Written by Sanjay
03 Jun 2018
Your arrival day is getting closer and judging from the questions I have been getting, many of you are just like me. You plan ahead! That is really an awesome thing to do, considering that most of you are in for quite a journey. Even though you think your plan is top notch, you might be in for a few hiccups. Here are some arrival day tips, to help your move to Sweden be as easy as 1, 2, 3.
1. Know the best arrival day
Your university will probably have a set arrival day where all new students get a load of assistance when moving in. These days are usually filled with volunteers, rented taxis, and some water to quench your thirst. It would be very beneficial for you to plan to arrive on these days as it surely takes alot of the weight off. For some, the scheduled arrival date may not work well with your planned arrival, maybe there is a cheaper flight the next day or your plans got delayed. No worries, the days after the arrival day usually has some assistance available. As for me I arrived two days after my university’s arrival day because of a flight delay, and although I didn’t get to experience the first class assistance Malmö University had to offer, someone from the office was there to help me with getting into my room.
2. Know the office hours
Now you might have forgotten this, but just as with any place, schools, dorms even air b n b has office hours. Its very important for you to know which hours you will get assistance and which hours you might be out on your own. This is especially important if you need to collect your room key and sign contracts. Its also important when you think about the first tip, its quite unlikely that someone will be able to give you your room key at midnight.
3. Check out your room online
It would be a bummer if you opened your room and absolutely hated it. That would mean wasted money and of course a very miserable night. Most housing complexes have photos of the room, living area, and other key information about the dorm. You might also want to look up if the facility is shared or not. Wouldn’t you be surprised if your new roommate arrived during your Proud Mary karaoke performance? (No this didn’t happen to me)
4. Download the map
In addition to checking out your room online, I suggest you get familiar with the location. This means checking out the street, nearby police station, supermarket and other essential services. What I did was to utilize google Maps ‘Offline’ feature. I downloaded a map of the area I was going to move to. This actually came in handy because after my arrival I had no cellphone service and WiFi was not reliable. Because of this preparation I was able to take myself from the train station to the dorms without asking a single question. Talk about hassle free !
5. Dress appropriately
The first day in your room might mean you have to do some dusting. Maybe the room has been vacant for a while and a few spiders sought refuge, or you want to head right to shopping. I recommend wearing loose, comfortable clothing. You don’t know what can happen.
6. Ship heavier stuff
Traveling with a many suitcases is really a pain. My advice, do what I did, ship heavier stuff. Whether its texts books or your favourite pots and pans (you don’t need to bring pots and pans). For one, I knew I was arriving in August so winter coats would not be needed so soon, so I shipped them. This made A LOT of space in my suitcase for other important things. They arrived about 2 months after and it was just getting chilly. Cost? Little to nothing because of the 2 month option. Now that’s what you call planning 😉.
7. Pack well
I highly recommend you packing well. This also means packing for errors. Store important documents in your hand luggage so that if your checked luggage is delayed you will have them ready for use. Important items also means extra underwear and travel safe toiletries. Again you don’T know what can happen
8. Unpack well
A total contrast to number 7, after your arrival I suggest unpacking as soon as possible. Things can get chaotic and arrival weeks are usually filled with a number events. This precedes classes, meaning that you’ll move from welcome events to classes without a break. I’m sure you’d love to be able to find your favorite T-Shirt for your first day.
9. Go Old School
My ninth tip is to get a notebook and put important details in it. A small one wont hurt. Why you might ask? Cellphones and power-banks can die, and what a shame it would be to need some important details in it. Now I don’t mean to store the pin code for your debit card in a notebook, rather place things like contact details and the address of your new home in it.
10. Move with an open mind
Its very important to keep an open mind when moving far away from home. This also goes if you are moving to somewhere that has some similarity with your home. Keeping the mind open could make transitioning easier. And I’m not just speaking from my Psychology degree, but from real life experiences. When you arrive, get ready to discover !
/Sanjay
