{"id":519,"date":"2017-07-17T08:40:42","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T12:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/07\/17\/hints-success-overcoming-homesickness\/"},"modified":"2019-03-05T10:32:42","modified_gmt":"2019-03-05T15:32:42","slug":"hints-success-overcoming-homesickness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/07\/17\/hints-success-overcoming-homesickness\/","title":{"rendered":"Hints for Success – Overcoming Homesickness"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"\"Almost everyone experiences homesickness and culture shock to some degree, when they come to live in a completely new environment. So much is different and it takes time to adjust.<\/p>\n

It is normal to miss your own family, at home. Try to remember that they support you and want you to make the most of this experience. They will enjoy learning more about the U.S., through your eyes, as you share your adventures with them.<\/p>\n

Top 5 Tips for<\/strong>\u00a0Dealing with Homesickness<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. Make Friends\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Don\u2019t wait for other au pairs to reach out to you, reach out to them. There are other lots of new au pairs who are feeling the same way you are right now. Set a goal to reach out to a few of them each day. Some will respond and some will not. Don\u2019t let that discourage you. No one will ever be mad at you for sending them a message to say hello or ask if they want to do something together. Make friends from various countries and you will also get a chance to practice your English skills together.<\/p>\n

2. Stay in touch with your home country, but not too much.<\/strong>\u00a0Skyping or talking on the phone every day with your family and\/or friends back home normally makes homesickness worse. Try emailing instead and reduce the Skype and phone calls to once a week, until you feel stronger. It\u2019s much harder seeing the faces and hearing the voices of those you miss.<\/p>\n

3. Get out of the house (or your room specifically)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Go to cluster meetings, have coffee or movies with other au pairs, join a gym, go to the library, go for a walk, visit the mall, get a manicure, visit a museum. If someone invites you out, say \u201cyes.\u201d Also, don\u2019t be afraid to do the inviting. If your host family invites you to do things with them, say \u201cyes.\u201d This will help you get to know each other and contribute to your overall happiness.<\/p>\n

4. Realize that it definitely gets better<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 All au pairs experience homesickness and the vast majority of them get through it, stay and have a successful year (some even extend for a second year!) So, it must get better, right? Once you get past the initial homesickness, most au pairs report how quickly the year goes by.<\/p>\n

5. Make Plans<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Create your own Au Pair Bucket List (places you want to go, new foods to try, new things to experience during your year in the U.S.) and start doing them\u00a0now. Post on our cluster Facebook group to find others who may want to join you on your adventures.<\/p>\n

Photo by:\u00a0 Shimelle Laine (Flickr)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Save<\/span>Save<\/span>Save<\/span>Save<\/span>Save<\/span>Save<\/span>Save<\/span>Save<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Almost everyone experiences homesickness and culture shock to some degree, when they come to live in a completely new environment. So much is different and it takes time to adjust. It is normal to miss your own family, at home. Try to remember that they support you and want you to make the most of Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[262,377,398],"tags":[396,149,390,173,397,190],"class_list":["post-519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-crafts","category-au-pair-tips","category-cultural-exchange-and-adjustment","tag-adjustment","tag-cultural-exchange","tag-culture","tag-experiences","tag-happiness","tag-homesickness"],"yoast_head":"\nHints for Success - Overcoming Homesickness - Au Pairs in Southern Maryland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hints for Success - Overcoming Homesickness - Au Pairs in Southern Maryland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Almost everyone experiences homesickness and culture shock to some degree, when they come to live in a completely new environment. 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