Homesickness is something I never thought I would deal with in college.
Before I left for college I never thought I would ever miss my hometown. I grew up in a tiny area with not a ton going on. I did have some excellent friends, but other than that I did not think much of it.
I never thought I would miss my parents as much either. I was never very close with my mom, but me and my dad were very close. However, being close to people also causes you to get into arguments once in a while. This caused me to think I would not have missed him as much, However, I do.
During my first week at college, I never thought the feeling of homesickness would come. I thought I would be content with starting my new life and not miss my past as much. This lasted for a while but the homesickness crept up on me before fall break. I started to miss my dad a lot more than I thought I ever would. You never realize how much someone adds to your life until you do not see them every day.
Going home for fall break was one of the weirdest feelings yet. My room no longer felt like my room. It was only for a couple of days but it was a mixed experience of sadness and joy at the same time.
Coming back since then has been interesting, to say the least. When we are nearing a break, I feel more homesick than I do when I come back from a break. I feel like it is a false statement that has been passed around that you only feel homesick if you do not find your people. However, I found my people and I still feel homesick once in a while. However, having your people indeed makes school easier to come back to.
One of the biggest tips I can give to other people when coming back is having something planned with your friends to do when you get back. This is what made fall break easier; me and my friends had plans to come back to after our arrival back to college.
However, with the feeling of Thanksgiving approaching, the homesickness is coming back. Time moves so slowly in college when you want it to move fast and vice versa. Part of me is excited to go home for fall break because I miss my family so much, but at the same time it is weird not living my life with my best friends for a week. What I have learned is the feeling of homesickness never really does go away fully. However, you learn to cope with it over time. The only time I ever feel too homesick is when I am not busy.
So, what I have learned is that if I keep myself busy during the weeks I do not have time to miss home. However, every day is a learning experience whether missing home or not.