Only hate the road when you are missing home

My family and friends have always been very important to me and while I have been in Amsterdam I have missed them very much. Therefore, next I’ll tell you some useful tips which have helped me to get over feeling homesick.

First of all, when you are planning to go abroad for an exchange, pack something from your home with you. It can be maybe your favourite sheets, pictures of your family and friends, your favourite book or something that makes you feel little bit more like home in Amsterdam.

Give your new address to your friends and family, so they can surprise you by sending letters or postcards. I have even received a couple of packets of my favourite chocolate from home.

Keeping touch with your family and friends is a very good thing but remember that you are only once an exchange student so take everything out of that time and don’t spend too much in social media. Your friends and family stay there and will be waiting for you and your amazing stories of Amsterdam.

Keep yourself busy so you won’t think too much home. Visit museums, enjoy night life, discover Amsterdam and the Netherlands, taste typical dishes, learn to speak Dutch, join Student Ambassador program or spend time with your new friends. Time goes so fast while you are having fun and making new memories so you don’t even realise that it’s already time to go to home and say goodbye to Amsterdam and your new friends.

If you miss your family and friends, you can ask them to visit you. Couple of friends of mine visited me and it was so nice to show them Amsterdam and tell stories about ex-change events and Dutch culture. In Europe, it is very easy to travel between countries and it’s not even so expensive!

Remember that you are not alone even if it sometimes can feel like that. There are so many exchange students who also miss home, so you can share your feelings with someone else who has the same struggle. Nothing connects you more than helping each other to survive homesickness.

If you still feel homesick, you have two choices; you do something that cheers you up and makes you forget that you miss your home or you spend one day alone and just be miserable. After that, you go again and start enjoying!