{"id":559,"date":"2017-10-13T11:45:19","date_gmt":"2017-10-13T15:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/?p=559"},"modified":"2017-10-13T11:45:19","modified_gmt":"2017-10-13T15:45:19","slug":"homesickness-move-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Homesickness &#8211; How to move through it and past it!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><i>Believe in Your Dreams:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">It is completely normal to feel homesick sometimes when we are far from home.\u00a0 Homesickness comes from feeling disconnected from people, places and routines.\u00a0\u00a0It is an emotion that passes with time.\u00a0 Remember: It.is.normal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b>Here are some things to do if you are feeling a little blue:<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Be a tourist<\/u><\/b>, get to know where you live, visit the local sights and explore just as you would if on vacation.\u00a0 Start a list of favorite places. Check out the blog for ideas.<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Plan a trip with a friend<\/u><\/b>, 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-479\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1-624x351.jpg 624w, https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Post in the cluster Facebook group <\/u><\/b>that you are off on Saturday or Sunday and that you are looking for a buddy to hang out with! Don&#8217;t wait for someone else to plan it, take the initiative!<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Go to your cluster meeting<\/u><\/b>. It&#8217;s not just a requirement of the program, it&#8217;s a beneficial part of your experience. Cluster meetings are a great way to meet new friends and get a hug and support!<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><u><b>Not everything has to change<\/b><\/u>.\u00a0 If you loved jogging at home, do it here. There are some habits you love that you can keep. Played soccer at home? Love basketball or singing or digital photography? Ask me, I can help you find activities within the community to join! <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2017\/10\/Mark-Hesseltine-Flickr.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-560\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2017\/10\/Mark-Hesseltine-Flickr-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2017\/10\/Mark-Hesseltine-Flickr-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2017\/10\/Mark-Hesseltine-Flickr.jpg 424w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Create a routine.\u00a0<\/u><\/b> Having a routine will help you feel at home and settle into life here. It&#8217;s tempting to sleep in on the weekends, but you&#8217;ll miss out on fun! It&#8217;s okay some times, but remember, you only have 52 weekends here! Make the most out of them!<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Get enough sleep! <\/u><\/b>Go to bed at a reasonable time. Planning a quiet activity for the hour or so before bed can help you establish and maintain good sleep habits.<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Get involved<\/u> <\/b>in activities that will help you meet Americans! Other than classes, consider finding a church with a young adult group, volunteer, join an interest group! Building friendships is important and you will have a richer cultural exchange as a result!<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Do not stay home.<\/u><\/b>\u00a0 Get out and about, go to the gym, the park, a coffee shop, a movie, staying home alone will not help homesickness.<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Tell your me that you are feeling homesick.<\/u><\/b> I can help you! It may be a first for you, but it isn&#8217;t for me. I can help connect you with another au pair who was also homesick. There\u2019s nothing better than talking to someone who has been in your shoes.<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Start an American Dream album <\/u><\/b>on Facebook, write your memories in a private blog, save a few special reminders &#8211; ticket stubs, postcards, small souvenirs, etc. from your year.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have a wonderful keepsake to\u00a0have of you year (or two). <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2017\/10\/U.S.-Embassy-Tokyo.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-561\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2017\/10\/U.S.-Embassy-Tokyo-300x259.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2017\/10\/U.S.-Embassy-Tokyo-300x259.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2017\/10\/U.S.-Embassy-Tokyo-624x538.jpg 624w, https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2017\/10\/U.S.-Embassy-Tokyo.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Most importantly, talk to someone<\/u><\/b>, if you feel sad or homesick, talk to your host family, call me, or a friend.\u00a0 Being part of a cluster enables us to help and support each other.<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>If you aren&#8217;t homesick<\/u><\/b>, reach out to others who you think might be. Be a friend. We were all new once. That new girl nearby would love for you to pick her up and go to a movie or for coffee or ice cream. Dare to be bold. Dare to be fearless!<\/li>\n<li class=\"x_MsoNormal\"><b><u>Keep the circle wide open for everyone to join in<\/u><\/b>. Building friendships with people outside of your culture will richly reward your year here and your life in general. It&#8217;s a wonderful thing to watch au pairs maintain their cross cultural friendships after they go home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Photos:\u00a0Mark Hesseltine &#8211; Flickr,\u00a0 U.S. Embassy Tokyo &#8211; Flickr<\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1507907484985_104690\" class=\"view follow-view clear-float photo-attribution\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1507907484985_104349\" class=\"view attribution-view clear-float photo-attribution\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"x_MsoListParagraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Believe in Your Dreams: It is completely normal to feel homesick sometimes when we are far from home.\u00a0 Homesickness comes from feeling disconnected from people, places and routines.\u00a0\u00a0It is an emotion that passes with time.\u00a0 Remember: It.is.normal. Here are some things to do if you are feeling a little blue: Be a tourist, get to  <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/\">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":[236,354],"tags":[353,190],"class_list":["post-559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-52-weeks","category-american-experiences","tag-american-experiences","tag-homesickness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Homesickness - How to move through it and past it! - 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=\"Homesickness - How to move through it and past it! - Au Pairs in Southern Maryland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Believe in Your Dreams: It is completely normal to feel homesick sometimes when we are far from home.\u00a0 Homesickness comes from feeling disconnected from people, places and routines.\u00a0\u00a0It is an emotion that passes with time.\u00a0 Remember: It.is.normal. Here are some things to do if you are feeling a little blue: Be a tourist, get to Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Au Pairs in Southern Maryland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-13T15:45:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1-300x169.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cynthia Chan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cynthia Chan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/\",\"name\":\"Homesickness - How to move through it and past it! - Au Pairs in Southern Maryland\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1-300x169.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-13T15:45:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-10-13T15:45:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#\/schema\/person\/55b33229c568083b56e9c1f3d2a2b420\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":540},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Homesickness &#8211; How to move through it and past it!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/\",\"name\":\"Au Pairs in Southern Maryland\",\"description\":\"The place to learn more about Au Pair in America in Southern Maryland \u2013 Serving St Mary&#039;s, Calvert and Charles Counties.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#\/schema\/person\/55b33229c568083b56e9c1f3d2a2b420\",\"name\":\"Cynthia Chan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4205e9ba02e88639245b227009c49696bd43dd911ed4190a3ffbab07c91d28ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4205e9ba02e88639245b227009c49696bd43dd911ed4190a3ffbab07c91d28ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Cynthia Chan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/author\/mdl00\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Homesickness - How to move through it and past it! - Au Pairs in Southern Maryland","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Homesickness - How to move through it and past it! - Au Pairs in Southern Maryland","og_description":"Believe in Your Dreams: It is completely normal to feel homesick sometimes when we are far from home.\u00a0 Homesickness comes from feeling disconnected from people, places and routines.\u00a0\u00a0It is an emotion that passes with time.\u00a0 Remember: It.is.normal. Here are some things to do if you are feeling a little blue: Be a tourist, get to Read More","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/","og_site_name":"Au Pairs in Southern Maryland","article_published_time":"2017-10-13T15:45:19+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1-300x169.jpg"}],"author":"Cynthia Chan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Cynthia Chan","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/","name":"Homesickness - How to move through it and past it! - Au Pairs in Southern Maryland","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1-300x169.jpg","datePublished":"2017-10-13T15:45:19+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-13T15:45:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#\/schema\/person\/55b33229c568083b56e9c1f3d2a2b420"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2016\/11\/14680719_10209195480435398_4811247903444268792_n-1.jpg","width":960,"height":540},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/2017\/10\/13\/homesickness-move-past\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Homesickness &#8211; How to move through it and past it!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/","name":"Au Pairs in Southern Maryland","description":"The place to learn more about Au Pair in America in Southern Maryland \u2013 Serving St Mary&#039;s, Calvert and Charles Counties.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#\/schema\/person\/55b33229c568083b56e9c1f3d2a2b420","name":"Cynthia Chan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4205e9ba02e88639245b227009c49696bd43dd911ed4190a3ffbab07c91d28ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4205e9ba02e88639245b227009c49696bd43dd911ed4190a3ffbab07c91d28ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Cynthia Chan"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/author\/mdl00\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.aupairinamerica.com\/mdl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}