10 Things to Do During Your First Week Abroad
You step into the airport and look around. Everything is different. The emotions set in: Excitement for the weeks and months you’ll spend in your host location, disbelief that you’re finally actually there, nervousness about making new friends or maybe navigating life in a new language, perhaps a small touch of homesickness or FOMO.
As you make your way through customs and wait for your suitcase, you think about so much you can’t wait to do, and you don’t know where to start!
Well, toss the overwhelm aside…We have 10 things we recommend that you prioritize during your first week:
1. CHECK IN. First things first: Call home, or at least send a text. Let your family and friends know you made it safely so they’re not worried about you. Even better if you send them some photos or a video so they can see where you are and visualize your temporary new home.
2. ORGANIZE YOUR SPACE. Whether you’re staying with a host family, with roommates in a residence hall, or in a single room, take some time to make it yours. Unpack that suitcase so you’re not still picking clothes from your bag weeks later. Set out a family photo or other memory of home if you brought one. Pop your books and notebooks on your desk.
3. ORIENTATION. Make sure you attend any orientation sessions, meetings, and activities that are offered to you. Not only will you know what’s expected of you during your time abroad, but these are excellent opportunities to meet some new people and perhaps form some friendships.
4. MAP YOUR ROUTES. It’s likely you’ll arrive a day or two before your program starts, so use this time wisely and orient yourself. Depending on where you are, you may have a quick walk across campus or you may be taking public transportation across a city to get to your classes or internship site. Know where your bus stop, metro, or train station is and which number to take. Do a test run if you have time.
5. PINPOINT KEY PLACES. This is a great time to talk a walk through your local neighborhood and find out where your local amenities are. Where will you buy your groceries if you’re cooking at home? Is there an ATM nearby? Are there any local markets or points of interest you want to return to? Spot any restaurants or cafes that look interesting or places to buy essentials like shampoo.
6. MINGLE. Take every chance you can to spend time with your new roommates, classmates, or homestay family that you can this first week and establish a good relationship from the start.
7. SPEND SOME TIME ON YOUR OWN. While it’s important to mingle, it’s also important to create some space so that you can reflect on your experience so far. Put your phone away. Take a walk. Be present. Notice everything new that ignites your senses. How do you feel?
8. TRY SOMETHING NEW. At least once during your first week, but probably many more times, make an effort to try something new. This might look like trying a traditional food or having an experience that’s only possible in your host destination, for example.
9. OBSERVE. This is the perfect time to take a look at life around you with eyes wide open. What customs and behaviors stand out? Are people dressed differently than you’re used to dressing – more modestly or in brighter or darker, for example. Notice ways that you might blend in or stand out. One example of this might be if you’re studying abroad in London and notice that, especially during commuting hours, there is near silence on the tube.
10. JOURNAL. Whether it’s in an actual physical notebook or just the notes on your phone, start jotting down your thoughts and reflections. Note some of your expectations, perhaps stereotypes you arrived with relating to your host country or its culture, your goals, your initial impressions, and the details of the little life stories you’d appreciate looking back on one day.
Mostly though, enjoy it. Take pictures and videos (then put the phone away.) Make the most of this. You worked hard for it. Be in the moment as much as you can and soak it all in. The time you spend abroad will fly. Before you know it, you’ll be stepping out into the airport closest to home and you’ll look back on it all as if it were a dream.