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Sabrina Ho's picture

Transforming Homesickness to Motivation

Being homesick is normal. Spending hours in your room missing your favourite food back at home is normal. No wanting to go out and meet new people because it’s just terrifying is normal. Going through old pictures on your phone or your laptop of your high school years is normal. Seriously. Being homesick is super normal. However, being homesick is one thing, and wanting to be homesick is another. Everyone gets to make the decision of whether to stay homesick and stick to the past, or to move on and live university life to the fullest. For me, I chose the latter one. I realized that every time I call home crying would only make my parents worry even more, and every second I spend missing home means that I’m missing out on something fun. But I’m already here, and there’s not much I can do to change that, I reminded myself that I wanted to live every moment and make it count; not only for myself, but also for my family whom loves me so much and whom has always been there to support me. Since then, I’d make myself walk out of my room, or even my dorm, to meet up with friends the second I started to feel the slightest bit of homesickness. I learned to use homesickness as a reminder instead of the reason of me feeling down, knowing that the more work I get done, both academic and extracurricular activities, the less homesick I’d be. Homesick may be terrifying at the beginning, but it doesn’t mean it’s unbeatable. It takes time, but it’s a transition that a lot of people are going through. Despite the loneliness that homesickness may make you feel, always keep in mind that you are not alone. Make a slight change in the attitude and make it the reason why you want to work harder and play harder is all it takes, and maybe, you’d find the place where you belong here as you explore the university.