The Arrival

Every overseas season starts with a goodbye. I’ve seen a lot of goodbyes this week. Players posting those airport photos, the hugs in the driveway, the last dinner with family before the flight. Saying goodbye is always harder than people think. You try to smile, but you realize that you’re leaving behind the comfort of home, the people who know you best, and the routines that keep you steady.

Then, just like that, the plane lands and it flips. The goodbye is still sitting heavy, but now you’re in arrival mode. Bags rolling through an airport you don’t recognize, streets that feel like a maze, practices that don’t wait for your jet lag to wear off. The switch happens fast…one day you’re hugging family, the next you’re trying to figure out how to buy groceries in another language. That’s the reality of overseas life…every season starts with a tough goodbye and the challenge of building a new hello.

That hello begins on arrival overseas.

It’s the beginning of months where your body, your mind, and your patience get tested. You will encounter jet lagged practices and trying to find Wi-Fi that actually works, these early days set the tone.

Everyone remembers their rookie arrival the nervous energy, the excitement, the fear. For vets, the feeling changes but never really goes away. That first walk through a new airport always feels the same. It’s the reminder: you’re not home anymore…you’re here to build something.

This week, hundreds of athletes are arriving to their new homes for the season. Different countries, different leagues, same feeling. Bags down, shoes laced, and time to figure it all out.