For a lot of people, stepping away from home and setting up a new life in a strange city can be an overwhelming experience. The term “home” entails more for us than a few familiar faces. Home is safety and the reassurance of being taken care of.
Starting college, or even resuming it after months of respite, can be excruciatingly difficult. Homesickness is a feeling we experience in waves, and usually in our most vulnerable moments. At the end of a bad day, when we’ve struggled a little more than we anticipated, we crave the warmth of a loved one, a guardian, a protective figure. Home is the joy of knowing that you will be accepted with all your imperfections.
Homesickness isn’t limited to our times of need; the monotony of routine can cause it just as well. The sheer comfort of having a safe space and being surrounded by love seeps through the mediocre days we spend in college. Lying under a heap of assignments, keeping up with the mandatory attendance and mindlessly sitting through the classes can sometimes cause more dread than one might expect. Perhaps, it is simply the overpacked schedule that leaves us with no time to fully appreciate the little relief we find in our friendships, the kind that keeps us moving even on days when we wish to hide away from the world. Still, home is missed, and it is a feeling shared by the most of us.
Every time you miss home, remind yourself of the reason why you chose to step out in the first place. We sometimes bury ourselves so much below the ground that we see no light. We see no cause. We’ve all had a purpose, an aim to fulfill when we packed our bags and travelled all the way to a foreign city. It is hard to settle and continue with what life demands of us when we desire to be protected and curled up within the four walls of home, but it is a phase that will pass. Familiarity is a need, and seeking home from time to time is nothing more than the heart’s calling.
When we get back on our feet, juggling responsibilities and coming to terms with our routine, things will seem a little more doable than before, because there is still an underlying belief that when the world comes crashing down on us, home is where we can always come back to.