First time away from home-need some advice

[ToOn~g@l]

As many of you know, I am spending this sememster down in Florida working at Disney World, I love it, its fun and you meet a lot of nice people. But right now I feel like I am experiencing homesickness where I just want to see my mom and my friends. This is the longest I have spent away from them and it feels wierd. So what I am wondering is did any of you guys who left for college for the first time experience this and how did you deal with it?

Thanks in advance.

[Captain Zechs]

I haven't been to college but I have gone away from home for 2 months at a time. I am in 9th grade but I am doing a lot of things to get scholarships so it requires me to travel, interview, and do other things relating to any kind of writing/speaking at all. At first I was a little sad, but then you kind of just go with the flow. Dont think about it to much, and phone home as much as you need. trust me you will be fine.

[Speedy Boris]

The start of my freshman year was hard. Knowing that, without a car to go home whenever I wanted (at our college you can't have a car until you're a sophomore due to parking space shortages), I was pretty much stranded there. So yeah, I definitely felt homesick that first week, especially since during the initial week you don't really have much to do. I guess my advice is, just give it time.

I found it got easier and easier to transition back into college for each progressive year. It doesn't hurt that the past two years in a row I've gotten lucky by getting my own room (how unbelievable is THAT?!).

Actually, the longest period I've been away from home was my semester in L.A. Four months. Atleast with other semesters, I've gone home for Spring Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, fall break or Easter, but for this, it was straight through. I mean yes, we got an extended Easter break in late March, but it wasn't really feasible to fly all the way back to Wisconsin just to end up going back in a few days.

[Weatherman]

Call home alot, write letters too. And keep some reminders of home nearby. Never been completely removed from home like that myself, went to school 30 minutes from home so getting home was never a big deal for me.

You got us too. We're kinda a home.....right?:sweat:

[Stardust]

It gets easier the more you're away from home, but that doesn't mean you don't get homesickness.

Find some people you really connect with and hang out with them. Since you're in a different state, take advantage of being somewhere else. Look up the internet some interesting places to go sightseeing and exploring, and bring someone you met along.

It really does help to phone home and talk to them. Have your parents send you pictures of your pets or some major events going on at home. My dad is especially good at keeping me informed about things that happen at home and taking lots of pictures of my houseplants and pets he's taking care of that I had to leave behind. At least for the first couple months until he and my mom feels I'm pretty situated in my current environment.

Get friends and family to send snail mail to you. Give out your addresses so they'll write. Write to them, too. Send your relatives postcards. There's no better ego-booster than finding a care package addressed to you!

I've been very lucky to connect and form a bond with at least 1-2 people everywhere I've been. We have similar interests and ideas on life. You don't have to be an outgoing person to find that one person you can connect with. I'm by far not a sociable person and I definately don't like crowds, but you have a common foundation between you and your co-workers - you work at the happiest place on earth!

So give it some time and don't worry about feeling homesickness. But you must go out and do something different so that you don't harbor on that homesickness you feel.

[The Guitar Slayer]

Although I didn't get homesick when I first went off to study abroad, I did miss London and the people I met during holiday break. It was like being homesick. My suggestion is just to remind yourself that you're eventually going to make it back there again. The people will be there for you when you return. Try to email and phone and what have you as often as you feel necessary. However, do try to establish some separation from them; eventually, you are going to move out on your own into the new world, and it's highly recommended that the figurative umbilical cord is cut by then. ;)

Just have fun and live on your own in every sense of the idea. Keep busy. Set aside a period of time during the day when you contact them; don't let missing them ruin your time away.

[Master Moron]

I almost never get homesick. I guess I'm not very close with my parents.

[Wanted]

Must be pretty hard to deal without family. Think about it this way: one day, you'll have more of a family, and your kids will miss you when they go off to college. All I can do is wish you the best, and hope that you find something to take your mind off of your family for a minute... however, working at Disney, you may be reminded of them more than just a little, what with all the families at Disney World. For now, I can only imagine how it'll be when I go off to college. Once, I thought high school was going to be a big deal, but it's just another routine... now, I gotta go do my homework.

[90'sCartoonMan]

Yeah, I remember my first day at college. My dad, mom, and sister came to help me move in. My dad left, but I went to lunch with my mom and sister. When it was time for them to go, I felt really scared for like an hour (and this was when my sister was living in Boston at the time, so it's not like she was far or anything). It wasn't so bad, though, it was just a shock at first when I realized I wouldn't be seeing my mom day after day. I still talked to her almost every week, and the way things turned out, I ended up seeing her about once a month (parent's weekend then Thanksgiving then Christmas). So, you just have to adjust to it.

[Master Moron]

Yeah, I remember my first day at college. My dad, mom, and sister came to help me move in. My dad left, but I went to lunch with my mom and sister. When it was time for them to go, I felt really scared for like an hour (and this was when my sister was living in Boston at the time, so it's not like she was far or anything). It wasn't so bad, though, it was just a shock at first when I realized I wouldn't be seeing my mom day after day. I still talked to her almost every week, and the way things turned out, I ended up seeing her about once a month (parent's weekend then Thanksgiving then Christmas). So, you just have to adjust to it.

Really? It's kind of odd that I never feel anything like that. I mean, I just moved out of my parents home from New England to the Midwest. All my friends and family from New England are halfway across the country, and yet I really don't feel scared at all. Actually the other day I was thinking to myself, "I should feel scared right now. I'm basically all alone." But, I really wasn't scared at all, I mean, considering how I despised living with my parents the risk of failing at being on my own is nothing compared to failure of living with my parents.

[Discloner]

Some people are different like that. Some can't wait to escape the confines of their hometown and want to experience the adventurous outside world...while others are content to stay where they are.

I'm sort of a mix between the two, where as I was perfectly content apon my highschool graduation to stay in Rhode Island...where as the state represented all kinds of evil to those around me.

So I went to school there, for two years and got my associates at a small Technical college (because in all honesty I just didn't know what I wanted to do out of College). I realized that my content attituded needed a shake-up...regardless if I would like it or not, and applied to the Univeristy of Vermont where I currently go.

I would've been find living back where I know everything and everybody...but the way I see it, it's not going anywhere and I certainly need to experience more then just the surroundings I grew up in. I might miss my family and friends...but there're only 5 hours away, a phone call away, or an e-mail away.

I think a phone call or IM goes a long way to cure any homesickness you might get. Everybody and their mother was calling me the first week I was up here, but looking back it probably helped kill any worries or doubts I had in my mind about being able to live on my own and such. And while the calls are becoming less and less frequent as I adapt to the new area...I still know that anytime I need to talk to someone, they're but a simple push of a couple buttons away.

[ToOn~g@l]

Thanks for the advice guys. Calling home does help even though the last time I talked to my mom I cried the entire time and just wanted to go home. But I've learned that when I am working I don't really think about home so much because we are so busy sometimes, well it depends on the day really, some days we get swamped, other days are like Disneyland Paris where no one is around because of the weather, Typhoon Lagoon depends entirely on the weather for the amount of guests.

You got us too. We're kinda a home.....right?:sweat:
Sure why not, you all give advice when someone needs it. We are all one big happy family :anime:

[TimTwoFace]

I've never been away from my family for more than two weeks straight before, so I don't have much advice to give, I'm afraid.

All I can suggest is finding a good long distance calling plan (or calling cards), and bond with the good people you're surrounded by today. They won't replace your family, but they'll cure any sense of loneliness you may be feeling.

-Tim

[Squall]

While you'll always have fond memories of your first home, and the family and friends there, you need to start working on making where you are now your new home, with new friends and experiences. :)

In time, you'll have friends and fond memories of where you are now too, and you'll have two homes to appreciate and enjoy. :cool: Then, of course, if one day you move to another new home, you can make it three homes to appreciate and enjoy, and so on. :anime:

When I first left my hometown for college, I was homesick for a little while. But over time, I came to love my college town as much -- if not more! -- than my hometown. Now, I've graduated from college and started working in yet another new town, and I know that in a few years I will love this place, and have as many fond memories, as I do of my hometown and my college town.

So relax! Enjoy the nostalgia of thinking about your hometown and family and hometown friends, but don't dwell on it. There are new friends and new experiences awaiting you! :sweat:

[Sailor V]

How about don't think about home.