Take Me Home: A Journey in Belonging While Abroad
November 27, 2022
Writer: Ava Manelis
Editor: Haley Gagerman
In college, deciphering where you call home can be difficult. Is it your childhood home where you don’t spend more than a few weeks at a time in? Or is it your college town, where you spend the majority of your time, but have only lived in for a few short years? Or are both of these places considered “home”?
When your heart is in multiple places, it’s hard to know which place is where you’re meant to be, and this torn feeling may leave you feeling homesick and unsettled. I lived in the same town my entire life, and attended both grade school and high school only a five minute drive away. Of course, going to college was a big shift: home was no longer only my hometown, and now included Ann Arbor: a place I’d never been before moving here my Freshman year.
After finally settling into a home in Michigan over the past two and a half years, this feeling is again strong for me, as a junior preparing to study abroad in just a short few months.
This coming January, I will be packing up my life to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain for four months. Considering I get homesick a mere four hours away from my hometown in Illinois only increases my worries about living in a country I’ve never stepped foot in. I can already feel the resurfacing feelings of homesickness, along with the familiar feeling of not knowing where home is.
As I’ve done before, I’ll need to find ways to make Spain feel like my home. To ease these anticipated feelings, I have compiled a toolkit of tips to alleviate my anxieties.
1. Find people who make the place feel like home.
Whether this is one friend, a small group, or a large community, it’s important to find people that are comforting to you. That way, when feeling homesick, you have those people to ease these emotions.
2. Journal about your feelings.
Every good, every bad, every confusing feeling you have: put that shit down on paper! It might not feel like it’s doing anything at first, but in the long run, writing these feelings down - even if it’s uncomfortable at first- makes a notable difference. Journaling helps to release any built up or underlying emotions, ultimately leaving you calmer and more at ease.
3. Bring reminders of home with you.
For me, having bits of my other ‘homes’ wherever I may be at the time is quite helpful. Whether this is a blanket, stuffed animal, or a candle that reminds you of a scent from back home, these little things can help you feel more connected to that place. My favorite is my Illinois Homesick candle - it helps me to feel like home isn’t so far away.
4. Stay in touch.
My feelings of homesickness subside when I stay connected to the people I care about - whether it’s calling them, facetiming, or even just texting them. that place. Calling, FaceTiming, or even just texting people that you may miss can reduce the homesickness you feel.
