By Jade Romain
Packing your bags, emotional goodbyes, and the exciting feeling of starting a new adventure farrrrrrrrr away from home. Sounds great, right?!
It actually is at first…. until reality sets in. You miss your family, the culture is so different, and the weather?! Suddenly all your excitement turns into…. HOMESICKNESS.
As an international student here at UARK, I struggled with homesickness during my first semester on campus. My Caribbean accent was difficult to understand and the American culture is so different from mine.
One month in Arkansas and I was on a long-distance call to my mom crying my eyes out, saying, “I’m ready to come back home, I don’t think a degree is really that important anymore!” Ha! (BTW a degree is really, really important!)
After wallowing in self-pity for a few weeks, I started to ask myself, “what am I doing to counteract these bad experiences?” After some reflection, I realized that my daily routine consisted of going to classes, eating at the dining halls on campus, and heading straight back to my apartment. I was making no effort to reach out to my fellow students or to participate in the many on-campus activities here at the U of A.
Was I really going to spend four years following this redundant and lifeless routine, simply wishing to go back home? Or would I take advantage of this wonderful experience to not only get a degree but to meet new people, have new experiences, and learn about different cultures?
I decided to make some changes. My first plan of action was to contact the Counselling & Psychological Services (CAPS) here on campus to talk to someone about how I’ve been feeling and get tips for overcoming my homesickness.
Then, I decided to attend campus activities and just talk to people! It sounds so scary (and it is at first) but, eventually, I realized that most students are just like me. We want to make friends and belong, but it is scary to make the first move. Some people will think that you’re kind of weird (lol!) but most people will be nice to you and you may end up making amazing friends!
The most important thing to remember is that you do not have to be overpowered by your homesickness. There are many ways that you can overcome this issue. Keep reading to see how other students have dealt with this problem below!
Odessa Elie
Starting the Journey
Like most students, Odessa–a Computer Science and International & Global Studies major from Dominica–was over the moon when she got her acceptance letter to the University of Arkansas: “For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to go to university, so receiving the acceptance letter was literally a dream come true for me. The only emotion I felt at the time of acceptance was excitement.”
Odessa was also excited to start exploring the campus and Fayetteville once she got here. For April, an undergraduate student in Animal Science from Fort Smith in Arkansas, the experience of leaving her hometown felt totally different: “It felt weird since the only time I had been away from home for a significant amount of time was an orchestra vacation that lasted a week.”
While for Odessa the feeling of homesickness didn’t start until later on, April felt it right away. April says, “[The homesickness set in] later that first night [on campus]. It hit [me] that I wasn’t going to be near my parents a whole lot that semester and with how close I am with my parents, it wasn’t a nice feeling.”
Odessa started experiencing homesickness later on during her second semester when she began to really miss her close-knit family and the comfort of her culture: “as school and life became a little more difficult … I started to wish that I was home instead,” she says.
A key factor in Odessa’s homesickness was Impostor Syndrome, as adjusting to a new learning environment presented unexpected challenges for her as a student who always used to be at the top of her class. As she says, “I felt out of place and that the environment was not for me. EVERYTHING was different and I just wanted to go home.”
Ways to Feel Better
While experiencing homesickness can feel isolating because it stems from loneliness, there are ways to cope with it that can help. Odessa says that sharing her experiences with others has also provided a sense of relief: “I talked about my homesickness with one of my good friends who is studying in a different state. Since we were both homesick, we had something to bond over and found ways to make each other laugh and reminded each other of why we’re here in the first place.”
April kept in touch with her parents and still holds on to a routine of communicating with them often. “I text my mother every night and we chat for about an hour,” she says.
Doing activities that remind you of home can go a long way. For example, Odessa learned how to cook Dominican food and immersed herself in various activities on campus.
Studying abroad should feel like an adventure, not a chore, so motivate yourself to find joy in the things you take part in! “I joined clubs that would travel to conferences and seminars often, so I could see other places and feel more like I’m on a journey rather than being stagnant,” says Odessa.
Student Ambassadors, GRAD, Student
You’ll Be Okay
While it may sometimes feel like it, homesickness will not last forever. April says to remember that, “you’ll be okay. It’s normal to feel homesick,” however, making friends and generally being proactive about how you’re feeling rather than trying to wait it out is probably the best approach.
“Homesickness should never be ignored. I would advise students to find positive outlets and avenues to reaffirm themselves and their purpose for being here,” Odessa states.
Even little things can have a positive impact on how you feel every day; as Odessa suggests, “It helps to write positive messages to yourself or hang inspirational quotes on your walls if you find it difficult to motivate yourself to get up and go to class when you really just want to be home.”
Moreover, talking to someone who understands what you’re going through can lift a lot of the weight off your shoulders because it turns an isolating experience into one of sharing and growing together with others.
I hope these experiences of other students here at the U of A will help some of you currently feeling homesick. Remember that it is something that you can definitely overcome with intentional decisions and support from others. The University of Arkansas campus is so diverse and there is a place for each of us to find friends and the necessary resources to overcome homesickness!
