When I first arrived, I thought that I would be oblivious to homesickness, since I've traveled to Shanghai, China on my own before. But I figured that going to China is different because I have family there, so it's just another home. Since I have no connections on the East Coast, it's completely different from traveling to China for a month. I'm noticing more and more that I'm missing the life in the Bay Area. The things I miss most right now: clean personal bathroom, comfortable bed, low humidity, playing violin, driving. There are probably more but those are the ones I constantly reminisce. I believe homesickness is temporary and can be easily conquered with the right mindset. Conquering homesickness would put one in a better mood and make it easier for one to learn and enjoy one's trip. Finding new interests and making new friends would probably help the most.
Now I realize that the ILC program not only trains one academically and socially, but also emotionally. I'm not only talking about homesickness, but the whole package of living independently in a new place. It may vary from person to person; some may learn to be more patient and accepting of those who don't keep the bathroom clean and others may learn to forget the hesitance and awkwardness of socializing with strangers. When one leaves his/her worries behind, he/she could muster up the courage to open many new doors of opportunity.
No comments:
Post a Comment