As an international student, first day in Australia was a blur – the excitement, entirely different country, new people, different language (slang) and tired from the long journey. I arrived in December which was the end of spring and start of summer. Transition from a hot, humid place to a dry, cooler place was quite challenging.
My advice – RESEARCH. Try to make sure you’re prepared for the climate. Get information on how the weather would be in Australia and bring clothes convenient for that. Always keep a light jacket handy in case the weather would be cold for you. If you are arriving in winter time, keep a jacket thick enough to keep you warm.
Always make a checklist about what you need in Australia before boarding the plane to avoid last minute confusion.
- Have you arranged for accommodation? (most important question- you should at least arrange for 2 weeks’ temporary accommodation before getting to Australia)
- Do you have a visa label or proof of visa grant? (If you don’t have a visa label, try to keep a print out of your visa grant email)
- Do you have money in hand for food, transport etc on your way to accommodation?
- Above all, when you have planned everything, you’ll be stress free and have fun on your first day as you’ll only have this experience once.
