Things an Indian student must pack when moving abroad for studies

I'm pretty sure there are thousands of articles/blog posts/Quora posts on this one. I just thought I'd share my thoughts on the same. I faced this for the first time when I moved to Budapest last year to study International Economics and Business. In an attempt to act cool I ignored reading up on the internet about this. I just packed my clothes, bedsheets, a towel and my electronic gadgets. My logic was this: I'm an engineer. Give me internet on my laptop, a bag of chips and some water. I'll be fine. Biggest. Mistake. Ever. I learned from them and made improvements when I came back home to visit my family during winter vacations. In another attempt to act cool, I ignored reading up on the internet but this time I learned from my mistakes and packed extremely useful stuff. Hence, this post is purely my personal experience on what you should and shouldn't pack when you go abroad to study. A lot of these things may also vary depending on which part of the world you're going for your studies. So if you take this as a reference guide for your packing, make sure to consult a few others as well.

1. Books - This is important. Books are typically expensive outside the Indian subcontinent. We're given huge aids and grants from the West for books. I don't know the exact details but it somehow makes books affordable in India. Try and contact your university in advance and find out what are the recommended course books for at least those subjects that you're surely going to attend over the next 1-2 semesters. In my first semester, there were 2 books that cost about €7-10 each in India off the shelf and I purchased them for about €20 each here and they weren't even off the rack. They were pre-used. They cost about €60 each off the rack. Fortunately, I don't have to buy a lot of books in my programme. It may differ for you. Good thing is that nowadays you can find many books online for free as well. It's not a bad idea to carry a bunch of stationary too. 
2. Spices, dals, rice etc. - Take them. Not because you can't find them abroad or you can't afford them. It's just that you have a better variety, quality and price at home. If you're going to be cooking alone, 2 packs of each kind will last you an entire year. The first thing I did when I reached home - Rajma and Rice. I'm also mentioning rice because you may not find the same quality of rice where you go. Personally, I hate Hungarian rice. The grains are small and the rice is sticky. The same with Japanese and Chinese varieties of rice. As Indians, we're spoilt for choice with our huge variety of rice. Out in Hungary, I buy Jasmine rice which comes close to Basmati. So make sure to pack some rice but check online before going how much of it you can carry with you to the country you're going. A few of the things I would definitely suggest:
1. Maggi Noodles - No explanation needed. If you're from India, you know what I'm talking about. You'll miss it once you're abroad. Trust me and keep it. 
2. Namkeens - I love Aloo Bhujia and Moong Dal. You might also want to keep some cookies that are exclusively Indian (For example Parle-G and Tiger). 
3. Ready to eat meals - These will come in very handy on days you're too lazy to cook. 
4. Ginger and garlic paste - It definitely saves a lot of cooking time. 
3. Pressure cooker - It's impossible to soften your dal without this. DO NOT FORGET to pack this. It also broadens the range of dishes you can cook which is very important in the long run because you're not going to get your favourite dishes made by your parents or servants for a very long time. Learn and practice how to operate it from your mom or dad before you go. I didn't pack this in my first trip and suffered the consequences. It was the first thing I put into my luggage the second time around but was too cool to try and learn how to use it. I burned my first vegetable rice in it. Recently, I made an amazing moong dal. Even Ignaat aka the Skinny Dutch liked it. This was surprising because there aren't a lot of things in this world that he likes besides himself. I would also suggest you to pack a few other utensils that you commonly use but I've realised that you can find pretty much every other thing and even though there may be a bit of a price difference, it was tolerable in my opinion. Hence, it makes more sense to focus on things that have a higher price difference or lower chance of being available. 
4. Reserves of innerwear - This may not seem that important and it may not be that important for all of you. The reason I put it here is because it can happen that the particular brand, style and fit that you wear is not available or difficult to find in a new country. They are a very important part of dressing up. If you're not comfortable inside, it becomes really difficult to go through the day. I packed a bunch of them in my first trip. This was probably the only good thing I did while packing for the first time. 
5. Medicines - I would advise you to pack a bunch of generic drugs as well. Stuff like Wikoryl and Cetirizine, Allegra etc. The reason is the same as the previous one. You may find stuff that does the same job but that will take time. You might even end up in a country where all this is state funded. It's still better to have something as a starter. Pharmaceuticals are extremely affordable in India. In addition, we're also lucky enough to have access to a wide variety of medication not available in other parts of the world. There are a lot of medicines that are available only in India and the United States. I pray to god that none of you ever fall sick but just in case, it's always good to have a back up kit of medications in your room. 
6. That little thing which reminds you of home - Make sure to carry that little something which you can keep with you at all times and it reminds you of home. It will serve a very important purpose. It will give you strength. It will remind you of the good people that love you thousands of miles away from where you are. No matter where you go, you will face some hard times and sad times. You will need something that reinforces that strength and courage to keep moving forward. That is when this little thing will bring a smile to your face and push you forward. I'm not a very sentimental person. Despite that, I've carried a bunch of such stuff. I keep Porsche 550A Spyder's mantlepiece that my sister got for me from Las Vegas on my study table and I wear the watch she gave me on my birthday. I have a keychain from Rann festival in Gujarat and a "Nazar Nimboo" keychain from Chumbak. One of my closest friends had gifted them to me. They hang from my backpack all the time. I wear the Chinese collared kurta type shirts my parents got me from time to time as well, especially around Indian festivals. That is when you feel lonely the most. When you don't have someone to dance with when India beats Pakistan in cricket, when there's nobody trying to put colour on you on Holi and you don't have anyone to throw water balloons at, when you don't have your mom nagging you to take a bath and visit the temple on Janmashtami and Shivratri, that's when you will need these things. 

Porche 550A Spyder mantlepiece. 

Fortunately for me, I've found this small bunch of amazing people who love me a lot (because I'm amazing) - the skinny Dutch, the scary South African, the helpful Hungarian and the judgy Sri Lankan. They're always there to give me hugs (on demand) and keep me happy. Then there's Aneyas, the most famous Indian in my university. He feeds me with good food from time to time too.

One important thing that you should also do is research on the amount of luggage different airlines provide. Emirates give 40 Kg if you're a student, Aeroflot gives you 60Kg and Air India gives you 69 Kg (not sure on the last one). I don't know about the others. They may not be going where you wish to go or may have a longer flight time. So when choosing airlines, choose wisely and build miles on them. If you have any questions, thoughts etc.  feel free to share with me in the comments section below. Also, make sure you learn how to cook before you go abroad. In my class, "I miss my servant" is THE line that everyone knows me by. I was spoiled while growing up and my last servant had spoiled me even further. Don't become like me.