Homesickness
March 7, 2023
My home in Denmark. Being away from home for so long may lead to homesickness for some, but it has not been that difficult for me.
One thing that I was really worried about before I left Denmark was homesickness.
How hard was it going to be not to see my friends and family for one year? I have had an amazing exchange so far with great host families, friends and experiences, which I think has played a huge part in not feeling as homesick as expected.
Even though it has been great I am not going to lie there has been some hard times. Christmas was hard for me, because I was so far away from home and Danish traditions. It has been weird, when my whole family or friends have gotten together and obviously I was not there.
Another thing that triggers homesickness is thinking about how long it is going to be before I see my family and friends again. The first time I realized this was actually in the airport, when we were saying goodbye.
I have not seen my family and friends for seven months, which is a long time but the time has never gone by faster than it has here. Therefore, it has not felt like that long.
Before I left I was told to be careful with having too much contact with my family and friends back home and to be present here in Georgia and not always being on my phone to FaceTime to prevent homesickness. Despite this advice, I have experienced that FaceTiming, especially my parents, has helped me not to get homesick.
I have also felt a little bit of FOMO when there have been events at my high school back home or all my friends have gotten together. I do not feel “left out” anymore because I really like being here, but I still have this feeling that I really want to be back home for something. It is weird to know that everyone else is living the life that I will get to live.
Everyone gets physically sick, so it was no surprise when I did. I thought that I would miss my parents taking care of me when I was sick but I actually did not. My host families have taken such good care of me, which has made me so happy.
I have had a different kind of homesickness that I never thought about having. When I have moved to different host families I would miss my former host family even though I really liked being with my new one.
How do I deal with the bit of homesickness that I have had? This might sound weird but just to be able to cry it out has helped in that moment. Otherwise, talking to someone about it and being busy has helped. It is a good idea to distract myself and to get out and do something.
Being away from home for almost a year might sound scary, but I quickly got used to my new life. I realized that even though I missed my friends and family back home it did not have to develop into homesickness.
If you are thinking about doing an exchange program but are worried that homesickness will be a problem for you I will say just do it. Take an amazing chance that will change your life forever.