by Emma Slaymaker
University of Sharjah, UAE
Just a fair warning that this blog post sheds light on the less pleasant parts of studying abroad, but it is by no means meant to deter anyone from the experience or to say that I am not enjoying myself.
Homesickness is something I have experienced before being the homebody that I am, but I have only experienced it from distances much, much closer than 7,550 miles away from home. When I'm at my home institution I am only 30 minutes away from home, and it's not a problem to go home on the weekends if I feel like it. I feel like it pretty often... my mom likes to bake cookies, my cat snuggles with me, my dad plays his infinite music collection over the stereo, and my dog wags his tiny nub of a tail when he sees me. But I digress. Obviously I'm homesick right now, and it is impossible for me to go home on the weekends.
This homesickness that I am experiencing from across the Atlantic Ocean is unlike any other homesickness I've ever felt. The distance feels like a looming weight, and it's accompanied by an extremely inconveniencing time difference. I am 9 hours ahead of everyone back home (EST). Right now it's 5:30 pm, and I'm realizing that I have put off homework and laundry much longer than I had intended. In Knoxville and Maryville Tennessee everyone is just starting their days, so, whereas at Maryville College I could go home on the weekends if I wanted, even having a decent conversation with people back home is a challenge.
Before I left I was in a study abroad prep course, and one of the assignments the class had to complete was a blog on how to cope with homesickness. I thought I nailed it. I thought, "Yeah I'll feel homesick, but it won't be a big deal. I'll be able to handle it just fine." But last night I was made abundantly aware of how overwhelming my homesickness can be. I went shopping with a a couple of friends, and I couldn't find anything I was looking for. I ended up looking around H&M for what felt like two hours. When I tried on the clothes I'd picked out, only one thing fit right, and by this point I was already really frustrated and upset. I just wanted my mom because she has always been my shopping companion, and I wanted my cat to snuggle with and cheer me up. So I ended up breaking down in the middle of this massive shopping mall. This was not something I was prepared for. My friends comforted me - they were very kind, understanding, and supportive. I'm thankful they were there.
It was a really unpleasant experience, but I understand that it's a part of being this far away from home and taking this huge leap to study abroad for a semester. I'm learning more about how to cope as I go.
All this being said, I do love it here. Studying abroad is not only about learning from an academic perspective. A lot can also be learned from experiences, and this contributes to personal growth.
University of Sharjah, UAE
Just a fair warning that this blog post sheds light on the less pleasant parts of studying abroad, but it is by no means meant to deter anyone from the experience or to say that I am not enjoying myself.
Homesickness is something I have experienced before being the homebody that I am, but I have only experienced it from distances much, much closer than 7,550 miles away from home. When I'm at my home institution I am only 30 minutes away from home, and it's not a problem to go home on the weekends if I feel like it. I feel like it pretty often... my mom likes to bake cookies, my cat snuggles with me, my dad plays his infinite music collection over the stereo, and my dog wags his tiny nub of a tail when he sees me. But I digress. Obviously I'm homesick right now, and it is impossible for me to go home on the weekends.
This homesickness that I am experiencing from across the Atlantic Ocean is unlike any other homesickness I've ever felt. The distance feels like a looming weight, and it's accompanied by an extremely inconveniencing time difference. I am 9 hours ahead of everyone back home (EST). Right now it's 5:30 pm, and I'm realizing that I have put off homework and laundry much longer than I had intended. In Knoxville and Maryville Tennessee everyone is just starting their days, so, whereas at Maryville College I could go home on the weekends if I wanted, even having a decent conversation with people back home is a challenge.
Before I left I was in a study abroad prep course, and one of the assignments the class had to complete was a blog on how to cope with homesickness. I thought I nailed it. I thought, "Yeah I'll feel homesick, but it won't be a big deal. I'll be able to handle it just fine." But last night I was made abundantly aware of how overwhelming my homesickness can be. I went shopping with a a couple of friends, and I couldn't find anything I was looking for. I ended up looking around H&M for what felt like two hours. When I tried on the clothes I'd picked out, only one thing fit right, and by this point I was already really frustrated and upset. I just wanted my mom because she has always been my shopping companion, and I wanted my cat to snuggle with and cheer me up. So I ended up breaking down in the middle of this massive shopping mall. This was not something I was prepared for. My friends comforted me - they were very kind, understanding, and supportive. I'm thankful they were there.
It was a really unpleasant experience, but I understand that it's a part of being this far away from home and taking this huge leap to study abroad for a semester. I'm learning more about how to cope as I go.
All this being said, I do love it here. Studying abroad is not only about learning from an academic perspective. A lot can also be learned from experiences, and this contributes to personal growth.