Dear Homesick Students Far From Home

Dear Homesick Students…

Whether you’re from Australia, Argentina, Afghanistan, or Alaska (just me?), we love you! You’ve got this. And even if you don’t live halfway across the globe, it’s okay to miss home — I’m (slightly enviously) talking to you, Bostonians. With the holidays around the corner, it’s that time of the year when we start to crave the comfort of home and non-Harvard life just a tad more than usual. But don’t give up now! We’re in this together, and the finish line is in sight. And if you’re close enough to be going home for Thanksgiving, you lucky, lucky, ducky.

But if you can’t go home for the holidays, try to bring some home to campus (cheesy, I know). But for real, I have a picture hanging on my wall of some mountains from home, and whenever I see it, there’s a 50 percent chance it will brighten my mood. Even simpler for all of you who like blank walls — call/FaceTime your friends and fam from home for a little chat. Hopefully, their words can be of even more comfort than mine :)

And if you’re feeling retro, write a letter to someone you miss. If you send mail, you’re more likely to receive mail, and who doesn’t love getting mail?! PSA: Trader Joe’s has fun cards for $1 or you could even get crafty and DIY orrrr just tear out a piece of paper from your pset notebook and throw it in an envelope. Did you know you can send outgoing mail from the first-year mail center? (But make sure you buy a stamp, or that letter’s going nowhere!)

And can we just commiserate for a sec about food homesickness? I’ve heard that food is one of the main reasons people start to feel homesick, and boy, do I concur. Whether it’s something your family makes or a familiar restaurant back home, it can be tricky to replicate what you’re missing with what we’re working with in the dhall. Name a better excuse to grab a couple of friends and go into Boston to treat yourself to something that will fill your belly and heart. Or if you’re feeling really ambitious, channel your inner Gordon Ramsey and reserve one of the kitchens in your dorm/house (or make friends with someone who lives in Dewolfe).

Hopefully, you can find solace in the fact that going home is going to be 10000x more rewarding after being in the trenches for a semester. Whenever I go home, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have such a sick home (pun intended). And let’s face it, when you go home, you’re probably just going to start missing school anyways. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, even for Tasty Basty. Though Taylor Swift might think differently, we promise — you’re not on your own, kid. Hang in there!

With a gentle kiss on the forehead,

Flyby <3