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 when you feel homesick:

• 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. Ask other au pairs and your host family for their favorites too!
• Try new foods, even if they don’t look good, finding new favorite nibbles is a great way to  enjoy a new country. You might squirm at the thought of trying a Maryland crab, but you might find that you love it!
• 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. Try keeping connected via email or whatsapp and skype just once or twice a week.
• 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. Be part of the experience here!
• 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 the cluster meetings, This will definitely help you. You’ll meet others au pairs, try new things, eat good food,
• Send some small 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. Don’t feel like you need to find those gifts right away! Sometimes the fun is in the searching!
• Make a Bucket List.  This is  a list of what you hope to do and see during  your year as an au pair.  Places you want to visit, foods you’d like to try, things you’d like to do! 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. Ask your host family or me for ideas of places you can enjoy things you loved to do at home!
• Create a routine.  Having a routine will help you feel at home and settle into life here. Get up in the morning, even on your days off! Set a regular bedtime, too. You need your rest also!
• Do not stay home.  Have a plan to go out and about! Join a gym, go to the movies every Tuesday night, take a dance class.  Go to the gym, the park, a coffee shop, a walk, volunteer somewhere! Staying home alone will not help homesickness, it makes the isolation worse. I do not want you to be unhappy. Don’t have a buddy for the weekend yet? Post to the group, text another au pair. Reach out an invite someone!
• Ask me for help in finding au pair friends who have been there! I can connect you with other au pairs who was also homesick, there’s nothing better than talking to someone who has been in your shoes.
• Create a blog or album on Facebook of your adventures! 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 collection of memories to review! Remember not to share personal info about the host family or any pictures of them (this includes those adorable kids). You can set the album and blog to private if you don’t want to share it with others.
• Most importantly, talk to someone, if you feel sad or homesick, talk to your host family, call me, or a friend.  Sharing helps you. 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!