8 ways to make most of the life at university

Homesickness is experienced by a lot of people who are living away from their home for first time. At some point at your time at university, you will miss the familiarity of your loved ones and friends. This happens a lot to students studying far away from their homes, not just international students. As an international student you would also experience cultural differences that you need to assimilate alongside missing what is the most familiar and comfortable to you. Be patient and don’t worry. Homesickness is very normal, and the feeling will die down.

Following are a few things you can do to divert yourself and enjoy the new environment as much as possible.

Engage in campus life

Universities in USA and Canada offer an ideal environment to experience life as an adult, away from home and family.

 Living in student residences allows people to form close relationship with their roommates and other dorm residents.  Student clubs and associations provide the opportunity to participate in group activities.  Joining teams like a sports team or debate team can provide a sense of belonging.

Make new friends

You are outside of your native area and into a foreign culture. The first and best thing you can do is make friends. You obviously will still miss your old friends but there is no limit to number of friends you can make. Migrating and Living in International universities with students from different countries would give you opportunity to build a giant network of friends, and in future no matter wherever you travel towards for vacation, business or study, you will likely have a friend close by.

Talk to others about homesickness

Similar to you, many other students would be there experiencing homesickness because of having to leave their home and parents. Talk to each other and build your own support structure to deal with homesickness. If you need further assistance you can have that from the student counsellors appointed by USA and Canadian government in every educational institute.

Build and maintain a routine

Homesickness is at it core missing the feeling of familiar. When you create a routine and stick to it, you give yourself something to be familiar with reducing and eliminating your homesickness.

Recreate your cultural environment at university

Being at university foes not mean you cannot be yourself anymore, and you are a product of your cultural environment, so bring it with you. If there is something you did regularly at home, such as say prayers, continue to do it on campus too. All universities offer students a place to practice their religious rituals and continue their worship, and often you will find student organizations that are culturally inclined. You may even have the opportunity to celebrate special holidays together and eat some of your favourite foods.

Food therapy

Eating a meal is an important activity in many cultures. In many cultures families eat together at one place which is a very rich cultural experience. It is widely agreed upon that when we eat together, we create strong bond and positive associations with the people and food. So, get a friend or two to sit down and sample new food at mealtimes.

Be a tourist

Visiting new places as a tourist seldomly makes anyone feel homesick because they are excited by the new experiences and want to absorb as much of the locale as you can. Approaching university life with same sense of exploration can result in having some really nice experiences. Find a favourite spot to study, find new paths between your dorm and campus buildings. Seek out a restaurant that serves food from your home country.

Limit communication from friends and family back home

Missing someone automatically makes you lean towards them further and also prevents you from forming new alliances. Talking to them any less will not break your old and strong bonds but being constantly busy in them will stop you from making new good ones here. It is important to give them updates about your life but you also need to live the life you are giving them the updates about. Explore your surroundings and take pictures of stuffs you like. You will enjoy the place more when you start to really look at it.

, find new paths between your dorm and campus buildings. Seek out a restaurant that serves food from your home country.

Limit communication from friends and family back home

Missing someone automatically makes you lean towards them further and also prevents you from forming new alliances. Talking to them any less will not break your old and strong bonds but being constantly busy in them will stop you from making new good ones here. It is important to give them updates about your life but you also need to live the life you are giving them the updates about. Explore your surroundings and take pictures of stuffs you like. You will enjoy the place more when you start to really look at it.