Studying abroad is an eye-opening experience and as amazing as it is, it's also quite difficult. Whoever tells you otherwise is lying, or has the emotional capacity of a rock. Traveling abroad and staying away from home for any period of time is thrilling and exciting, but also quite terrifying. When you're away from home you don't have a solid safety net to fall back on. If something goes wrong or your feeling down you can't just drive home for the weekend and get a warm comforting hug from your mom.
One of the most difficult challenges students face when studying abroad is homesickness. Homesickness is a form of anxiety you may feel when you are forced out of your regular routine and feel disconnected from your home and those familiar to you. From personal experience, I can tell you that homesickness can be a real b!tch. It can come and go in waves. Feeling lonely or out of your element is completely normal, but you cannot let that stop you from enjoying your time away from home. Studying abroad is a once in a lifetime experience so you can't let yourself miss out on the world around you.
I can honestly say that choosing to come study abroad in England was one of the best choices I've made in my life so far. In the three months that I have been here, I've learned so much and made so many amazing new friends. I've been trying to live my life to the fullest and have been loving every second of it, despite being homesick. Whenever this feeling of homesickness creeps its way in I'm happy to know that my family and friends are just a FaceTime away. I've found FaceTime to be my saving grace and look forward to my weekly FaceTime dates with my family or the bajillion Snapchats I get from my friends while I'm away.
Sometimes these things can make me miss home a little more, but usually it makes me feel more connected to home. So many times I've wished that I could just teleport my friends and family to England so I could share all of my experiences with them. I guess writing on this blog helps me to share my experiences in a different way, even if I haven't been the best at keeping up with it.
I've found one of the best ways for me to cope with homesickness is to make sure that I don't coop myself inside and wallow. I try going out and exploring Sheffield or surrounding myself with some of my friends to keep my mind off of missing home. Sometimes it's nice to go out with no destination in mind and just wander around, popping into new cafes and little local shops.
However as humans, we are creatures of habit, so when you feel out of your element it is nice to form a new routine or find things that make you feel a little more at home. I don't exactly have a set routine, but I have managed to make my new apartment feel like home. Obviously going abroad you can't fit your whole room into a couple suitcases but you can bring small memorabilia or things that comfort you. In my case, that was my Harry Potter tapestry and unicorn onesies. I didn't care what I was able to pack in my luggage as long as those two things were in there.
Every morning the first thing I see when I wake up is my tapestry that says, "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." This is one of my all-time favorite quotes by Albus Dumbledore. It reminds me that everything is about perspective and even though I may miss home I truly am having a fantastic time here. I love Sheffield. I love my course of study and most of all I love all of the new friends I have made.
It can be extremely disorienting being away from all the love and comforts of home, but the new friends you make in your new home away from home are just as irreplaceable. Embrace change as you would embrace those you love. Life away from home can be absolutely extraordinary if you do.
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"The greater your storm the brighter you rainbow."
Sheffield, England |
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