#12: Missing home?

Recently, I’ve been feeling pretty homesick. UBC is amazing and everything, don’t get me wrong, but now that I’m not so busy getting used to the campus, the city, the culture and everything else that was new for the first 2 months or so, missing home is starting to hit me. I’ve noticed that right about this time, many of the statuses on my Facebook homepage are about missing home/wanting to go back. I’m sure you guys will (at some point) be feeling homesick too, (if not, then lucky you!) so I thought I’d share what I’ve been doing/what’s been helping me cope.

1. Skype! – for me, this is what really helps. Whether it’s a quick 5 minute catch up, or an hour long talk; hearing and seeing someone that you miss can definitely make everything a little better for a while. Skype your friends or your family. As awesome as people here are, having contact with someone familiar can do wonders for you :)

2. Instant messaging – technology makes it so easy to have conversations with people as close as the next room, or halfway across the world. I have about 6 different threads of messages going on with people. It’s an awesome way to stay in touch and keep updated with your friends and families’ lives; especially if you don’t have the time to be talking constantly.

3. Pictures/videos – this may or may not make you feel more homesick.  I love looking at pictures and videos of home – although it sometimes makes me feel sad/miss home a little more at first, I’m so easily made happy by the familiarity of what I’m watching/looking at. It also gives me something to look forward to, and that’s always nice.

4. Your friends at UBC – although they might not be from home, there’s a high chance that they may also feel a little (or a lot) homesick, so why not take comfort in each other?

This is probably all very straightforward and obvious, but I thought I’d share it nonetheless. If things ever get really bad, please talk to someone about it. Your RA (residence advisor) is always there to listen or talk to. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to them or anyone else, there’s also a counseling service you can go to.

Hope everything is well with everyone!

Tanya ♡