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GOING GLOBAL
CULTURE SHOCK
THE LOOK-SEE TRIP: TAKING THE LAG OUT OF JETTING By Travis Murray
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or expats taking up assignments overseas, there is usually a prelude to the big move called a Look-See Trip. This 3-7 day foray to their soonto-be new home is meant as a kind of orientation during which assignees will take a closer look at potential neighborhoods to live in, schools for their kids, healthcare options and generally get a feel for the city. The trip usually happens in the spring, although the timing and duration will vary greatly among the new crop of assignees arriving in expat hubs across Asia and the world. Across the board, expats describe these trips as a blur of experiences crammed into a timeframe that is far too short to be truly effective. Part of the reason for this is that most expats are travelling to the other side of the world, which carries with it a complete reversal of daily time and meaning there is a 12 -13 hour time difference. This reversal causes jet lag which Merriam Webster describes as:
expat essentials
“A CONDITION THAT IS CHARACTERIZED BY VARIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS (AS FATIGUE AND IRRITABILITY), OCCURS FOLLOWING LONG FLIGHT THROUGH SEVERAL TIME ZONES, AND PROBABLY RESULTS FROM DISRUPTION OF CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS IN THE HUMAN BODY.” Resetting one’s circadian rhythms usually takes a day or two for most people, although for some a feeling of normality will only return after a week or more of regular, restful sleep. One positive to the Look-See Trip is that assignees will be sleeping in a 5-star hotel with all the creature comforts that come with it, including a luxurious bed to fall into after a hard day buzzing around one of Asia’s mega-cities, or rougher second-tier cities. While having a 5–star sleeping experience certainly helps, there are also natural remedies that you can use to reset your circadian rhythms more
MOST EXPATS REPORT THAT THEIR LOOK-SEE TRIP IS LITTLE MORE THAN A BLUR
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quickly, which is extremely helpful on your Look-See Trip, given its abbreviated nature. If you are better rested and feeling closer to 100%, your ability to absorb information and process it more effectively will be increased significantly and may have a positive effect on your assignment overseas for years to come. Here are some remedies that have been shown to help: (source: health. com) Melatonin Melatonin, a natural hormone also sold as a supplement, regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Levels rise after dark, peak overnight, and then fall in the morning. In some studies, taking melatonin has been shown to help fight jet lag. Experts recommend taking melatonin after dark on the day that you travel, and for a few days thereafter. For people flying east, some recommend taking melatonin in the evening (at around 6 or 7 pm) for a few days before your flight.
