9 Tips for Battling Homesickness While Studying Abroad

Caitlinepstein415/ November 7, 2017/ Study Abroad/ 1 comments

9 Tips for Battling Homesickness While Studying Abroad

While my life in Costa Rica is exciting and wonderful and beautiful, I cannot pretend that I don’t experience homesickness. First and foremost, I miss my mom, but I also miss my friends, the rest of my family, my chinchilla, and gluten free pizza. Oh, and my bedroom. Costa Rica has become my home away from home, but FaceTime calls to loved ones and a bed in my host family’s house can only substitute for so much.

But, fortunately, there are ways to combat homesickness while studying abroad!

1. Create a Bucket List

Doing this will give you something to look at and provide a reminder as to why you have ventured out into the world. There is so much to see beyond the borders of the United States, and a bucket list can help to reignite excitement for being abroad.

Here are some of the items on my bucket list – it involves some pretty ambitious items, but hey, I’m gonna be abroad for 4 years, so I might as well try to get the most out of it.

2. Be a Tourist

By pretending to be a tourist rather than a student, you can open yourself up to seeing the parts of your study abroad country that you dreamt about prior to boarding the plane. Since arriving in Costa Rica, I have traveled to gorgeous beaches, hiked stunning mountains, and seen baby sloths. I have seen the beauty of Costa Rica that I obsessively researched on Pinterest before coming here, and it has made the experience both better and easier.

3. Be a Local

This may seem contradictory to the previous tip, but one of the best ways to battle homesickness is to make this new location your own and attempt to make yourself one of the locals. It’s the simple things like speaking as much of the language as possible, shopping at local grocery stores, taking public transportation, eating traditional fare, taking part in sporting events, and attending local celebrations.

In the two or so months that I have been in Costa Rica, I have bought groceries at the Mas x Menos, taken the bus to school several mornings a week, eaten patacones and casados each day, spectated at a local soccer game, and seen several parades and celebrations. Each of these actions have helped me to feel like I can be a part of this vibrant culture and city. I have immersed myself in the language and what it means to be a Tico, and this immersion has helped to make Heredia seem like home.

 

4. Develop a Routine

This tip is probably one of the most difficult to accomplish, but can help immensely in overcoming homesickness. Yes, if you are studying abroad, whether it be in the Americas, Europe, Asia, etc, you are probably traveling a great deal on the weekends and going out a great deal during the week. I get it. Life is so exciting at this point, and you want to see everything. However, a simple routine can make a difference, even if it is just developing an eating schedule around your classes or getting the same meal every Tuesday for lunch. Routines can provide comfort.

For me, I get up every morning around 7:30 am unless I have to be up earlier for a trip. This may be early for some, but I’m typically an early riser, and this wake-up time allows me to have extra time in the day to accomplish things. Then, I eat breakfast prepared by my host mom at 7:45 and set off for school close to 8 am, whether I take the bus or walk. Then, I get work done at my school before eating lunch around 12 and attending Spanish class each day from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. After Spanish, I take an hour to chill before going to my night class from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. After my night class, I take a taxi home, eat dinner, shower, and go to bed.

This is my typical routine for every week, Monday through Thursday. The schedule is comforting because I have established a routine for myself that allows me to know what to expect on a given day of the week. My weekends tend to be crazy, but my weekdays are blissfully scheduled out.

5. Don’t Turn to Unhealthy Habits

While studying abroad, it is easy to turn to unhealthy habits as some substances are more readily available, and you are thousands of miles from the United States and home where such habits are not so acceptable. For many study abroad students, alcohol is a huge draw as students are often of-age abroad while they would not be of a legal drinking age in the United States. The novelty of legally drinking alcohol is a great temptation, and some students get wrapped up in it. Now don’t get me wrong, I have been out drinking with my friends since I have been in Costa Rica, but it is important to remember not to make a habit of being drunk. Partying while abroad can turn into a vicious cycle and detract from experiencing true culture while abroad.

Additionally, drugs are easy to obtain at many locations abroad, but I caution against the habit of using drugs as well. In Costa Rica, weed is prevalent, but many dealers also push cocaine. Marijuana may seem harmless, and many students also take part in the drug while in the United States, but the implications of the production of marijuana are more dire here. Some of our professors in Costa Rica have expressed to us that they believe that the marijuana industry in Central America essentially enslaves people in the many aspects of its production process from when it is planted to when it is delivered to customers. As for cocaine, it should be obvious that students should steer clear of such hardcore drugs, especially while in a foreign country.

Aside from the obvious unhealthy habits of drugs and alcohol, it is also important to avoid other habits such as overeating, watching too much Netflix, and overspending.

6. Reach Out for Support

Studying abroad can be a huge undertaking, as it is a huge test of resiliency and our ability to adapt, and it is important to know that there are always people or resources that you can turn to for help. Many schools have counselors, advisors, and other staff that can be there to listen and address issues, whether it be issues with mental or physical help, or issues of another nature. In Costa Rica, we have a health and safety coordinator for our program that students reach out to, and she can provide access to medical doctors as well as psychologists and counselors. She has been invaluable for me in addressing issues with my host family. Just know, that if there is something upsetting you while abroad, no matter how small, that there is most likely staff available to help.

Additionally, peers are a great resource in dealing with homesickness and problems abroad. Peers can be a fantastic resource because they are going through the same thing. They, too, probably miss home and are struggling with some aspects of living and studying in a foreign country. So, grab a cup of coffee or some lunch with a friend or classmate, and talk it out.

7. Find a Hobby

Whether you take part in something you were a part of in the states or something completely new, a hobby can help you fill your time and find joy in a consistent activity. Students here in Costa Rica have taken part in creating with a student created and run craft club, going to the gym and for runs around the city, singing in the choir (find me at choir every Wednesday morning!), blogging, photography, and more. And okay, maybe 3 or 4 of those hobbies are mine, but many of the students at the Costa Rica center have found hobbies that they enjoy.

For me, choir provides an outlet for performing that I cherished in high school. I love to sing, and I’m so grateful that I found somewhere to share and practice my talents. Furthermore, blogging and photography have given me creative outlets that leave me less stressed and less focused on what I miss in the United States. These hobbies allow me to share the great (and not so great) aspects of my life with loved ones at home.

8. Video Call Your Mom

Whether you use Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, Facebook Messenger Video, WhatsApp, or any other means of video chat, video call your mom on a regular basis! I check in with my mom almost every other day, and sometimes more often, but just talking through things with my mom puts me at ease in a matter of minutes. She has helped me work through some tough situations in Costa Rica and has simply provided a comforting link to home. Wow, I have no idea what I would do without her.

And don’t just video call your mom. Video call your best friend, your dad, your brother, your pet (shout out to Ethan for showing me my chinchilla and Emily for FaceTiming me with her dogs), and other loved ones. It means so much to be able to connect with those back home – to share about your lives and talk things out. I personally FaceTime my best friend every Tuesday night, and we watch the Walking Dead over FaceTime together every Sunday. I so look forward to FaceTiming Emily, and this simple ritual makes my time away from her so much easier.

So, pick up the phone or your laptop and give someone you love a ring.

9. Indulge in some American Culture (namely food) Abroad

When I’m feeling particularly homesick, I often seek out the most typically American things I can find. A box of Rice Krispy treats from the grocery store (my favorite food btw), a happy meal, a movie at the theater or on Netflix, a drink from Starbucks, or a trip to the mall. No matter where you are in the world, it is possible to find a little slice of home, as Western culture is incredibly pervasive.

I can’t remember the last time I ate food from McDonalds while in the states, but there is something about McDonald’s fries abroad that are so, so good.

Bath & Body Works. Need I say more?

In Costa Rica, I have been able to find the majority of my favorite treats (though Twizzlers evade me), and the Golden Arches of McDonalds seem to gleam on every street corner. Starbucks are a little bit more out of the way, but a weekend day trip to San Jose can fulfill my wish for a pumpkin spice latte that can remind me of fall during a ridiculously hot November day. Even better, movie tickets here are only about the equivalent of $5, and a few more Costa Rican colones can get you a medium Coke and popcorn to enjoy with the movie (fyi Thor: Ragnarok is an excellent movie).

And if you can’t make your way to a theater, or the movies there are dubbed in the native language, then steal a friend’s Netflix password and watch a movie there. Even Costa Rica’s Netflix features a wide variety of U.S. movies in English. Personally, Beetlejuice on Halloween made me particularly happy.

And thus concludes my tips for battling homesickness while studying abroad. I hope that these simple steps help you to make the most out of your study abroad experience, and if you’re just a friend or family member reading this from the States, then I hope you enjoyed how I cope with missing all of you!