Studying Abroad and Homesickness - Essay Example

Exploratory essay, Homesickness A few years ago, I thought it was not possible to have a feeling of being homesick. This was only until I found myself in another country, away from my mother country, in pursuit of education. My time was well figured out to go to college for education. It is not just a well-planned transition from high school to college. It is a very big jump; let me call it a real leap! Being away from home has made me experience very many emotions; emotions that I never imagined that I was capable of experiencing. I know that for many people, this might just be another chance to have a real experience of your true self. Staying at home with my family has so many comforts that range from being free to do the things I want to do to getting all that I request from parents. The transition to a different life is very different from the preconceived imaginations. From my one month, I have established that people change from what they were to totally different persons. College makes people turn into new individuals that you never imagined. It appears that the people I imagined would welcome the idea are the ones who despise it; and those I thought would hate the idea are the ones that cherish the impression. I am not yet very sure of what brings out this change in one’s personality. However, I strongly believe that it all depends on who can handle the pressure that comes with the new steps that one makes in life. I know of several people who have not been able to handle and balance academic and social aspects of college together with the absence of their beloved people that they left far away when they join other institutions. Other people have not managed to come over the challenge of being homesick. The word may be easy, but I am yet to find a person who has balanced the idea of being homesick together with the challenge of being a way for education. Balancing college life has proven very difficult for the majority of the people whom I have encountered in the last few weeks. I can easily depict why this is a big struggle when I consider the rules and regulations that surround an individual’s life when they are not in college. It also depends with the freedoms that one has at home and how they cope up with the new environment. In a clear way to explain what homesickness is, I have witnessed the problem with several of my friends. One of them is Mark. At home, Mark was given a lot of freedom that I consider to be beyond what someone at his age should get. He did not have to come home at any specified time of the day or night. Additionally, he had the freedom to throw up all the parties that he wanted. It was also at his discretion to attend to any events that included sporting activities, live concerts and any other show that he heard bout from advertisements. At homes, it had turned out that the issue was not whether he has come home late or not, the issue became whether he came back. The tricky part is that he is in this college on an academic scholarship. In high school, things were different. It was possible for him to attend to all her parties, absent from school and still clear up the mess. The big question is whether he will be able to cope up with the new lifestyle without turning mad due to the things he misses back at home. It is unfortunate that he has possibly not realized that this will not work out since he spends all his time hallucinating on the things he used to do at home. Not all cases look alike to that of Mark. I have another friend named Baird. His life at home resembled that of Mark. A surprising point to note, however, is that he has managed college life in the past few weeks in a very different manner. Previously at home, Baird attended to all parties. He would attend all events organized within his town and some events in other towns. On the contrary, he has displayed very different traits here in college. He has not brought any of the home habits to college. All her time is spent either in the classroom or library. Last week, there was a live concert in college. To my amusement, he did not join the rest of the college student for the entertainment. Has not fallen sick for missing home neither has he get preoccupied with the thoughts. The issues of being homesick are varied; and cannot just be ignored. It does not affect everyone. Additionally, it is not contagious, but those who suffer from it will bear me witness that it is one of the worst experiences. I say this because I have witnessed it and I know several people who have suffered from homesickness. It has several symptoms that include constant visits to one’s home, inability to make new friends, not wanting to leave the hostel to attend to other activities that are taking place in the school or college, stress, prolonged crying and loss of appetite for almost all foods available. I have not been able to come up with the cure for this feeling. However, I am working on a way to find a cure to the feeling of loneliness and being homesick all the time. Leaving home, where you know almost all people to join a new world where you barely know anybody is extremely hard. I have another friend, Teddy, who has also suffered from homesickness. Teddy was always eager to leave the house using all the means available to him. At home, he always wanted to be out of the house. Now that we are in college, the case is not the same anymore. All the time, he is tied in one place filled with imaginations of how he can get back home. The very house he was always avoiding has now become his reasons to sob hysterically. Teddy is always preoccupied with the events that he misses about home, and particularly about his house. On the contrary, I have another friend who has taken the idea of being away from home in a different perspective. Of all the people I have met, Willy treats the idea of being away from home with a different perspective. She explained to me that being at the protection of her parents for a very long time ignited a new feeling in her. It made her want to be away for some time to learn new things. Although she misses home, she says that it has opened a new avenue for her to be independent. She does not waste time to reminiscence about her home. I admire her stand, nonetheless, it is her option and people adapt to new environments differently. Many people tend to dismiss the problems that college students face. It is important that one is made aware of the challenges that arise from being away from home. Adapting to the new environments is an important aspect that all students should adopt. Being homesick is a problem that almost all students face. It all depends with how one adopts to it; that is the only known cure. College is sometimes scary and weird. Nonetheless, it comes with all the excitement that can make one forget about the good things they had at home. Homesick has helped many people realize how important their parents have been in their lives. Works Cited Read More