When you arrive in America, you’ve had a long flight and everything that goes with it – but there are things to do when you arrive. International travel can be difficult and exhausting. Not to mention the time change, jet lag, etc. Then you realize you are in a strange place. Well, different anyway, right? The key thing now is to take it as easy as you can and let your mind, body and spirit adjust to your new environment. Here are some suggestions – a checklist, if you will – of things to do when you arrive in America.
- Call home as soon as you get through customs and let your family know you got here
- Get some sleep
- Get a driver’s license or at least a permit to learn
- Get a mobile phone
- Have a latte
- Secure yourself a map
- Find a bus schedule
- Pick up a free calendar and put your school orientation and other info on it
This is by no means a complete list of things to do when you arrive, but it is a start. Make your own list before you depart your home country, and use this to begin.
Remember, you are embarking upon a big thing. It’s hard for US students to start college in the same town they live in, much less travel thousands of miles to a new country! But the US will become your home away from home, and you will surely make many new memories in this new journey. Memories that will last your entire lifetime! This will be one of those things that those of us older people know make an impression on us that changes us forever. It is our hope that we play a small role in this lifetime event for you. We will do our very best to be sure things all go as planned, and we will be there when they don’t to help you work through the challenges of being a new college student. We’re here to help, so please call on us for anything!
