Dealing with Homesickness

Woah, I'm posting something within the same week of another post? Crazy right?! I actually had a day shift today, so I have the night off and I'm taking the time to do some laundry and getting my life together.

Like I've said before, life in Florida is pretty great. It still feels like summer because I'm not taking any classes and the weather is still warm. I have the opportunity to play in the parks whenever I want. I get to live on my own. I'm meeting so many new people. The list could go on and on about how awesome things are here!

However, life here is also really bittersweet. I'm having a great time here, but I also get hit with waves of homesickness. Not everyday, but there are days when I wake up and just feel sad.

Alright, alright. I'm being a tad bit over dramatic here, especially with the sad little Stitch gif. I live in Disney World! But I am a really big homebody--I thoroughly enjoy being home. It brings me a lot of comfort and even after having fun living away at school, I always enjoy coming home for the weekend. Home>anywhere else. And the hardest part about being homesick in Florida is that I can't just go home as I please.



Little things will remind me of home, like seeing families on vacation here together, or seeing a picture of a pug, or even seeing a car with a New Jersey license plate. I also miss certain foods from home that I can't get here (good bagels, pizza, Chinese food, fat sandwiches, and of course homemade meals). I think about these foods a lot mostly because I can't really cook so well and I miss eating good food! And I can talk on the phone with people from back home, but it's not the same as being in their presence.

A great way for me to deal with my homesickness is by going to the parks when I don't have to work. Keeping myself busy and distracted and constantly doing something helps me for sure. Tomorrow, I'm actually gonna go to the park by myself and take things at my own pace again. Doing that really does help me remember why I'm here. The program is truly an awesome experience, but it's not a walk in the park. The late hours, long shifts, feeling homesick, the struggle to balance a budget and learning to be independent can be hard sometimes. But going to the parks and being surrounded by the magic firsthand is a perfect reminder to why you are doing the program and how lucky you are to be here.

Thanks for reading and following along on my journey! I hope you all have a magical day and I'll see ya real soon!