Hey there! 

We are halfway through another week and what a week it has been!

For this week’s blog I wanted to focus on a topic more than a general update. Going to university and moving away from home can be a really terrifying thing for a lot of people, especially if you are moving a long distance. I have found that though I have kept myself busy with lectures, societies and parties nothing has stopped the inevitable feeling of homesickness.

Personally I am blessed that my family are only a couple of hours away and we are in an age of technology that allows us to see each other with a click of a button (if they decide to pick up!) However, it is never as good as seeing them in person and phone calls can sometimes leave you wishing you could be there with them.

When I first arrived in Dundee I had the support of my sister. However, when she left I was suddenly alone with no one to chat to. This made me feel quite isolated, but I hung on to the excitement of getting to make new friends and and being able to study something I am truly passionate about.

Through Fresher’s week I found myself ‘too busy’ to be feeling homesick and I arrogantly thought that people had made it out to be worse than it is when you leave home. I was also settling into my new flat and was gradually getting more information on what I was going to be learning and who would be in my classes.

Then I hit a wall. Suddenly I found myself watching Bridget Jones and thinking my life was becoming a parallel (though 11 years younger and no cigarettes). I was feeling alone knowing that my family was living their life back home and I was sitting on my bed upset at 1am. Since then I have picked myself up and kept myself going. I pushed myself to contact others and not wait for them to reach out to me.

Since my (mini) breakdown I have not only become more active but I have found friends that already feel like a second family. A verse that also gave me encouragement was –  Philippians 4:6-7.

I have no idea how I am going to react when I go home for the first time since leaving but that weekend can’t come quick enough as I want to not only see family and pets but also to have someone cook for me (love you mum!)

Overall I believe that everyone will go through stages of homesickness when they first leave home. All I can suggest is to push yourself to become active as it definitely helped me. I would also suggest having access to feel good films and Ben and Jerry’s.

Signing off,

Natasha.

21/09/2016