Maria Abroad

5 Tipps when you miss home

Posted on 21. May, 2009 by MariaAbroad in Living Abroad, Study Abroad

5 Tipps when you miss home

So, you made it. Finally you live all by yourself in a foreign country. Your dream of living abroad has finally come true. After all the research you have done, all the talks to your parents to let you go study abroad, all the savings to pay for your time abroad and now, all you want to do is go back home?

Well, first of all, let me tell you that being homesick in the beginning and sometimes during your stay abroad is perfectly normal. Most people that I know, who went abroad for an extended period of time, have experienced exactly what you are experiencing right now – homesickness. You just arrived at your dream destination and you were looking for fun, adventure, excitement, new friends and now you are hiding from the world, spending you time crying your face off. But here my promise: IT WILL GET BETTER! Everyday, you will feel less homesick enjoy your time like you had planned. Let me show you how…

1. Get out of your room

Whether you are already living in the dorm, with a host family or by yourself: Get dressed and get out of your room. Explore the university or the city  you now live in. Take in the smells and watch the people. How are they different from your home country? Take your iPod with you and listen to your favorite music and try to take in as many impressions as you can.

2. Write you parents/boyfriend/girlfriend/friends

Rather than calling, you should consider writing your family, friends or your lover back home, you should consider writing. Tell them about what you have seen during your first trip around your new premises, the people, the food, everything. The reason why I recommend writing over a phone call, is because a phone call lets you be closer to your loved ones back home and especially in the beginning, this will make it harder, not easier. Also think about writing you very personal feelings in a journal.  When you call your parents and can’t barely speak because you are crying so much, you will only worry them and while you feel better every day, they are still thinking it was the biggest mistake to let you go abroad.

3. Organize stuff

Try to keep busy and get all the things done, that need to be taken care of, such as opening a bank account, registering at the university, find out where to buy books and what the fastest way to the library is. As in most cases when you are sad, try to keep busy and try not to think about home and how much you miss your loved ones. Put the thoughts of being homesick out of your head and once you get through the first couple of days, it won’t be as hard.

4. Go out and Party

Yes, I know, right now, you probably don’t feel like a party-animal, rock star or dancing queen. Try to connect with some other Newbies at your university and explore and have a good time. Force yourself to go out and experience the culture and the country. That is the reason why you came here in the first place, right? And I will promise you one thing: You will regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t make the most of your adventure abroad.

5. Explore, connect, explore together!!!

The more you get out there and get familiar with your new surroundings, the faster you will feel at home and comfortable. Of course, you can do that yourself, but even better, if you can connect with other people and explore together. However, it is important that you connect NOT ONLY with people from your home country or other international students. Especially in the beginning this is very hard, I understand this, but once you have your group of friends and they are all from your home country, it will be very hard to find local friends. You are addicted to coffee? Try to find a nice little coffee shop that lets you endulge your need for it and utilize your language skills to order your coffee. When this goes well, may be it encourages you to strike up a conversation with another coffee lover. Love to surf the net? Try to find a nice internet cafe, even if you have wireless in your new home. It will help you to get out of the house and be among locals.

I hope these 5 tipps help you to get over you homesickness, adjust better and get over the first hard days a little bit better. Most people feel homesick and most people also get over it in a shorter or longer period of time. Good luck for your adventure abroad. Let it begin now!

Did you like this post? Read more on how to make the most of your stay abroad!

Tags: Homesick, Stay in Touch, Study Abroad