I wish that I had the luxury of being able to hop on a train and travel to another part of England or have my family be able to drive up to visit me. Yet the Irish Sea separates me from my family and friends. The very thought of having to get on a plane to simply visit home is daunting, making everyone back home feel as if they are another world away.
However, being alive in the age of communication and connection with the freedom to call or facetime someone at any time helps with homesickness. Although the joy that can be radiated from physically being with a loved one is not possible through an interaction over a screen. Also, who is to say that someone will always be free to pick up the phone.
Moving to university and not having your original support group on your doorstep is a difficult adjustment. As so much of what you have loved about life is no longer an everyday factor. But at university, most students are universally experiencing homesickness. It is the people that you meet at university who will be able to make your new location feel like home.
No matter where a student goes to university, it will always be different from someone’s hometown. Newcastle for me in the beginning was a completely new way of life, as I was used to knowing everyone in a small rural village on the coast. But what you have found is that you can quickly adapt to your new home and realise all the wonderful things that it has to offer. I know now I whole-heartedly prefer the city life.
Creating a home for yourself in your university city is truly the best way to deal with homesickness. It makes you feel grateful to live between two different places, as you then never feel alone no matter where you are living. Ultimately, the wait to go home can help with homesickness, as with each passing day, it means that you are a day closer to when you will be able to see your family and friends back home. I feel very honoured to call both Northern Ireland and Newcastle home.