One of the questions I seem to be asked most frequently since moving is “don’t you get home sick,” or “don’t you miss your family and friends” and the answer is of course I do, but it’s something I knew going into this move and something I’ve dealt with before.
I remember the first time I got home sick, it’s a strange feeling when it hits because it hits fast in a bundle of emotions that you’re forced to deal with immediately.
I moved from Pennsylvania to South Carolina to start University just a month after turning eighteen and I survived. I then studied abroad for the first time two months after turning nineteen and was away from everyone (including new friends in South Carolina) for another four months before returning back home. And then at twenty-one I did it all again, moving to London for my Masters. Moving around and learning to adapt is something I’ve become used to by now, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy.
There are days when I constantly think of home, when I think how simple it would be if I could go to Target and do all my shopping in one place, one store and be finished. Or when I crave nothing but a WAWA sandwich or New York style bagel, but these things all pass. Just like when you’re at home, you get urges and the occasional small thing on the street sparks a memory, but you move past them.
These little materialistic things are the easiest to get over because they’re just that, they’re materialist, the hardest thing is when you miss your family and friends. Missing family and friends is what really gets me down and has people asking “is something wrong?” and the worst part is, unless you’ve experienced it, it’s a hard feeling to explain. Normally, social media is the worst influence for those who are far away because you’re reminded of all the things you’re missing and it’s a rude reminder that their life is going on without you, too.
All too frequently this can become too much to handle and my only solution is to simply cut myself off from social media and go weeks without checking Facebook or sharing anything on Instagram because I don’t want to see the pictures or be reminded just how far away I am. While this might not be the best solution and even I struggle, because I want to see how everyone is doing and avoidance can lead to disconnection with people, it’s the only method that continually works for me.
Luckily for me I have the best support system who is constantly sending me voice notes, pictures and videos to brighten my day and feel like I’m right there with them. Home sickness is inevitable for almost everyone at some point, but once you find out the best way to deal with it, whether it be pictures or the occasional special treat to remind you of home, you’ll get past it and enjoy being abroad all over again.
Even at the worst of times I’m never more than a few clicks away from the newest pictures or videos from both family and friends to help me get through.
Not only do my friends send me pictures like these but we’ve all been through study abroad together as undergrads and they understand more than anyone those feelings of home sickness. It’s such a relief when you don’t need to explain in detail and they just get it, I would be completely lost without these girls and their understanding.
Read this post and other stories on Staci’s personal blog
Latest posts by stacianne (see all)
- Enjoy a City Escape to Bath - October 10, 2016
- The Must See Sights of London - September 30, 2016
- From Matriculation to Graduation - July 15, 2016