I have been in Hong Kong for around 2 and a half months now and I have to say that it is the most homesick I have been since being here! I think now everything has settled down and I have started to get into a routine it starts to hit home how far away I am. I remember at the start of this exchange that I was very impressed with myself for not feeling so homesick and recalled previous exchange students saying that they had hit a point that made some of them want to go home. But there I was thinking that I was doing so well and wasn’t home sick at all! But I don’t think I am alone in feeling this and plenty of exchange students here in Hong Kong have also been feeling this same way. There seemed to be a week in which being homesick hit home for a lot of exchange students but I think everyone is starting to get excited about Christmas and travelling.
I am actually also quite excited that I have just booked my return flight home for Christmas and my mother has already booked her flight to come and see me in Hong Kong next year. I cannot wait to have home cooked food and to sleep in my own bed! That’s the one thing that I think I didn’t realize I would miss so much. I was naive to think that I could go a whole year with out going home. I know it’s only early November but I am already in a Christmassy mood and the Christmas trees and decorations have already started to surface in Hong Kong.
Christmas Decorations, Harbour city, Hong Kong.
I have to say my lowest point so far since being here was when I found out I had an exam on the 23rd of December! For starters who puts an exam on so close to Christmas?! I had a nice little rant to my parents about this. I think I slightly panicked and thought that I wouldn’t be able to make it home for Christmas and then it really hit home how home sick I was feeling. Unfortunately for my parents the only thing I could think of was to call them at 3:00 in the morning (for them)! But however home sick I am feeling I am trying to keep myself as busy as I can. I have just booked to go to Tokyo next weekend and I am pretty sure that is going to do the trick!
Unfortunately work has started to pile on and internship applications are adding to me feeling homesick. I have to be honest; at times it has been hard to remember that I am here to study. But I have to think that I am in Hong Kong and I am only here for the year so I don’t have time to be home sick! I cannot wait to go home for Christmas to I see all my friends and family but it’s kind of scary to think that I am almost halfway through my year abroad. At times that overwhelming feeling of realizing how quickly this year abroad is going is more predominate than my feelings of being home sick. Hopefully this phase of being homesick will pass quickly and I can look forward to celebrating Christmas and to my exam on the 23rd of December!
Image credits: nickthorne.tv