By Anna-Rose Zayan

You land in a new country. You grab your suitcase, get in a car, a bus, or the Temple shuttle, surrounded by new people, then you arrive at a new campus. You take your new room key, move into your new flat. And if you’re a bit like me, you sit in your new bed, jet lagged and tired, your new pillow too stiff, and you ask yourself “What on earth am I doing here?”.

Adjusting and adapting to life in a new country—a new continent, even—is not an easy task. It is long, tiring, but so, so exciting. After my first couple of weeks at Temple, I thought I would give you what I found helped me get into a routine that suits me and go to bed without second-guessing all my life choices.

First and foremost: you’re not alone. Think of it this way: most of the faces you will see that first weekend are as lost and as new to this as you are. Some have travelled before, some have never left their hometown. Some barely speak English, some are trilingual. Everyone is different but everyone is new.

The main thing that helped me meet these people, and grow accustomed to the new environment, were the events organised by Global Programs and Temple. All the presentations were really useful, and all the international students I met there were super friendly and excited about meeting people from all over the world. OWLConnect also has a lot of different events on all the time, so it’s worth checking it out—there’s something for everyone! For instance, we went ice skating the first weekend, and I’m going to a basketball game soon; I’m super excited to finally experience the American sports atmosphere.

Trying different things until you find what suits you best is also a really good way to adapt to the new environment. For example, I tried different ways to get around the city with a few friends, like taking the tube (—sorry, subway), which stressed me out at first, despite being used to it at home. However, doing it with people made me feel a lot more comfortable with it! I also went out of my comfort zone trying one of the many group fitness classes (the gym is free for Temple students) and it was a great experience.

In terms of classes, they are a lot more regular here than at home, where I would have about 6 contact hours as opposed to more than twice that here. However, professors are really understanding that as an international student, you come from a totally different system. Use their office hours to explain your situation, introduce yourself, ask questions, or even just to say hi! The class discussions here are also really different to what I am used to, and in the best of ways: people are much more inclined to start a conversation themselves than to wait for the professor to ask a question. Whereas I am used to people expecting someone else to speak, the students here simply state what the matter at hand reminds them of and share their own experiences, which made me feel a lot more comfortable participating in larger classes too.

Another thing to remember is that it’s okay to take breaks and not do everything at once. A few of the friends I made during the first week decided to go to Washington DC during the second weekend of the semester, and after a lot of panicked FOMO thinking, I decided to stay on campus instead. I wanted to settle in and take time to breathe, to see Philly before anything else. So, instead of seeing the White House, I went to the Philadelphia Art Museum with some international friends, which has a great selection of pieces from all over the world. After that, we went to the Reading Terminal Market and did some grocery shopping, then went home to cook together.

Of course, if you’re a sentimental person like me, you are bound to feel homesick at some point. For me, the best ways to clear my head were hanging out with new people, watching shows I am used to watching at home with my friends, and calling my family.

The Temple community is really welcoming, and there is no doubt that you will meet people you’ll get along with at the Global Programs events. There is always someone on the team that you can talk to if you need help. Most of all, remember that the adjusting period is only that: adjustment. Soon enough, you’ll feel at home in your room, you’ll know how the system works, and the American lifestyle won’t have any more secrets!