BadBadBoy2Bad's Homepage

Overcoming homesickness

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:33 EST

Being homesick is very common among college students. If you feel sad and lonely, think about people at home all the time, want to go home every weekend, and just feel generally depressed, then you are probably homesick. Fortunately, there are ways to cope with it. The following tips should help you overcome your feelings of homesickness.

Get involved. Being involved in school activities will keep you busy, therefore reducing your time to be homesick. Join a sorority or fraternity. Participate in intramural sports. Attend campus events. Not only will these activities keep you busy and reduce your time to be homesick, but they will also allow you to meet more people and make new friends. The more friends you make at college, the less homesick you will feel.

Explore. Get to know your campus and surrounding community by walking around. You will discover places where you feel comfortable hanging out. Once your environment becomes familiar to you, your feelings of homesickness should start to diminish.

Find a new hobby. To help take your mind off of home, get involved in a new hobby. Consider arts and crafts or an outdoor activity. Try to find a buddy who is interested in pursuing a new hobby too, so you will have someone to share it with.

Display familiar items. Having familiar items from home displayed around your dorm room will make your environment feel more comfortable. Put up pictures of your family, friends, and pets from home, along with pictures of new friends that you have made at college. If you have a stuffed animal, doll, or blankie that reminds you of home, it's okay to display it on your bed. Try to make your dorm room as relaxing and cozy as your bedroom at home.

Keep in touch with family and friends. Keep in touch with your family and friends from home through phone calls, e-mails, letters, etc. Just try not to call home everyday because that might make you feel worse and increase your feelings of homesickness.

Plan a visit home. Try to avoid impulse visits home. It's better to plan your trips, so you aren't tempted to go home every weekend. Try to limit your visits home to about three times per semester.

Write in a journal. It's amazing how much better you will feel if you get your thoughts down on paper. Putting your feelings on paper may allow you to see why you are homesick, and then you will be able to focus on ways to overcome it.

Share your feelings with others. Many college students, especially freshmen, experience feelings of homesickness. If you share your feelings with your peers, you will find that you are not alone. Talking about your feelings with others who feel the same way will not only help you connect with those students, but it will also help you find more ways to adjust to college life.

Keep in mind that your feelings of homesickness will go away eventually. As you get used to your new surroundings, you will grow more comfortable in your college environment. Hang in there!

Keeping in touch with old friend

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 23:54 EST

After graduation, be it from high school or college, you begin the next journey in your life. For some, this journey may be a continuation of school; for others, it may mean diving into the workforce, etc. Wherever your journey takes you after graduation, it is very likely that you will lose touch with many of the friends you have made along the way. If you want to keep in touch with those friends, keep the following in mind.

• Send e-mails. This is the easiest way to stay in touch, especially if you live far away from your old friends. Try to e-mail your friends at least once a month to let them know what has been going on in your life. If you have a group of friends, you can send an e-mail to all of them at once, but it's probably better for the friendship if you personalize an e-mail for each friend (you are more likely to get a response if the e-mail is personalized). Attach pictures to give your friends a visual of important events in your life.

• Pick up the phone. Your friends are only a phone call away. If you see something that reminds you of a certain friend, if you have big news that you want to share, or if you're just thinking about one of your friends, pick up the phone and call him. It's always nice to hear the voice of a friend on the other end of the line.

• Don't forget birthdays. Sending birthday cards to your old friends is a good way to keep in touch, and it lets them know that you are thinking of them. While sending an e-card is sufficient, sending a card through snail mail seems a little more heart-felt.

• Plan annual reunions. Having annual get-togethers will allow you and your friends to catch up and spend quality time together. If you live relatively close to your old friends, you may be able to have get-togethers more often than just once a year. The little reunions can range from a weekend trip to a casual lunch. If you have a group of friends, rotate who will be in charge of planning the get-together each year, so it's not left up to just one person.

• Consider social networking websites. There are many websites that help you stay in touch with friends, e.g. MySpace, Facebook, etc. More and more people are creating accounts on these websites every day, so even if you have already lost touch with some of your friends, you may be able to get in contact with them again through these sites. Just keep in mind that by putting your information on the Internet, you are making it easily accessible. Don't post pictures or words on your profile that you wouldn't want a potential employer to see. Furthermore, if you interact with people you do not know, be cautious about the amount of information you reveal or agreeing to meet them in person. To stay safe, avoid posting your full name, address, phone number, or schedule.

It takes effort to keep friendships strong, especially when you don't see your friends every day like you did in school. If you have friends that mean a lot to you, make sure you put forth the effort to stay in touch. You'll probably regret it a few years down the road if you don't.

Tips for studying abroad

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 03:22 EST

Studying abroad is an enlightening experience. Students who study abroad learn new languages, experience different cultures, and often times come home with a new outlook. If you want to study abroad, here are some tips to keep in mind before and during your adventure.

• Learn about the host country. Before you depart on your trip, read as much as possible about the country where you plan to reside. Libraries, bookstores, and tourist bureaus are good resources to find out more information about the country. Learn about the nation's culture, customs, people, and history. Learning as much as possible about the country before you leave will help lower the culture shock once you arrive in the host country.

• Get required documents. Before leaving, you need to make sure you have required documents. You should have a valid passport before taking up residence abroad. Remember to fill in the emergency page of your passport. Depending on your study abroad program, you may also need to obtain a student visa. In addition, you need to make sure you have medical insurance and medical evacuation insurance that would cover a medical emergency abroad.

• Talk to other students who have studied abroad. These students will give you information that you can't get from a guidebook. They can give you advice on what to pack, how to make friends, and the cheapest way to call home. If you don't know anyone who has studied abroad, ask your advisor for names and contact information of students who have studied abroad.

• Respect the host country. Once you are in the host country, you need to respect that nation's customs, manners, rules, and laws. Various countries respect certain dress codes and manners. You should abide by these dress codes and manners as much as possible while studying there. Furthermore, it is important to learn about the local laws abroad and obey them. While in a foreign country, remember that you are subject to its laws.

• Keep in touch with family and friends. Keeping in touch with friends and family will allow you to share your adventures while they are happening. It should also help to alleviate homesickness. Keep in touch by email, phone, and letters.

• Make friends with locals. In order to better understand cultural differences, you should make friends with the locals of your host country. They can share their country and family customs with you, as well as, show you certain aspects of the country that you may not find on your own, such as hangouts, museums, or festivals.

• Keep a journal while you're abroad. Keeping a journal will allow you to record your adventures so you won't forget your experience of studying abroad. Write about places you see, people you meet, and customs you learn so you can give an accurate account of your experience when you return home to your family and friends.

• Take pictures. Taking pictures of your study abroad experience will give you lasting memories and visuals to go with your stories.

Studying abroad provides memories that will never be forgotten. Try to keep these tips in mind so you will have an enjoyable experience.