With the insane amount of reading and essays that I have had to contend with this quarter, I feel like I practically hit the ground running when I arrived here at UCLA. It’s hard to believe that we are already in to the eighth week, with holiday season fast approaching. I’ve barely had time to stop and take a breath, which has partially been a good thing because it has meant that I haven’t had time to miss home, despite the fact that I am thousands of miles and an eleven hour flight away from my family and friends in England!
However last week, as if out of nowhere, I was hit by a spell of homesickness. Some would say that it was about time too, since up until now I coped a bit too well with being so far from home. Maybe it’s because I have kept myself busy in my new environment, or maybe I just didn’t process the distance properly in my mind. Plus, with things like skype and facebook it’s more than easy to stay in close contact people, even when they’re across the Atlantic. But now and then we all get a bit nostalgic for the comforts of home. That’s true whether you are an international student or whether you go to a university which is five miles from where you grew up. For me, the things I have missed the most are watching television on an actual television screen (rather than my laptop), my cat, and a serving of warm custard with my dessert—things dorm life in California simply can’t offer. This is absolutely NOT to say that I would rather be at home than studying at UCLA. Actually, there are loads of things I would miss about California if I were home: the sunshine, my roommates, Yoghurtland—just to name a few. Luckily I do not have to live without Yoghurtland for the time being, but for now here are some of the ways I have found help to deal with homesickness whilst studying so far from home:
- Keeping busy!—This is the best way to take your mind off the things you miss about home life, and is also a great way to fully immerse yourself in a new environment. Get involved, study hard- what ever it takes to make the most of your experience living away from home.
- Displaying pictures of home, family and friends in your room—this helps to contextualize your home environment in to your new one, and is a friendly reminder of home whenever you need it. For example, the picture above is of a friend and I in London this summer, when she was volunteering at the Olymipcs :)
- Get out of your room!—even though it’s important to have reminders of home around you when feeling homesick, it’s important not to focus too much on these so much that you miss home even more! It seems easier to hide in the shelter or your room, but the point of leaving home is to explore new places and meet new people. Even if it’s just a visit to a coffee place five minutes away from campus, or to a new study environment on campus, leaving your room is essential for surviving bouts of homesickness.