Starting off my first few days in Japan has been hard. The plane ride over from the US was full of "sighs" and dismay. I had been traveling all summer in Korea and I wasn't ready to leave home, travel more, and start school. I just felt really tired and I wanted to go home. Nevertheless, I had paid a lot of money to get here to Japan, and I wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
On the plane ride here, I had already met up with some people that were going to my school as well. That was nice, especially because one of my biggest fears about traveling abroad is getting there, not making any friends, and being stuck inside the house all day because there is nobody to go out with you. That doesn't appear to be my case this time, though.
Off the plane, the first thing that I noticed was the heat. It was incredibly hot outside and I was in sweatpants and a hoodie because I always seem to get cold on the plane ride over. Outside though was just unbearable. Even today, I came home with sweat dripping down my back, my face was all runny, my hair was disgusting, and it was awful. I had to change right away. One thing I didn't know before arriving here was that I would be entering in the hottest months of the year (August-September). It really is unbearable, and one of the first things I need to buy at the store is a sun umbrella. I cannot wait for October, a cool month, to roll around.
Arriving at my homestay, I was pleasantly surprised. My family owned there own house, which is incredibly expensive to do so in Japan, and I had a fairly large room. I am quite comfortable here. My host-family too are the nicest people. When I first met my little brother, he hid from me. Even today he is a bit shy, which is good because I tend to be on the quieter side myself. I'm also happy because my host parents speak a little English. Let me just say right now, I am terrible at speaking Japanese so the first few days were rough. Luckily, their English helped me a lot. I am very grateful. To tell a little more about my family: The mother is a stay-at-home mom who is currently studying for a new job. The father seems to work at some sort of tech business, making a decent amount of money, and he works very long hours. That is one thing I have noticed about Japan; The fathers seem to work very long hours, into very late in the night, and as a student, you rarely see them unless it is the weekend. I truly wonder how my host-mother survives with her husband working so long. They hardly get to see each other, which makes me a little sad because I miss my own boyfriend as well. That is one thing that you need to be strong about when studying abroad though. As long as you trust and remain confident in your relationship, you can get through anything. I know my boyfriend and I remind each other every day to "Be Strong, for [each other]." It is something I am trying to work on everyday. That is why my topic for this post is homesickness.
As a student who has been abroad before, I know the toll the homesickness can have at you. Whether you are really excited to be in another country and don't care about being at home or whether you think about it everyday, homesickness will, no matter what, hit you at some point in time during your travels. You may miss your home countries food, or your friends or loved ones, even your pets. Sometimes, you may feel like you miss something so much that you don't care and just want to go home, but I am telling you now try not to think like that. I know it is hard, but try to enjoy your trip as much as possible, and think about the good things you are experiencing. Even if that isn't enough, you can do positive things with beloved ones back at home that will help you enjoy your time abroad. My suggestion is to get skype and to video call home often. This will not only make you feel better, but the ones at home to. It is very important to keep a strong connection. Another thing you can do is to play online games with your beloved ones at home. My boyfriend and I do this and skype at the same time, so we can really enjoy our game together.
If you get depressed though at any time during your stay, it is important to talk to someone about it. I know you really want to enjoy your time abroad and others want you to as well, so talking to someone can help you gain a more positive attitude on how living abroad can be. It is important to know that being positive and going out and enjoying your trip really will make time go faster. So if you are looking to go home quickly, enjoying your trip as much as possible is the way to do so. Sooner than you know it, you will be back at home reflecting on your trip and wishing you were abroad again. So good luck! I know I need to take some of my own advice as well, since I miss my boyfriend terribly but I know I can do it and so can you!
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