All participants will travel directly to their host communities and participate in an Arrival Orientation within a week of arrival. This may take place one on one with a local volunteer, or with other participants depending on how many participants are placed in your area and their arrival dates. It is helpful if students have a working cell phone when they arrive in the U.S., in order to be able to communicate with host parents and/or volunteer(s). Please read more about cell phone use here.
AFS participants should save a picture on their mobile phone of their passport photo page, passport visa page, AFS ID card and AFS Medical card. Identification laws may vary by state. Please talk with your host family about any local or state laws regarding carrying identification.
Please be sure to complete the Participant and Host Family Questionnaire with your host family, taking special note of topics that will impact you immediately upon arrival such as bathroom use, mealtime, and the use of shared space.
Typical Adjustment Reactions in the Early Days
In the first days after Arrival, you may be tired, excitable, nervous, confident, shy, bold, quiet, talkative, sad, happy or somewhere in between. Make sure you get plenty of rest as you adjust to your new environment, you are likely to feel exhausted by the constant cultural adjustment and processing of new experiences.
What to do…
- Act naturally; be yourself.
- Ask questions to learn more about your host family and community.
- Don’t assume anything.
- If you don't understand something, say you don't understand, it is tempting to nod or say 'yes' when you are tired of communicating in a second language.
- Be curious about your host family's norms, rules and schedule (see Participant and Host Family Questionnaire)
- Spend time with your host family, not in your room, so that you become a fully functioning member of the family.
- Saying "Thank you" and showing gratitude is important in American culture, as the relationship develops with your host family let them know you are grateful for the everyday things they do for you.
- If you brought a small gift for your family, explain the significance and use the opportunity to share something about your culture and life back home.
- Ask to see pictures of the host family's extended family, grandparents, aunts, cousins etc.
- If you brought pictures of your family and life at home, plan to share them and talk a bit about your culture, your host family is as eager to learn about you as you are about them.
- If you are not accustomed to riding in a car on a regular basis and/or for long distances, remember the US is very large and you may experience long car rides be mindful of seat belt use and safety.
- Let your host family know if you typically experience motion sickness.
If you tend to experience motion sickness, here are some tips on how to avoid/ deal with it:
For those that have connecting travel by car and could have a long ride to the host family house:
- People who are not accustomed to traveling long distances by car may experience motion sickness.
- Motion sickness happens when there is a difference between what you see and what your body feels.
- To help avoid this, look out the window and focus on a non-moving object such as the horizon or close your eyes.
- Do not read or do any other activity that keeps your focus inside the car, as this tells your body you are not moving when you really are!
- If possible, sit in the front seat. Opening your window for fresh air may also help.
- If you travel long distances by bus or car regularly in the U.S. and experience car sickness, tell your host parents so they can help.
Typical challenges in the early days of your program
Language
- Even if your English proficiency is high, concentrating while listening is difficult, extremely tiring and can even cause headaches.
- Fatigue – from the journey, from the time change, from encountering so many new things and people, and speaking a non-native language – is common and normal.
- If there are younger children in the home, watch kid's TV shows with them. It is a good way to improve language skills.
- Ask your host family if they can help you by labeling basic items around the house with post-it's so you get used to these words you will use often, e.g., fridge, door, bathroom.
- Calling friends and family back home and speaking in your native language too much will slow down your immersion experience and English language fluency.
School
- Before school starts, ask your host parents how you will get your school schedule and if you can tour the school. You may be able to get a paper map of the school on which you can label important locations and take a picture of to have on your phone.
- While on a tour of the school, ask about how lockers work; where the cafeteria is and what you will do for lunch each day; look for the library, bathrooms, and make sure you know where to find the bus drop off and pick up location at the school.
- Make sure you have an appointment to meet with your school counselor before school starts.
- Bring your Health Form Addendum to school and give a copy of it to the school nurse. If you don't have all immunizations required by your school, you will need to get any missing ones in order to continue attending school. The school nurse will let you know what is needed.
- It is normal to be nervous about where and with whom to sit at lunch, changing classrooms, meeting new classmates, making friends, understanding the language, building your school schedule, and more. This is normal and will pass.
- Even though some classes may seem difficult at first, as your language skills improve, they will get easier. This is your opportunity to learn rather than repeat concepts you already know.
- Teachers often stay after class or school and are available to assist students. Make sure to connect with each of your teachers and let them know that you are an exchange student as they may not know that, especially in a larger or more diverse school.
Sports
- AFS encourages students to get involved in school sports or other extracurricular activities early on in their experience. School sports may be different from the school sports you are used to.
- There are three distinct seasons with different sports in each: Fall, Winter, Spring
- Many sports have rigorous tryouts, which may have taken place before your arrival or could start the day you arrive for Fall sports.
- Once on the team, you are expected to attend every practice and competition.
- Sports physicals must be scheduled after arrival and are NOT covered by the AFS Medical Plan.
- Speak with the coach(es) and let them know about any cultural differences or important cultural nuances (ex: limited comprehension, need to speak slowly, differences in eye contact does not equal a bad attitude, special considerations for the uniform, etc.)
What can you do to raise your spirits in low periods?
As you acclimate in the early days and weeks and the initial excitement wears off, you may hit some low periods, this is normal, consider the following ideas to lift your spirits:
- Spend time in the communal areas of your home with your host family, not only in your bedroom.
- Go for walks, bike rides, to the grocery store, to the library to get a library card, etc.
- Play simple card or board games with your host family, teach them a game you like to play.
- Watch TV or family-friendly movies in English – with the English closed-captioning turned on if needed.
- Talk to your host family about life back home, offer to cook a favorite dish from your country, for them.
- Avoid excessive emails and phone calls home, this is likely to increase homesickness.
- Think about an activity you do back home that makes you happy and see if there is something similar you can do here, e.g., an exercise class, meet a friend for coffee.
- Establish good sleeping habits. You will need plenty of sleep as you adjust, but not too much, stay active.
- Engage in physical exercise, as this releases endorphins and can help boost your mood.
- Make sure you are enrolled in at least one elective and get involved in extra curricular activities to help meet people and make friends at school.
- Ask your host family to help you seek out opportunities to help others. Taking your mind off their own situation will lessen the homesickness.
- Be in contact with your liaison, build the relationship and confide in them, they are there to listen and help.