The First Days

The First Days (1/10/17)       

Your trip to Germany might be lots of fun, but expect a rough first few days. In fact, for 80% of you, I can guarantee that your trip will start the same way: you will call your parents crying that this trip was a mistake and that you want to come home immediately. Forget traveling Europe, forget learning Germany or meeting that pretty German girlfriend, this place sucks, everyone here sucks, and you were naïve to think it would be worth it to fly across the Atlantic.

This feeling is PERFECTLY NORMAL. Like I said, the vast majority of students experience it, and it doesn’t say anything about you, or about how your trip is going to turn out. Traveling is a very stressful thing for a human being to go through, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Practice and preparation can help limit your negative reaction, but that doesn’t mean you can eliminate it. The initial feeling of panic and despair is the result of a few key factors, but most importantly, give yourself time to EASE INTO IT.

Jet Lag:

The bane of travelers everywhere, jet lag is what happens when your body’s expectation of time of day is tricked by the presence of different time zones. The result is a level of sleep-deprivation most people don’t experience in their day to day lives. For example, the day of your flight, you wake up a 10AM EST. If this were any other day (and your body still thinks it is) your mind and body are expecting to fall asleep at, say, 1:00AM EST. But this day is a little different: though you boarded your plane at 6PM EST, by traveling through the air across the Atlantic Ocean, you’ve landed in a place the sun has already been shining on for six additional hours. So while the clock you set at home says it should be around 12 midnight, the amount of sunlight outside tells the good people of Germany that it’s 6AM, just about time to start the day.

Tips:

Try to establish a routine eating schedule; it’ll convince your body of the new rhythm of life. A more consistent diet will also help with Travel Fatigue (see below). Give yourself plenty of time to rest, and remember that jet lag is something like a physical sickness – don’t push your body too hard when it’s sick. Most importantly, time, time, time: jet lag gets better as the days go on and your body adjusts, so if things haven’t improved in the first few hours, don’t worry, they will in the first few days.

Travel Fatigue:

Traveling is exhausting in every way. Nerves and excitement prevent you from sleeping well the night before you get into your plane. A long commute to the airport is stressful. Once you arrive at the airport, you have to go through security, checking your bags, finding your gate. Assuming you don’t have any hiccups before then, you finally make your way onto a small metal tube that will be hurling itself through the air for upwards of 5 hrs. Do you feel well-rested yet? Meals might be at inconsistent times (if you can get them) and sleep is a luxury that might be hard to find in the first few days. If you feel the effects of travel fatigue, it only shows that you are a human being, evolutionally unprepared for some of today’s travel technology.

Tips:

Give yourself plenty of time to rest during your traveling. If your layover is an hour, find a comfortable spot to take a breather and enjoy the relaxation. No need planning your trip from the airport. In the same vein, try to memorize your schedule before driving to the airport – there’s nothing more stressful than running around last second to find something you forgot. Remember to eat and take plenty of fluids.

Arrival Chaos:

Before you’ve set up your room, talked to your advisor, and made great friends, the world will seem strange, chaotic, and frightening. Your flight might be delayed, you might have to fill out paperwork in a strange building on the other side of the city, you might not This is a natural response to a new circumstance: remember the first few days of freshman year? Things won’t feel comfortable for the first few days, but that’s alright; they don’t for anyone.

Tips:

Take the time to focus on things that relax and center you. Bring a book, listen to music, draw – whatever makes you happy. And feel free to joke with fellow travelers in your program. We’re all in the same boat, and making a friend can help make the world seem a little less chaotic. Not to mention, your new friends might have skillsets that make your life less chaotic, like a propensity for working with computers or a knowledge of German.

Culture Shock:

No matter how well you think you understand German culture, or how many years you’ve spent watching the films, reading the novels, and hearing the stories, suddenly immersing yourself in a foreign land with foreign people is a shock. Thousands of years of cultural evolution have produced a society that doesn’t necessarily agree with you about what’s important in all parts of life. Why would you expect free Wi-Fi? What do you mean “dining hall”? Well of course three tram lines, two buses, and a rented bicycle is the best way around the city! There are plenty of wonderful things about living in Germany, but you won’t notice them in the first few days. Your sleep-deprived, panicked mind sees only the difficult adjustments and the differences from your home.

Tips:

Develop a good sense of humor. Laugh (politely) at the absurdity around you. Laugh at your reactions to new experiences. If you can learn to laugh at the ridiculous circumstances you’re in, you’ll feel more in control of yourself and the world around you. Find some friends to laugh with; they’re probably just as shocked as you are!

So what have we learned? These five main points will summarize what’s important to overcome most of your first day struggles:

1.     Sleep Health: Rest when you can and don’t push yourself

2.     Body Health: Eat regular meals and drink plenty of fluids

3.     Mental Health: Don’t be too hard on yourself – what you’re doing is objectively difficult

4.     Social Health: Friends are how you get through rough times, so joke, mingle, and make lasting friendships

5.     Patience: As bad as things seem, this too shall pass, just give it some time. Even the best week starts with a Monday!