In this post, I want to share the raw reality of homesickness. There’s a beautiful word in the Welsh language that means, ‘homesick’ – it is ‘hiraeth’ and it’s often translated as ‘a longing.’  And that is what homesickness is, a longing for the familiarity of home.

Moving abroad was the hardest experience for me.  It is a strange feeling saying goodbye to friends and loved ones. For a long while, I knew I felt homesick, but this did not really hit me until a while ago. Yes, I have met new people and made a lot of good friends. Home and those you call family is something that cannot be matched. No one will ever know you like your family or your friends from high school who have known since first grade. We all have our internal struggles living abroad or not. Not missing home becomes near impossible.

The stresses, trials, and tribulations that goes hand in hand with relocation are generally accepted because we want to adapt and accept change.  Knockbacks and hurdles make you realise how raw the reality of relocation is. I have been abroad for almost 3 years. Somedays I still feel myself longing for home. I have experienced two different worlds, and to be honest it is quite overwhelming. Learning a new culture, language and making new friends is not that easy, well at least not for me. My eyes have opened a lot about this world and I am grateful for all the new experiences and opportunities.

Moving abroad is bittersweet. I fell in love with the Netherlands and the freedom is just amazing. Comparing it to home I did not have a lot of freedom. People often tell me “You can make a new place your home”, that is true but my roots are in South-Africa. Africa will always be a part of me for the rest of my life. It’s under my skin. Sometimes it is hard to describe to people how you feel. Homesickness is part of reality, but we have to adapt to a new home and face challenges and opportunities.

Unfortunately, no one ever tells you about the gloomy days you’ll face. No one ever tells you about the times that you will feel so alone and so far away from everything. It does take time to get over homesickness fully and to completely embrace your new life, warts and all.

xoxo

Chante’