I’ve been in London for a few weeks now and I must say, I’m starting to miss home 
During my study abroad orientation we were warned of this part of the transition period. They started off by telling us that everything would be new and exciting for a while, but that would likely be followed by some homesickness. Even with this warning, I was not prepared for the reality of it. With that being said, I would like to provide some tips for dealing with homesickness and FOMO (fear of missing out) while abroad.
- Call your friends and family back home
Right now you’re probably way farther from home than you usually are during the school year. So if you’re anything like me, you’re starting to miss your family. I’ve realized that I have been communicating with my family more frequently than I did while at my home school. This has helped me feel less homesick because I’m reminded that although I cannot see the people I miss, they are just a phone call away. Hopefully, wherever you are you have access to the Wi-Fi or cellular data. If not, try to locate a post office, so you can send a letter.
I think I call my mom less when at my home school because I am with my second family — my friends. Last semester I lived in an apartment with some of my closest friends, so it’s been difficult adjusting to a new environment where I don’t have such easy access to them. As my close friends, they have all been my support system throughout college. Because they are all still at school together in New York, and I am across the Atlantic in London, I sometimes feel like I’m missing important moments. When I feel a bit regretful of my decision to come to London, I call one of my friends to catch up and when I bring up my concerns they remind me that I came abroad to experience an array of things I would not have had access to in Clinton, NY (where my home school is located). And furthermore, they will be in NY waiting to greet me when I return. So stay in communication with your friends, but also remember to enjoy your experience abroad and make the most of it, because it’ll be over before you know it!
2. Visit local ethnic enclaves
As I mentioned in my introductory blog, I spent some years of my childhood living in Jamaica. My Jamaican-American ethnicity has influenced my life in many ways, ranging from things like language, food, music, and others. Back home in the Bronx, I live in an area heavily populated by Jamaicans and people from other Caribbean nations. Because of where I live, and my relationship with family members in Jamaica, I never feel disconnected from my culture. Even when I am at Hamilton, which is predominantly white, I still feel connected to that part of my identity as my closest friends are from other Caribbean nations as well.
When I told my family that I would be spending a semester abroad in London, one of the first things many of them said was, “You have to go to Brixton!” None of them had ever been, but they were all familiar with the neighborhood. I myself knew what Brixton was, as it’s been mentioned in dancehall (a genre of Jamaican music) songs. Brixton is a community in south London. Although it is considered a multiethnic community, it’s been dubbed a Jamaican ethnic enclave with, as of 2016, more than 800,000 British Jamaicans.
I visited Brixton during my second week in London. My friend and I walked around the Brixton Market where several ethnicities were represented in shops, stands, and restaurants. We had lunch at a Jamaican restaurant where we had traditional Jamaican meals including beef patties (not the ones used in burgers), and jerk chicken with rice and peas. Then we walked into a beauty supply store where we were able to find hair products that were not stocked in convenience stores close to my housing accommodation. Lastly, we went into a grocery store that reminded me of many I had been to in the Bronx. As we walked the aisles of the store, each time we saw a familiar brand or item, we would stop and ask the other if they were familiar with it too. It was fun and refreshing to see all these familiar things that were normal to me while living in Jamaica (my friend also grew up in Jamaica). It created nostalgia, and made me feel like I was in a tiny Jamaica, just from walking around that market. It helped me miss NY a bit less and view my time in London more positively. London is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, so I’m lucky to have access to places like Brixton when I’m feeling homesick.
3. Learn how to make your favorite dishes from home
Before coming abroad, I wasn’t much of a cook. My skills were limited to frying breakfast foods and boiling pasta. My mom is a very good cook so I miss her food whenever I leave home. She often makes Jamaican dishes, while sometimes venturing into other cultures’ cuisines and typical American meals. I have been using my time abroad to learn how to make some of my favorite meals that my mom usually prepares. Each time I plan to make something new I ask her what ingredients I need. When I visited Brixton, I was able to get a few things Jamaicans often use in cooking like browning, curry powder, red kidney beans, and scallions. So far I’ve made a few things like curried chicken, stew chicken, and sweet and sour chicken. Although they don’t taste anywhere close to as good as my mom’s, they still help me miss home a bit less.
Diamond's Experience Abroad! 