Lately I’ve been feeling like I’d like to move back home, and often feel the homesickness erupt when I get this way. In fact, I’m kind of
feeling that way tonight. I wonder how
long it takes for homesickness to go away after you move elsewhere.
It’s only been nearly two and a half
years since I moved out here to British Columbia, but I often find myself
desiring to go back home because I feel homesick. That could be for a number of reasons –
anything from not having a car, or access to a car, and not being able to get
around and come and go as I please (I have to depend on others if I want to go
somewhere else, like shopping or visiting someone who doesn’t live
near my location. The bus system here also isn’t the
best, and while I might be able to get places in the evening – providing I
leave after supper – the buses stop around six or seven o’clock, so
I wouldn’t be able
to get home), to feeling alone – and lonely.
In 2007, I moved to South Korea to teach, and lived there for
a year. There were times when I felt
homesick, particularly after finding out my father had cancer – and especially
when I found out he was getting worse. I
also find that when I end up in a situation where I feel sad, upset, angry,
etc. I often feel like I want to be back home – not that doing that would solve
any problems, or that I wouldn’t have any bad times
there, because I would.
I think part of my homesickness came from the fact that I was
so far away from my home and my family, and I couldn’t just
hop a bus or take a taxi, or even rent a car to go and visit them. It also could have been caused by being in a
different culture and not having access to foods/brands, English TV shows,
etc., that I am used to from living in North America.
In 2009, I went to Australia for two months (doing my teaching
practicum) and I really enjoyed it there. Actually, I loved it there and I didn’t feel homesick, but that might have been
just because I knew I’d only be there for two months
and then be heading home again. When I did
come home, I found that I felt homesick for Melbourne and could picture myself actually
living there. Even now, five years
later, I find there are times when I feel homesick for that area. It seems weird that I would feel that way for
a place I only visited for two months, but Melbourne must have had a hold on me
or something. Someday I’d like to
get back there again.
I really don’t like feeling homesick,
but then does anybody? I find it difficult,
when I feel this way, to get out of the slump it puts me in. I’ve had
nights where I would wake up and while I’m still
half asleep and my eyes are closed, have such a strong feeling that I was back
home in my bed there. It even seemed
that when I’d open my eyes, I’d see my
room the way it is set up back home.
When I’d open my eyes and see that I
wasn’t there,
but I was in my room here, I’d give my head a shake and
feel a little stupid, but it seemed so real.
And then I’d want to go back home
again. I’ve mostly
had that feeling after being home during the summer. At any rate, I’d start
to feel little bits of homesickness creep up at those times. Thankfully, though, the homesickness doesn’t usually
last for more than a day or two at a time.
Have you ever moved away, across the country or to a different
country or continent, and felt homesick? How did/do you deal with it?
