After a few weeks of school, as the excitement of the new year slowly fades, many students begin to realize how much they miss life at home. Getting overloaded with work, trying to budget for groceries or seeing a hometown friend’s doppelganger on campus can make someone feel homesick. Being homesick is bound to happen to almost every college student at some point in his or her four years at school.
Rylee Ziegler, a freshman from Nevada, often misses the sense of comfort that comes with living at home. “I’ve gotten pretty homesick recently, but talking on the phone with family and friends really helps,” Ziegler said. “I love talking to my mom and sister because they’re my best friends and I am used to spending every second with them.”
When missing home, you may catch yourself lying in bed, wallowing and questioning why you even left for college in the first place, but that won’t help your issue. Thinking about all the fun times you could be missing with friends and family can definitely put a damper on your day. You need to go explore new things, meet new people and really experience the college life. Homesickness may be brought on because you are feeling alone, but realize that it is never too late to connect with people on campus.
Being homesick is not such a bad thing. Yes, it sucks being sad and thinking about people back home, but that means you have strong healthy relationships with them. Maybe you miss the comfort of being at home with family, the confidence that comes when being around your best friends or the affection you get from your long-distance love.
Shelby Lopez, an anthropology major from California, has recently gotten homesick when thinking about missing her little brother’s third birthday party. “My little brother is really young and I miss seeing him grow up,” Lopez said. “And I love talking to my other brother because he is at a different university, so it is kind of nice that he’s in the same position.”
If you find yourself really struggling one day, let yourself be sad and miss home. You have a legitimate reason to be gloomy, nevertheless, you cannot let this sadness be a reoccurring thing in your life. However upset you are that day, you must be able to get past it and start the next day fresh. Letting the sadness slowly creep in more and more everyday can make life hell.
For many students, it is not just the people from home that they miss, but also the food. Although Oregon is full of many good burger joints like Five Guys and Little Big Burger, a couple months without In-N-Out can really take a toll on those who have been eating it their entire lives.
Compared to what many of us eat here at school, a home cooked meal from mom seems like a feast fit for a king. Junior business major, Vania Ahmad, loves going home to get some good homemade Indian food, but never gets too homesick with her family being in-state. “Being away doesn’t really take a toll on me,” Ahmad said. “I obviously miss my parents and my family, but talking with friends helps that.”
A twenty minute phone call with a good friend can help you out a lot more then just a one line Snapchat reading, “I miss you.” Once you start talking about your issues and reminiscing in the past, your attitude towards being at school will pick right back up to where it was week one.
As November nears, seats on Thanksgiving flights out of Eugene are being filled left and right. Many students are planning their trips home for a little family recharge before the dreaded weeks of 24/7 final exam preparation. Figure out your plans quickly because you never know what that extra confidence boost from home could do for your grades and your sanity.