General Services and Activities

Arrival Help

Don’t come to Monterey and find yourself spending $100/night at a local hotel while you search for housing! You can go poor very fast that way…. Instead, let us help! We can arrange for someone to meet you at the Monterey airport or bus terminal upon arrival and provide you with three-five nights in a local home with people who care. What a better way to begin your stay in Monterey! While we cannot promise that we can help you this way, we will make our very best efforts to secure a temporary place for you. Please realize that our ability to do so depends upon supply and demand – simple economics! So let us know about your need as soon as you can by going to Talk To Us. Please include as much detail (flight, day/time, etc.) as you know.

Assistance Getting Settled 

The rental market in Monterey can be tough – especially before the beginning of the school year. You should expect to pay at least $400/month for a room, and up to $800 (or more), in some cases. So be prepared…and take a few key steps! Use the resources available to you through the school you’ll be attending, www.montereyherald.com, www.craigslist.com, and other resources. Network! Do what you can ahead of time. But, possibly, there will be a bit of uncertainty at first. Ninety percent of students are settled after two weeks in relatively good places, however, so don’t worry. It is a time for you to grow, and also to empathize with and be equipped to help others who will face the same situation after you.

Make sure you look specifically at the "Arrival Help" page of this website, as more details are listed there.

Get yourself a map when you first arrive in Monterey (try the Downtown Walgreen’s) and become familiar with the territory. ISI Monterey will be happy to assist you as possible, especially if you have received temporary housing help. Please note that we are NOT in the housing search or placement business, but we will do our best to assist you as our resources allow. For free. No kidding!

Getting around: Monterey itself is not a very large area, so it is often possible to get places by walking or biking. There is a very nice bike path along the coast that runs from Marina (north) to Pacific Grove (south), passing through Monterey.

Another way to get around is by bus. Check out www.mst.org for bus routes, schedules and pricing. Discount monthly passes are available to students of all schools through the Student Activities Office at Monterey Peninsula College (www.mpc.edu).

Food & Other Stuff – Get More for Less!
ISI Monterey may also be able to help you obtain furniture & household items, bikes, and even your groceries! In fact, last fall ISI helped many students do their grocery shopping since the downtown supermarket, Safeway, had closed.  Now there is a Trader Joes in downtown, but there are also less expensive places, and there are great produce stores as well as cultural specific stores.  If you need help in these areas, please let us know by clicking on Talk To Us.  If there is sufficient interest, we should be able to arrange weekly or biweekly shopping trips for groups of students.

For more information about food and other needed items, please look at the "Community Resources" page on this website.

Having Fun

All study and no fun makes life very, very dull! Of course, you are coming to Monterey to study and, in most cases, obtain a degree. But there’s so much more to your experience here than that! Make some friends…not just among your own people group, or your own school program, or even just at school. Make connections with the community, and gain some lifelong friends in the process! ISI Monterey volunteers are eager to get to know you, learn from you, and share their lives and experiences with you, too! This happens in homes…on fun trips exploring the great natural beauty of the area…in discussion groups…and through special seasonal activities and events during the school year.

Become part of a Cross-Cultural Connection (C3) group and develop special relationships that will last a lifetime! Get invited into American homes for dinner, and go off on adventures.  If this sounds interesting to you, Talk To Us!”

Exploring Life Issues

What makes your culture different? How are we the same? What makes life matter? How can we make sense of this world? Why is there so much pain? What is the purpose of it all? What is our purpose?

Ever ask these questions? Searching for answers that make sense? Have you considered what the Bible has to say and what Jesus has to offer? Do you know?

"I have come that they might have life, and life to the full!" said Jesus. (John 10:10)

It is important for you to know that ISI is a Christian Friendship outreach and all of our volunteers are Christians. We enjoy the privilege of our freedom of expression in the U.S. As a result, we respect and honor all people groups, regardless of where a person comes from or what he/she believes. This diversity actually adds to the excitement of life here in the U.S. Those from all nationalities and religious backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged to participate – no strings attached. We offer international students a variety of social and spiritual activities, but it is not necessary that you participate in the spiritual activities in order to receive other services.

However, if you would like to learn more about what Christians believe or learn about Jesus, please let us know! If you are a Christian already and are seeking to find a church and/or connect with other Christians at your school or in the local community, ISI can help. If you would like small-group or one-on-one Bible study or discipleship to grow in your faith, again, please ask!