Dorming in Grenada

[mochaluca]

Hello! I was accepted into the St George's Veterinary Foundation Program for Fall 2018. I am super excited my vet dream is coming true, but I am also very concerned about living somewhere so far from home. I live in the hustle and bustle of NYC and am used to 24/7 delis and having cheap good food. Cooking is also simple because every ingredient I can ever need is within walking distance.
I visited Grenada before to see St. George's and I was surprised by how early places closed and how expensive some foods were. Since I need to take out loans, I'm trying to be budget conscious. No partying, no alcohol, cheap food.
I did some research and now I know to target local produce and smaller stores for a better price, but I want to hear from actual students: what do you eat every day? What do you usually cook? Any cooking appliances I should bring? As a Japanese person I'm already mentally putting sticky rice, udon, ajinomoto, seaweed, and ramen in my suitcase. Oh yeah, did anyone ever have a problem with customs regarding food? Thanks in advance!

 

[Chondroclast]

First of all, congrats!! I've been here since August, I love it here. You will too, as long as you are open minded and adaptable.

Pack up all of your asian food because there's really none of that here (good asian food, at least)... they did just open a Chinese stall on campus that's decent, but yes eating on campus gets expensive (about 8-10$ a meal). Most students originally say they will buy at smaller shops, food fair, etc... but let's be real- school is stressful and time consuming, and you just want to take the easy quick bus to IGA and back. IGA isn't really that expensive, depending what you buy and how you cook, so I don't think it's worth the time going to different local markets and all. I mostly buy IGA branded stuff, it does the job and is usually a bit cheaper. As far as budget- I usually spend around 250-300$ a month at IGA, then maybe 50-75$ eating out on/near campus with friends or a quick lunch if i'm lazy. There's been some facebook polls and most people tend to spend around 300$ a month for groceries, seems to be the average. There's definitely people I know that spend over 500$ a month on food because they basically just eat out for lunch and dinner, then they drink a lot so it's like 600-700 for that, lol quite a bit. I spend maybe 8-10$ a month on alcohol which consists of a 6 pack of a decent beer which lasts me 4-6 weeks.

I usually meal prep a little on sundays- at least cook all my chicken, pastas, rice, etc. It just makes eating during the week so much easier when you have class, labs, studying and just too lazy to start cooking pasta at 9pm, so it helps to have some things prepared and just heat it up and add sauce or whatever.

There's really no need to bring any appliances, unless you have something you absolutely need and have room in your suitcase. Most students re-sell stuff on the facebook pages so you can check there once you are here. There's usually tons of coffee makers, blenders, toasters, that sort of thing. All the dorms have microwaves, a stove, sink, that's about it.. and of course a good size fridge.

It will be an adjustment, but it's really not that bad. There's a good selection of ingredients and spices at the grocery stores here, and some of the local restaurants/stalls are actually pretty good, to get your quick fix of tastes you miss once in a while. It's definitely not like NYC, and you have to be open minded, it's a change.. trust me, i'm a big foodie and not having certain foods here is a challenge, but I have gotten used to it I guess. It just makes your breaks that much more worth it. There are two sushi restaurants not far from campus that are actually pretty decent (they have some other Japanese dishes too), so you can get your fix once in a while. There's lots of indian and greek food here, and of course the local Caribbean food... you've been here to tour so you probably know.

All in all, you should be good with 300 a month for groceries. Once you find out who your roommate is, i'd suggest coordinating who is bringing utensils, dishes, pots, pans, etc. I brought a good size skillet and a pot to boil water when I came down, and I just share it with my roommates. I then bought a plate and bowl here for pretty cheap and use that for myself. They do not give you any pots, pans, dishes, utensils, etc. so i'd suggest bringing that kind of stuff as they overcharge for that here, oh and Tupperware.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Congrats again!

 

[Chondroclast]

Oh and as far as customs- when I first came here in august they actually opened up my suitcase and asked what a few things were, but they didn't care at all. They lady was just curious as to what some packaged ramen i brought too (haha I brought lots of ramen too!). She didn't care though. When I came this January they didn't open up my suitcase at all they just told me to go through, although I came a bit after the rush crowd and things were quieter so maybe that was why. In general, they are very lax here. I've never heard anyone having a problem with food being taken away, and I know some people that have brought all sorts of meats, frozen foods, and crazy things haha so don't worry. Just no weapons they're strict on that here, yea. Honestly just be nice to them, smile, say hello how are you when you approach them (that goes a long way here), and you'll be golden.

 

[Vannandy]

Hello fellow NYC Asian in the veterinary program 😛 I'm in 4th term right now. Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions leading up to you coming down to Grenada.

 

[mochaluca]

Oh and as far as customs- when I first came here in august they actually opened up my suitcase and asked what a few things were, but they didn't care at all. They lady was just curious as to what some packaged ramen i brought too (haha I brought lots of ramen too!). She didn't care though. When I came this January they didn't open up my suitcase at all they just told me to go through, although I came a bit after the rush crowd and things were quieter so maybe that was why. In general, they are very lax here. I've never heard anyone having a problem with food being taken away, and I know some people that have brought all sorts of meats, frozen foods, and crazy things haha so don't worry. Just no weapons they're strict on that here, yea. Honestly just be nice to them, smile, say hello how are you when you approach them (that goes a long way here), and you'll be golden.

Thank you so much for such helpful advice! Meal prepping is a solid idea I'll definitely utilize. I heard people saying IGA is more expensive than Food Value and etc but I guess you're paying for the convenience. I have a few other questions if that's okay: Is the facebook pages organized by the school or do I have to hunt it down on fb? Also by weapons, can swiss army knives and cooking knives pass through customs as long as they're in my luggage? And lastly: did you bring your own phone or did you borrow a phone in Grenada? Thank you!

 

[mochaluca]

Hello fellow NYC Asian in the veterinary program 😛 I'm in 4th term right now. Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions leading up to you coming down to Grenada.

4th term means you're a second year right? Wow! Hello fellow NYC Asian
Are there any Asian clubs in SGU? Also anything you recommend I bring? (Siracha? Kewpie mayonnaise? Rice vinegar? FISH SAUCE???😀)

 

[Vannandy]

I think there's an Asians in medicine or something club in the med school. It's the veterinary field so don't have any high hopes for huge Asian student demographic. There is an Indian market here but I've never been. What I recommend is bring the stuff you absolutely can't live without. What you would "like" can stay at home. Family and friends who visit are packmules. Just let your first semester be your trial period. You can figure out how to pack the next 3 years 🙂

 

[mochaluca]

I think there's an Asians in medicine or something club in the med school. It's the veterinary field so don't have any high hopes for huge Asian student demographic. There is an Indian market here but I've never been. What I recommend is bring the stuff you absolutely can't live without. What you would "like" can stay at home. Family and friends who visit are packmules. Just let your first semester be your trial period. You can figure out how to pack the next 3 years 🙂

Womp womp! You're right, Asian vets are few and far between (the hospital I work at is 90% caucasian vets). I'll bring what I think is essential and work from there. Thank you!

 

[Chondroclast]

There's an asian club here, they serve bubble tea every month or so, it's a good bubble tea fix but definitely nothing like NYC bubble tea. I brought a chef's knife and a smaller steak knife in my luggage, just definitely not in carry on (you can't even get thru TSA with those anyways). Some students bring their unlocked phones here and get a local plan, or some have international plans.. I don't really see why you need a cell phone here with service, other than if you drive here maybe for emergencies. There's wifi all over campus, so I just use my iphone (on airplane mode) all the time with facetime, skype, etc. Most students here communicate via whatsapp and facebook. You can get a cell phone with Digicel or Flow but I just don't see it being worth it. Not sure about the facebook group for vet- for med you had to search them and request to be in the group- no one added you from administration or anything.

 

[mochaluca]

There's an asian club here, they serve bubble tea every month or so, it's a good bubble tea fix but definitely nothing like NYC bubble tea. I brought a chef's knife and a smaller steak knife in my luggage, just definitely not in carry on (you can't even get thru TSA with those anyways). Some students bring their unlocked phones here and get a local plan, or some have international plans.. I don't really see why you need a cell phone here with service, other than if you drive here maybe for emergencies. There's wifi all over campus, so I just use my iphone (on airplane mode) all the time with facetime, skype, etc. Most students here communicate via whatsapp and facebook. You can get a cell phone with Digicel or Flow but I just don't see it being worth it. Not sure about the facebook group for vet- for med you had to search them and request to be in the group- no one added you from administration or anything.

Got it! I guess I just feel more secure to know that I have a way to contact someone if I were to get lost or if something happened somewhere I don't have wifi.

 

[jmo1012]

As an sgu grad who now lives in NYC, I think it costs me more to live in NYC than in Grenada. Or it's at least comparable lol

 

[anjabryn]

Recently I featured an interview with a current SGU student and she loves it down there. Colleen says "School is rigorous, and if I’m having a bad day I remind myself that I live on an ISLAND and really don’t have too much to complain about haha. When I need a break, I go outside."

 

[mochaluca]

Hello! I'm currently two months into VFP and things are going great! I'm just dropping by to give an update.
When I came down they had to leave my luggage behind in Trinidad, and when I went to pick it up the following day, they put it through xray but didn't go through my bag.
I am currently dorming in the St. George's dorm hall and we have a chronic black mold problem due to lack of proper air circulation (our bathroom's steams up like crazy because there's not vents) and the humidity is no joke. Laundry is after 5PM and all day on weekends. Our rooms aren't small, but it definitely took a while to adjust to the lack of privacy of a double room.
It's great that I'm literally on campus so I can run out the door when I wake up late, or run back to my room if I forget my notebook. Unfortunately the dorms are basically around $1100 a month for a double. It's definitely much cheaper to live off campus, so my friends and I signed a lease for a home in Mont Tout and we'll be paying $700 a month plus electricity. Sure I'll have to commute, but I'll have my own bathroom and bedroom so things are looking up.
Asian food here is expensive! Japanese rice is like triple the price. Meat and seafood is also not cheap, so it's definitely worth going to the Saturday food market to buy your groceries there. (You'll need to transfer onto a public bus for that). Veggies and fruits are also a lot better quality there than IGA.