With the holidays coming around the corner, it’s easy to crave Thanksgiving and Christmas break if you’re missing home. Homesickness is experienced differently by everyone, just like the saying that says that even though your arm is in a cast and the person next to you is in a full-body cast doesn’t mean you aren’t experiencing pain too. Homesickness is the same way, it can occur to anyone whether you’re an hour away or ten. The following interview presents how homesickness is real and how it affects a person.
Q: Where are you from? And how far away is it?
A: I am from Fontana, California. It’s about 5 hours away.
Q: Did you consider any schools before GCU?
A: Yes, I did. I actually wanted to stay local, that was always the plan and then GCU happened. I would’ve never thought that I’d end up out of state.
Q: How did you prepare your mentality for when leaving home?
A: It’s funny that you ask that because the whole summer I was just pushing it to the back of my mind. I knew it was going to happen, so I just told myself that I was going to be fine, I’m pretty independent, and then the last week of being home HIT ME! I was going to Arizona in a week, it was crazy! That last week I was so nervous, and I couldn’t eat, thinking I was going to be alone. I didn’t know what to expect.
Q: How often do you keep in touch with people back home? How often do you go back?
A: Recently, I’ve been going back home for the last three weeks. I was supposed to go home last week, but I got busy. I keep in contact with people from back home all the time really. Whether it’s just a good morning text or something small. It’s all the time.
Q: What advice could you give to someone who is struggling to feel at home while attending college away?
A: I would say to keep yourself busy. Definitely keep yourself busy. I’m used to always being on the road, always just doing something, because I always had a busy schedule back home. Here I have so much time and with that time, I get in my head and get sad.
Q: How do you make yourself feel at home while living on campus?
A: Building friendships and just being social. I was telling my roommate the other day that when I went back to California I felt like a stranger in my own house. I miss home and everything but when I’ve been back it feels weird because my family will put me as the center of attention such as “what do you want to do now?” and “what do you want to eat?”. I hate being the center of attention and it’s not the same anymore, so it bums me out, but I do get to see them, so I get passed that.
Remember that there are always resources that are at your fingertips when dealing with homesickness. At GCU the health and wellness center isn’t just for physical health but for mental health as well. Reach out whenever experiencing any negative feelings or thoughts because your wellbeing is always important.