It it easy to get infected by this silly longing when you’re trying to control 30 naughty kids late at night with the thought of an early breakfast duty waiting for you in the morning. Homesickness is this inevitable little bug that creeps into your life when you least want it around. It convinces you that home is far better than the adventures you’re currently experiencing somewhere else. With the help of its best friend Nostalgia, it paints the image of home with this golden shimmer, allowing it to appear better than ever.
It’s completely normal to experience this. I’d actually worry about you if you never went through this at some point. However, that inevitable longing for home shouldn’t get in the way of your present life in a new place.
I’ve come up with a few things you can do to combat that longing and return to your initial state of eagerness for new and exciting places.
1.) Allow yourself to look at photos from home & make time for a Skype session with your rents and/or best friends.
In order for you to get over that pesky longing, you should embrace the familiar. Don’t think that you should completely block out every reminder of home. That isn’t the way to go. Instead, embrace it.
2.) Now, the key is to not dwell of the thought of home for too long. Divert your thoughts to your next holiday plans.
Start planning everything and build the excitement for a new and unexplored place. Talk to your fellow travellers about what you guys want to get up to there. Hit up Pinterest and day dream about the white, sandy beaches of Lagos/ Santorini/ Sicily. This will remind you that you’re actually very lucky to have the opportunity to travel and see more of the world.
3.) Listen to your favourite artists from home. This always helps me.
I usually head on over to Soundcloud and blast a little Matthew Mole, Al Bairre, Jeremy Loops, Majozi, Monark or Bouwer Bosch. The familiar tunes give you a little taste of home and the sounds and accents take you back to a place where you’re no longer the tourist, but the local. It’s that familiarity that makes all the difference.
4.) Look at all the photos that you’ve taken throughout your time away. Think back to all the crazy memories you’ve made in new and exciting places with new and exciting friends.
You’ll soon remember how incredibly sick your time away has been, how special the people you’ve met along the way are, how breath-taking and utterly mesmerizing the new countries/ cultures/ experiences have been.
I always tell myself and my fellow gappies the following: Home is home and it is a very special place. However, it will be there once we get back. But this, this experience right here, this is a fleeting experience. It’s not going to last forever. Before we know we’ll be sitting at home and nostalgically thinking back to the time where our biggest worry was having enough money to get back to England after a ridiculous holiday in some foreign and captivating European country.
Therefore is it so important to make the most of every moment and not to forget how truly lucky we are to be able to travel around such a beautiful place, surrounded by such amazing people.
Zahn Does Film 