Coping with the homesickness
By Valencia Stevenson | Published by Dec. 11, 2018
Being away from home and dorming on campus can be an exciting time for college students. The idea of being away from your parents and having that freedom to do whatever you want is something that students take advantage of when they are away from home. You get to experience new things as a young adult, getting used to your independence and trying new things.
But then one day you start to miss home. You begin to miss the days you come home to eat your family’s cooking.
As much as we may hate to admit that we miss home when away for college, we do. Whenever it is our family’s cooking, the atmosphere, majority of students deal with homesickness and it is a very normal thing.
Some students may have a hard time adjusting to being away as they learn to adjust to their new surroundings. They may also miss milestones at home such as birthdays and weddings. It is just something they are not used to yet.
“I hang out with my friends to deal with the homesickness. I also call my parents every day,” said Sara Mohamed, junior and majoring in finance at Kean. “I also try not to stay by myself so I won’t feel sad.”
Sara Mohamed was born in America and then raised in Egypt before coming back to America by herself while her parents stayed back home. She feels happy being away from home since she is by herself and can do whatever she wants. She enjoys having that freedom.
Mohamed said that her parents are strict and she does have curfews when back home. Despite being happy to be away from home, sometimes she does feel lonely. She recalled crying a lot during her freshman year but now she feels more independent, getting used to the distance and goes back home to Egypt every summer.
Staying busy is a good distraction to get your mind off of thinking of home. And being with friends is a huge factor in filling in that loneliness that students may feel when feeling homesick.