The USA has emerged as the top destination for international students. Every year thousands of students leave their homes to move to this country to pursue higher education in some of the top universities on the 美国大学排名. However if there is one complaint that all students have in common, it is the feeling of homesickness. It is indeed not easy to leave your home, family, and everything familiar and loved to settle in a new country. However, there are a few ways to battle this emotion and adjust to the new life.
Acknowledge Your Feelings
It is absolutely normal to feel homesick, to often think of, and miss your family, friends and loved ones back home. Instead of trying to forcefully suppress this feeling, or berating yourself for missing home, acknowledge it and accept it as a very natural part of this transition. Only then can you work towards dealing with your emotions and adjusting in the new country and its culture. Homesickness is a very valid feeling that most international students experience and it is nothing that you should be ashamed of.
Stay In Touch With Home
Thanks to communication and video-calling apps such as WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom etc, you can now easily stay in touch with your family and friends back home. These apps offer you options of unlimited texting at any hour of the day, high quality and secure calls, video calls as well as conference calls, with multiple people. Simply keep in mind the time zone differences, and figure out a suitable time to spend with your family and friends. This way, you will never feel too alone or isolated from the ones you love.
Find Local Community
USA has a vibrant international community. Irrespective of wherever you are from, you are almost certain to find a local community from your country and culture. This will help you stay closer to your roots, speak your language and enjoy the experience of a home away from home. You will also be able to make some friends from your home country, and might even get help in navigating this feeling of homesickness with your new friends here. Those who have been here before you can also share their precious insight and experiences of dealing with homesickness.
Take Comfort In Familiar Things
Familiarity is a feeling of comfort, that homesick international students crave the most as the try to navigate the unknown in a strange country. However, it is absolutely possible to surround yourself with little bits of familiar things from back home. You can head over to traditional stores selling items native to your country, culture and cuisine. Learn to cook some of the basic food that you grew up eating so that you can seek comfort in them. Find people online or offline to converse in your mother tongue with. Do not force yourself to let go of your roots.
Homesickness is extremely common. However, USA is a huge country with immense diversity and so much to offer. Be open to new experiences, explore its culture, meet new people and try to enjoy things. Sooner than you realize, you will settle in and fall in love with this life as well.
