Being away from home during the holiday season can be tough. This is a significant challenge for many ex-pats and students studying abroad.

Studying abroad is a wonderful experience and a big challenge. Working abroad can change your career. When you spend a semester or a year abroad, you are likely to encounter an unfamiliar environment. You will also immerse yourself in an unknown culture. You will do things you never did before. You will eat things you did not even think were eaten in your hometown. You will discover that people celebrate holidays in unusual ways. You will learn that certain celebrations are unique to certain cultures. You will nurture yourself to discover new things.

Once the honeymoon stage is over, the initial excitement of being in a foreign country fades. You might find yourself missing familiar things and people from home. This feeling is especially strong on important days like your birthday or the holidays.

Being away from home during the holidays can certainly be strange. It can also be hard. It is normal to feel homesick. The holiday season makes us very aware of the distances between ourselves and the routines we are familiar with

Here you will find some tips to handle homesickness. If possible, enjoy living in a different place. See if they work for you and let me know if you have any to share.

1-Stay connected but don’t overdo it

Stay connected with family and friends. Internet and social media have expanded how we stay connected with home. They shrink distances in ways we could only see in science fiction. It is great to stay connected, but be careful and do not overdo it. The purpose of studying abroad is to immerse in a new culture and a new place. Get to know new people. Constantly being stuck to the phone does not help. Be in the now. You will have time to share your stories when you get back home.

2 Visit the new place and join in the local traditions

3-If you stay home, prepare yourself a great meal, and a nice dessert, and remember, tomorrow all this is over. It is a time to give yourself a gift and stay attentive in the moment and place you are.

And if I am not Jolly…

If you can, get yourself in that mode. It can be a question or an attitude. The truth is that you will not be the only expat feeling lonely. Share the moment with our new friends  Remember, the holidays are the seasons to be jolly, grateful, and giving. but it is not an obligation if you do not feel that way, it is also ok. Tomorrow it is over and you are back to your new routine.