Ever Homesick?

[smurphy]

Any other TFFers ever lived in or emigrated to another country or somewhere that felt completely alien? Especially one where the native tongue isnt necessarily your mother tongue. If so, how did/do you cope with being away from home, how long were you away for and would you recommend the experience.

Im currently in my 4th month of living in Erlangen, Germany( its near Nuremberg). I have just come back from my first trip back to Ireland since shipping over (metaphorically speaking) and I never realised until I went back how much I missed home. Though my German is coming along quite well, my main gripe with living abroad is the craving for the foodstuffs of home, and I know its that way with most of the other foreigners I have met. Despite thinking as hard as possible, I cant really convey in words my feelings about my time abroad with the clashing of homesickness and my new-found sense of freedom and adventure.

I know every individuals experiences would be different so lets hear them!

[GypsyElder]

I'm going to Filipinoland in like two weeks and I'm not sure how homesick I'll get since I've never been that far away before. I'm not quite sure how long I'll be staying there either, I guess it depends on my family there and how much I miss home:s

I'm hoping that since it's a completely different environment I won't get too bored with it. If I keep myself entertained maybe there won't be room to be homesick lol maybe I'll buy a baby chick to keep as a pet.

[Sinister]

Any other TFFers ever lived in or emigrated to another country or somewhere that felt completely alien? Especially one where the native tongue isnt necessarily your mother tongue. If so, how did/do you cope with being away from home, how long were you away for and would you recommend the experience.

Im currently in my 4th month of living in Erlangen, Germany( its near Nuremberg). I have just come back from my first trip back to Ireland since shipping over (metaphorically speaking) and I never realised until I went back how much I missed home. Though my German is coming along quite well, my main gripe with living abroad is the craving for the foodstuffs of home, and I know its that way with most of the other foreigners I have met. Despite thinking as hard as possible, I cant really convey in words my feelings about my time abroad with the clashing of homesickness and my new-found sense of freedom and adventure.

I know every individuals experiences would be different so lets hear them!

Have you toured Nuremberg yet!? Bram Stoker wrote a story about that place, I would love to see it.

Anyway, I suppose when I went to Iraq for that really short stint couple summers back with my family. It wasn't awful, but I didn't leave the room all that much. I missed being able to move around freely, but that was the only single time I left the country, so it was special to me as well.

That and my first time staying at a dorm at UK. I was ready to leave home and get away from my parents, but at the same time I was pretty lost there for the first few months.

-Sin

[Josh_R]

I was in Iraq for two months, and I missed the hell out of my family, friends, and home in general. I had the support of some of my buddies over there, who were experiencing the same thing. Luckily though after two months my services were no longer needed in Iraq, and I was sent to Fort Knox to serve out the rest of my mandatory one year active duty. I am still away from most of my friends, and my close family, but I have my fiance which I guess is enough for now.

[Unknown Entity]

Never been homesick, and I doubt I ever will. Sure, I'd miss my family, but I'm out having my life. I refuse to sit on a sofa and cry/feel sick/worry about how much I want to go home. I hope to have a couple of long breaks in the next year or so, and getting "homesick" just won't do while I'm away.

I hate it when other people inflict their homesickness on me - it makes people uncomfortable and feel like lousy hosts/guests/what have you. I'm pretty sure if I travelled over five thousand miles just to break down in my partner's arms and say that I want to go home, they'd feel like they did something wrong.

The few times I've been away from home where enjoyable. I get bored of being anywhere but home though, so home is my favourite place, but I adapt to new places easily as long as there's someone with me - if I'm alone, it'll take a little longer, but hell, I'll still have fun.

[Sasquatch]

I'm not sure why, but I don't really get too homesick.

I mean, there are things that I definitely look forward to upon my return. For instance, I can't wait to go have some General Tao's Chicken and a California Gold sushi roll at Yao's Grand Dragon in Wausau, WI, then spend all night drinking Guinness at Burk's Fireside Tap. But it's not like it's anywhere near the point of me thinking about it when I shouldn't be, or not being able to think of anything else.

But let's see ... since 2003, I've spend four months in Basic/AIT, fifteen months training for and in Iraq, four months living in the dorms for college, another fifteen months training for and in Iraq, then my parents moved 900 miles away so I only get to see them once a year anyway. And now I'm on my sixth month away, with another eight or so to go before I'm home for good. And I've moved about once every year. So I don't really have much of a "home" to miss anyway, and when I AM home, not too much matters enough to miss. Or maybe I'm just used to being away from "home" and don't care much anymore, I dunno.