October 2013 – Expat Blog Carnival

August’s Blog Carnival focused on Making Yourself at Home, but no matter how comfy you get in your new surroundings, there’s a chance you’re going to experience a touch of homesickness.

This month we’re featuring bloggers who have experienced homesickness for themselves, and share how they overcome this errant emotion. Whether you tackle it head on, or just deal with it, feeling homesick is just a natural part of the journey.

Amongst my group of friends, the main reason we get homesick is because of the distance from friends and family, and although technology can’t replace the comfort of a hug from your Mum, there’s plenty of on-line options, like Skype, for reaching out to connect with loved ones.

Adjective: Experiencing a longing for one’s home during a period of absence from it

Synonyms: Nostalgic

How to Beat Homesickness Abroad

Expat Blogger: Peter is a 20 something young professional with an interest in “Historical European Martial Arts”  who quit his “well paid and promising” career to begin a lifetime “Nomadic Sabbatical”.

“Real travel has to be one of the most amazing experiences I think a person can have in their lives. Seeing the world through another cultures eyes, exploring new places, meeting new people and generally learning more about the world through new experiences is humbling, interesting and amazing all at once.”

Read the rest at Nomadical Sabbatical

Expat Diaries: Tackling Homesickness

Expat Blogger: Belinda is a newlywed who moved from the rainy streets of Washington to the even rainier and sheep filled hills of Wales to be with her husband, gives us an American expats view of the UK.

“Homesickness for me is typically caused by an emotional trigger, which can literally be anything.  I think that is what makes being homesickness such an overwhelming and intimidating hurdle.  You are constantly on guard for an emotional breakdown.  Sometimes the trigger makes sense, like missing a holiday or a friend’s wedding.”

Read the rest at Found Love Now What

An Expat With Homesickness

Expat Blogger: British expat Nancy Martin moved to Madrid and documents her travels in and around Spain.

 “Maybe it’s the crisis, maybe I’m getting old, maybe it’s because of the kids, maybe it’s because I miss my brother, maybe it’s because I’m sick of the heatwaves and I need to oxidise myself once again in the British rain.“

 Read the rest at Fish Out of Water Madrid

Homesick

Expat Blogger: Jonathan and Becky are a middle aged Christian couple who are spreading the Lords word in Malawi, Africa while documenting all the ups and down on their very own blog.

“Strangely enough, we haven’t heard many others talk about their homesickness here.  A few have.  Surely more people are homesick than let on, but then again, I’m realizing why I’m so very homesick.”

Read the rest at Malawi Owens

Haunted by Lebanon, thousands of miles away

Expat Blogger: Karem is a young Lebanese professional who moves away from Lebanon to seek a better life in the USA.

 “Many Lebanese look forward to their opportunity to leave Lebanon and reside abroad. There is just too much to live with and handle in this small country. Living abroad is simply easier, you work hard, make a decent living and worry about raising your kids and improving your standard of living. I too was under that impression, until I actually got to live abroad.”

Read the rest at Lebanese Expatriate

Sure Signs You Are Homesick

Expat Blogger: Jennifer is an Italian expat who has been living in Singapore for the last six years with her Italian husband and their two children.

“Sure signs you are homesick: You get defensive about incorrect portrayals of your city on film…”

Read the rest at Diary of an Expat in Singapore 

English expat in Denmark: Dealing With Homesickness

Expat Blogger: Nicola is a self confessed “Essex Girl” with a touch of professionalism, join her as she documents her time as a British expat living in Copenhagen.

“Prior to the move I had been to Copenhagen about six times. And I had loved it more and more each time. Once I made the move to Copenhagen it took me about six weeks, despite the constant job hunting, to properly realise that I wasn’t on holiday.”

Read the rest at Relocating to Denmark

Homesickness: A Natural Part of Being Away from Home?

Expat Blogger: Join Professor Sebastian Reiche as he gives us the Academics view of the effects of expatriation on individuals.

“Globally mobile individuals are the ones who know by experience how it feels to adjust to a new destination, suffer from reverse cultural shock when returning back home, have a restless urge for new relocations, and finally recognize the homesickness when away from home again.”

Read the rest at IESE 

Dealing with Homesickness for Travellers and Expats

Expat Blogger: Guest blogger Rachel gives us her insight after trading her office job and life in northeast England for the rice fields of Bali.

“If you’re feeling lonely and isolated wherever you’re staying then no wonder homesickness is starting to hit. Making new friends is not something that comes easily to all of us but it is so important if you want to be happy.”

Read the guest post at Havana Lion

[warning]Click here to find out more about my Expat Blog Carnival. If you want to be included in a future Carnival, just fill in the submission form.  There’s no set themes each month, it’s just wherever the mood takes me.[/warning]