For many, the holiday season is one of the happiest times of the year. It involves beautiful decorations, yummy food, and cheerful festivities surrounded by your family. However, some of us aren’t so fortunate to be able to spend the holidays with our loved ones. Being an international student, my family is 8 hours away by plane with a whole ocean between us and this Thanksgiving is the first holiday I will spend by myself for the first time in 18 years.
During the year with my friends around I always seem to have something to do. But since it is Thanksgiving everybody I know (with the exception of one or two people) is going home. This wouldn’t be such a big deal normally as Thanksgiving is not a holiday where I come from, but being alone on campus while everyone else is home with their families is still hard. If you’re unable to travel home this holiday season or won’t be able to spend time with your family, these tips should help you beat homesickness and loneliness and help you still have a good time!
1. Make yourself busy, but not too busy.
I’m sure you have some homework to do so get that out of the way during the first half of the break. That way, you will have a much quieter and peaceful end of the semester. Take advantage of the sudden lack of people on campus, allowing you to focus better. However, do not cram. Don’t attempt to get everything done at the same time, otherwise, it will feel like punishment to be slaving over work while everyone else is off having fun. The goal is to keep your brain busy with things you have to do, without stressing yourself out.
2. Have some fun.
Go out and do anything that makes you laugh. That can be going to the movies, listening to music, reading a good book, dancing, dedicating yourself to the gym—you name it. We know all too well how college can get in the way of some of our favorite hobbies. Personally, I haven’t read any material outside my reading assignments for class, yet I’m an incurable bookaholic, so I plan on reading a good book over break. I’m also planning on re-watching some childhood movies such as Disney classics and maybe one or two Barbie classics (hey, no judging).
3. Don’t lock yourself in your room.
No matter how tempting it may seem, you don’t want to be someone who didn’t breathe fresh air for a whole week. Even though it’s Thanksgiving, put yourself out there! Personally, I’ve been postponing a couple of films that I really want to watch in the cinema, so I’m catching Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League next week and I’m really looking forward to it.
4. Sleep in as long as you’d like.
With no classes, you will have all the time in the world to sleep so you might as well take advantage of it. Work on getting rid of those eye bags before finals bring them back again. Set a goal for yourself to not go to bed after midnight and get out of bed before noon. I’d say go to bed at 10 or 11 and wake up at 9 or 10.
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5. Attend a Thanksgiving dinner.
Hofstra is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner in Vander Poel Hall on Nov. 23rd. If not just for the free food, go and socialize. Have some fun and meet new people. You can be sure that most of the people there are either internationals or people who live across the country. If socializing is not your thing, simply go to enjoy the free food!
6. Talk to you family.
It may help to FaceTime your family for at least a couple of minutes every day so you may not miss them so much. Engage in conversation, laugh, watch movies together (you can do it through FaceTime, trust me), and just spend some time together. You’ll feel better almost immediately. And if you have one, talking to your SO also helps.
These are just a few ways to help cope with missing your family during the holidays. Ultimately, my advice is to do whatever makes you feel good and think about what you are thankful for. Personally, I often forget how blessed I am to be a part of my amazing family, an incredible group of friends, and for the opportunity to attend college and learn more every day.