polite to do so but is universally ing that: appreciated by native speakers. - they have a culture and you have a culture Learn why culture matters! - some things in their culture will be similar to yours some Understanding something about how cultures work, the logic things will be different behind their behaviour, and the values that inform their actions 5 will go a long way in helping you to adjust overseas. Moreover, to keep a daily or weekly journal. It not only allows you to have once you understand that cultures have a myriad of ways to solve an internal dialog with yourself but also to look back upon your the business of everyday living, one becomes less likely to see experiences and see the difficulties as they happened. It can be only one way of doing things as “right.” therapeutic to express yourself openly and honestly in ways you might not want to do even with a close friend. Once you arrive overseas: Chill out! Cultivate your sense of humour; you will need it from time to Get the logistical and practical arrangements settled! time. Realize that sometimes a negative experience is not per- Nothing is a worse beginning to a study abroad sojourn than the sonal but cultural. Be as non-judgmental as you can while being anxiety of where to eat, sleep, bathe, use the facility, take classes, as open to new ideas and experiences as you dare. Be flexible, and how to get around. Therefore, if your program does not ad- adaptable, and cheerful without abandoning your core values equately address these things, you should concentrate on getting or compromising your sense of self. When things are not going these basic needs worked out before tackling larger issues. Part well…stop and try to figure out why. Ask a friend or mentor for of culture learning will include mastering an often bewildering advice. Keep in touch with friends and family. Email is wonderful array of how to do simple things like banking, internet access, or for that purpose, but don’t use it, or phone calls, excessively. booking travel, not to mention more serious things like obtain- ing medical care or contacting authorities if necessary (police, immigration control, consulate offices, etc.). How to survive School life: suggestions: Find a mentor! Check the Academic Calendar online Google Calendar Almost any local person knows more about the country than It highlights dates of lessons and is useful for managing your a newcomer does, but you should try to find someone who is studies during the semester lectures. It is always updated and can willing to listen to you and talk over any problems you are en- notify any change that may occur on the timetable by means of countering. If they themselves have had some experience as an mobile phone too (see attachments, password, settings). international student, so much the better. When you can’t make Check classrooms, the daily notice board with the list and loca- sense of an interaction, or you don’t know what you may have tion of all classrooms and laboratories is available at every school done wrong in a specific context, a mentor can be of great assis- entrance and on each floor.