Arrival day can be one of the most daunting experiences on your study abroad journey. Everything is new. You don’t know anyone, and you’re probably extremely jetlagged. No pressure, but what you do on arrival day can make or break the rest of your experience.
In this post, I share 5 mistakes you should be sure not to make so you can set yourself up for success.
Forgetting to Pause
Whether you have a perfect travel day or one sent from hell, when you arrive in your apartment, room, or host’s home, take a moment to pause. The goal is to ground yourself and make space to acknowledge your arrival as the win it is. I recommend that you:
- Take a deep breath
- Snap a selfie or record a video capturing your first thoughts
- Say a prayer of thanks
- Meditate
Not Taking Inventory
Next, get acquainted with your space. Scan the room. If you’re in a rental, take pictures of the walls, furniture or anything else that might appear on a condition report. However, in the event that any damage does occur, you want documentation to compare what it looked like when you first arrived.
- What is available to you right now?
- What was provided by your program sponsor?
- What do you need to make it through the night?
Look at your itinerary. What time do you need to be up in the morning? Take this as an opportunity to set an alarm for the following day. (You will forget…trust me). Also be sure to:
- Lay out your pajamas for the evening
- clothing for the next day
- pack your shower/toiletries bag/caddy
Don’t forget these other essential chores:
- Clean. Use a mini air freshener to disinfect the air. Wipe down any knobs, doors, and windows. And don’t forget to wash your hands.
- Make a shopping list. List out everything you will need for the next few days. If an important item broke, you’ll want to add purchasing a replacement to your list. But, if a less essential item is broken or damaged, leave that on a separate list that can be done later.
If you’re unsure what essentials you should bring, check out this post.
- Mini Shopping Spree. Take note of all of the essentials you need for the evening.
- Did you forget to bring a towel or washcloth?
- Was your shampoo or conditioner too large?
- Did your soap get lost with your checked luggage?
- Do you not have any food or snacks nearby?
- If you haven’t already. Locate the nearest grocery/convenience store or market and purchase anything you need to make it through the evening and the following day. Once the week starts, it can be difficult to find time/energy to make many trips because the adrenaline may start to wear off or you may not have much free time allotted in your welcoming itinerary.
Let’s face it, shopping on the first day or even the first week can be a daunting task, but check out this post for exactly how to do it without going broke.
Skipping a Reset
This is an exciting and momentous occasion, so you must remember to fuel your body and take care of it. Be sure to do the following:
- Eat some food.
- Even if you don’t feel hungry, you need to fuel your body in some way. Your hormones are racing and your emotions are high no matter how easy or tumultuous your travel experience was.
- Drink some water.
- Shower.
- You need it. It can be refreshing and a good way to reset your body before it crashes. Plus, after all of the new germs you’ve been exposed to while traveling and once entering a new country, it’s a good idea to at least practice some good hygiene on day one.
- Brush your teeth.
- Especially if you traveled to your study abroad location on a long flight, your teeth may be especially dirty. Your pearly whites will thank you for the extra love.
Failing to Connect
Assuming you’ve already texted someone to inform them that you’ve arrived in the new country safely, take this opportunity to call home. The perfect app to connect with home for free is WhatsApp.
Other useful ways to connect include:
- Phone or video call a friend, family member, etc
- Introduce yourself to your roommate, floormates, or anyone else that you may be connected to over the course of your program
Keep in mind that not everyone will want to talk. On arrival day, everyone processes and experiences travel day differently, so they may not be in the mood to talk, may be cranky, or may be full of adrenaline. Remember to give grace to everyone you interact with, especially in this first week.
Not Resting
After all of the hard work you put in to make it to your study abroad destination, you will be extremely tired and it can be tempting to go right to sleep. If it is not the evening where you are living, do not go to sleep. You will royally screw up your sleep schedule and only worsen your jetlag experience.
Instead, if you will land in the day time at your host location, sleep on the plane as best as you can. If it will be evening time when your arrive in your location, remain awake on the plane. If it will be between noon and 4 p.m. in your location, try to sleep towards the beginning of your flight and stay away until it is an appropriate sleep time.
Jet lag can be a very difficult obstacle in the first week of your arrival. The secret to beating it is preparation and taking care of yourself. If you take care of yourself, you give your body a chance to adjust and give yourself an opportunity to be set up for a solid start. Although, it can be tempting to just wing it, and not let yourself take the space and resources that you need to have a successful and effective arrival day, but if you do choose to do so, it will make a world of a difference in the start of your journey.
In this post, we covered everything you should do to have a productive arrival day in your study abroad destination.