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<p>Gas prices are around $4.70 here (Los Angeles). UK gas prices went over $5 per gallon a long time ago.</p>
<p>worst in rural places…</p>
<p>since we have to drive everywhere</p>
<p>luckily its still only 3.30 here</p>
<p>Unfortunately you have to drive a lot of places in LA too</p>
<p>Current round-trip rate from Bangor International (the closest “major” airport to the University of Maine-Orono) to NYC is $284 non-stop. That is, looking ahead to a hypothetical trip over a hypothetical October fall break weekend. Considering the alternatives, that’s not too bad.</p>
<p>I have no idea what Orono is like, but on campus there will almost certainly be buses. And I think if you can get to a larger city (bangor might be big enough) you could find buses to NYC. A plane would be more convenient though, or a car if you can get/afford one.</p>
<p>I’ve enjoyed reading this thread a lot. </p>
<p>Maine is pretty far from New York… Boston is more doable. Best/cheapest travel solution, unless you have an awesome friend with a car, is bus. Greyhound and Coach are the more prominent companies, but there are cheaper ones. Not always the fastest or most direct, but buses have served me well since I’ve been in college and have no car. Also you could go by train (at least from Boston to NYC to Washington), but for some places (including where my college is sadly…) there is no train. </p>
<p>I recommend finding some local friends for certain travel places (I bet you’ll find someone for Boston or New York) because hotels are expensive. Hostels are cheaper though. </p>
<p>And, I do not agree with these suggestions to go to the South for Thanksgiving. I’m a New Yorker and I love my “bland” (hardly) Northern food. Also, if you want a traditional Thanksgiving experience, it doesn’t really include fried turkey… It’s usually baked with stuffing. Lobster is traditional for some areas of New England. </p>
<p>And yes, be prepared for snow and cold. I go to school in upstate New York (north and way west of the city for geographical reference) and we usually get a ton of snow… Maine is a lot farther north.</p>
<p>I live in Maine, about an hour north of Orono, and I just finished a year there, so I think I can help 
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<p>Its VERY easy to get alcohol underage. You won’t have a problem there at all. As long as your not incredibly intoxicated or a sloppy drunk, you can usually avoid any trouble. Many of the resident assitants (basically floor leaders) look the other way about exchange students and drinking, although if you keep it in your room, put it in a drawer, because they can confiscate it, and write you up. </p>
<p>There are tons of exchange students every year. So your accent is no big deal. You will probably get asked a million questions about your school at home. They don’t segregate them off to one dorm usually either. You’ll probably have 4 or 5 more on your floor, and more in your building. Usually they don’t room two exchange students together either. </p>
<p>As for your dyslexicia, when you get your class list or after your first class, ask your teacher if you can speak to them, or schedule a time to speak to them. Just explain it. Most of the teachers are really nice and understanding. If its a documented issue (you’ve been tested, or whatever) your school should have given UMaine that information. </p>
<p>Traveling around the US can get expensive. It is possible to do though. I had a friend from Serbia who went to NY several times during the year. There a few bus lines that go from either school, or the Bangor area to Boston, Mass, and further. I think its about $100 US for a bus ticket to New York. Maybe a bit more. I would check prices from Boston to New York, because Concord bus goes from UMaine to Boston daily, and thats about $50 round trip. A lot of travel companies have student discounts, so that helps. Jet Blue is a pretty cheap airline that flies from Portland too. So depending on where you wanna go, you might be able to cheaply. You could definitely see Boston on a long weekend. You could see a lot of things on the east coast. If your staying in the country during winter break (its about 4 weeks over Christmas) you could see pretty much anything you’d like. There’s also spring break which is 2 weeks at the end of February into early March. </p>
<p>Maine weather is pretty fickle. It will still be quite nice when you get here in the fall. It does get quite cold in the winter. Last winter we didn’t get a whole lot of snow, which was nice. We usually get snow like November to March, then in March it starts to melt. March 29th it was like 82F outside! So you’ll get some sun. </p>
<p>Oh and I should mention that there is a local bus, called the BAT that will take you around the Bangor/Brewer area. There’s also a bus from campus to Orono, I think its called the Orono Express. The BAT bus is free to students, not sure about the local one, but if its not free then its super cheap. </p>
<p>If you have anymore direct questions about the school or anything else, feel free to message me. I will help you out as much as possible.</p>