I’ve now been living in Tokyo, Japan for a little over 3 months and can definitely say that the homesickness is kicking in. As this is my second consecutive semester studying abroad, I knew to expect these feelings and am doing my best to deal with them. There are several things I’ve found helpful both last semester and this semester which I hope can help other people out in the future!
The first thing that helps me deal with this slump is staying busy! 3 months in, I’ve adjusted to my routine here and it becomes very easy to just go to school, come home, and hang out with my friends at the dorm. There is definitely nothing wrong with having chill days a few times a week, especially when school is busy, but I’ve found that letting myself sink too deeply into this routine makes the homesickness worse. I’ll be thinking that “if I’m not getting up to anything fun or exciting here that I couldn’t do at home, then what’s the point in being here?” which is why I make sure to schedule time every week to research events and things I want to see. Even if it’s just one or two things per week, having things to look forward to and having less off days has been extremely helpful to me in combatting homesickness!
Another thing that helps with these feelings is staying in contact with my friends and family. This may seem like an obvious one, but it can really be so valuable for me to make the effort of scheduling a call or facetime with the people I’m normally seeing so frequently at home. If I start to feel lonely or homesick, I will sometimes text 4 or 5 of my friends from back home separately, asking for updates and if they’re free to chat soon. It’s nice to remind myself that they’ll still be back home waiting for me when my time here is over.
Finally, an important reminder that helps with homesickness as an added benefit is that it’s never too late to put yourself out there! Like I’ve mentioned, it’s very easy to fall into a routine where you’re not doing much outside of school, and therefore not meeting people anymore. But it’s good to remember that even though it may take a bit of courage, it’s never too late to introduce yourself to someone new, invite them to do something, and make a new friend or two! The worst they can say is no and you may just find a lifelong friend!
