It is completely normal to  feel homesick sometimes when we are far from home.  Homesickness comes from feeling disconnected from familiar people, places and routines.  It is an emotion you have to learn how to cope with while you are here. It is an emotion that passes with time.  Here are some tips to help you:

• Be a tourist, get to know where you live, visit the local sights and explore just as you would if on vacation.  Start a list of favorite places.
• Try new foods, even if they don’t look good, finding new favorite nibbles is a great way to  enjoy a new country.
• Take a break from Skype.  If you are skyping for hours every day, it is not helping you.  Find a balance between ties at home and building new relationships here
• Focus on your new social media networking with other au pairs and American friends.  You don’t need to know what everyone is doing at home every minute.
• Plan a trip with a friend, a day trip or a weekend, get excited about doing something new with a new friend and before you know it you will be excited and chatting about the trip instead of talking about what you are missing at home.
• Go to your cluster meeting, This will definitely help you.
• Send some gifts back home.  Sending gifts gives you something to do, makes you go out, and is a way of sharing your experience, it makes you feel good.
• Make a Bucket List.  This is  a list of what you hope to do and see during  your year as an au pair.  Keep it on the wall and you will enjoying checking off each thing on the list as you do it.
• Not everything has to change.  If you loved jogging at home, do it here.  There are some habits you love that you can keep.
• Create a routine.  Having a routine will help  you feel at home and settle into life here.
• Do not stay home.  Get out and about, go to the gym, the park, a coffee shop, a movie, staying home alone will not help homesickness
• Ask you counselor to connect you with another au pair who was also homesick, there’s nothing better than talking to someone who has been in your shoes.
• Start an old fashioned scrap book with real pictures and mementos from your year.  It will give you something to work on when you  have quiet time alone and as your year progresses you will be able to see what an amazing experience you are having.  You’ll have a wonderful keepsake to take home with you.  You’ll feel so proud of your scrapbook!
• Most importantly, talk to someone, if you feel sad or homesick, talk to your host family, call me, or a friend.  Being part of a cluster enables us to help and support each other.

A little inspiration from a former au pair… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3IBmRWGnwA

 Have a great year, this is your dream, make the most of it!