In every study abroad orientation they will tell you that homesickness comes in waves. At the beginning of the program everything will be new and exciting, and you probably won't have much time to think of home. However, as you reach the mid-point of your time abroad it can be hard not to miss your life back home, and to begin counting down the days until you board that final flight.
I am no exception to this model. In fact, I've experienced some version of it every time I've lived abroad, be it in Peru, Finland, or Russia. This past fall I participated in the ACTR Moscow program. While I greatly enjoyed my time in Russia, I did on occasion catch myself thinking wistfully of like back in Oregon. There were times when I missed my family so much that I could cry. Whole days passed where I would've given anything to be back home in my own house with my parents and dogs. While this can feel disheartening, it's also normal. Homesickness is just another part of living abroad, one that most people experience.
However, one thing I refused to do was allow being homesick to keep me from living my full study abroad experience. Over my four months in Moscow (as well as my past abroad experiences) I discovered a few ways to push through the homesickness. Bellow I've listed the top three that seem to make the biggest difference for me. While everyone is different, and therefore requires different methods for coping with homesickness, I find these make a huge difference on days when I'm feeling blue.
- Don't avoid activities just because you miss home. On days when I was feeling the full brunt of homesickness it could be really tempting to curl up in bed and spend the day scrolling through social media posts of friends back home. However, I found that, on days like these, when I dragged my butt out of bed and went to do something I often felt much better. Be it meeting friends at a coffee shop, going to a museum, or even just walking around the city, doing something that forced me to be a part of my host culture (instead of cloistering myself in the bubble of my bedroom) could make me forget—even momentarily—how much I missed home.
- Doing something that reminds you of home. For me, cooking and baking is a huge part of my life in Oregon. So, when I was feeling a little sad I asked my mom to send me her recipe for apple crisp so that I and some friends could bake it one afternoon. Even such a simple comfort as a fresh baked apple crisp felt incredibly soothing and relaxing. It was a little piece of home away from home.
- Finally, don't call home too often. This might seem counterproductive. If you miss your family, shouldn't you talk to them? However, I found that, oftentimes, skyping my parents actually made me miss them more rather than less. Now I'm not advocating cutting off contact completely. My mother would absolutely not stand for that. However, try to limit the number of times in a week or day in which you communicate with people back home. Personally, I called my parents only once a week, less if I was traveling or busy. By maintaining a distance between my home life and my life in Russia I found that I could more easily immerse myself in the experiences of living abroad without the constant interruption of thoughts from home.
Obviously, these methods might not work for everyone, as each person's needs and experiences while abroad are different. None the less, if you're dealing with homesickness while studying abroad it's worth trying out.
While it can be difficult, homesickness is something that almost everyone deals with. Nevertheless, it doesn't have to stop you from having a fulfilling study abroad experience. Some days you'll want to jump on the next flight home, but give it time. It will get better.
