<p>Tomorrow I am leaving for a summer program at a boarding school for five weeks. While I am very excited, I can already feel the homesickness coming on. I went to Japan last summer for two weeks and was very homesick, and I feel that I could have enjoyed my trip much more if I hadn’t been. I really want to enjoy this program and I know that if I do become homesick, I will definitely regret it.</p>
<p>BTW - I’m a rising ninth grader if that has any relevance.</p>
<p>Any tips would be appreciated on how to overcome homesickness.</p>
<p>Keep as busy as you can. When I’m away from home for long periods of time, I don’t want to go back home if I’m too busy to even think about home. Aside from that, something familiar like a blanket or pillow from home can be comforting.</p>
<p>Jonathan- you’ll do fine. Focus on the fun things and try to find an adult mentor early on that you can talk to and confide in so you don’t have to always put up a brave front for kids. The adult will understand and reassure you.</p>
<p>Will you be having your own computer? You might download family pictures, keep in touch with Skype or email, phone. But make sure to reach out to make friends with other participants in the program. </p>
<p>If your summer program is in this country, you may find yourself less homesick than you were in Japan, owing to familiarity. Also, you are a year older and it makes a lot of difference.</p>
<p>You might find homesickness less of a problem with this program than when you went to Japan. There, you would have been facing cultural differences as well as being away from home. In this program, you may find many things seem more familiar/similar to you, and that may help.</p>
<p>It may also help that you know you worked through it before, so you know you can do it again. This is how “experience” helps us grow stronger.</p>
<p>Jonathan,
I have a son who is a year older than you. Yesterday he left for a three week program which he has attended for the past two years and he was still nervous and worried about homesickness! Try not to worry if you are a bit homesick. There really will be others in your same position. You will get into a familiar routine there and will be so busy during the day that you won’t have time to be homesick. At night, which is when homesickness usually arises, hopefully you will have a kind RA or two with whom you can develop a nice relationship. They are trained to deal with this. Think good thoughts and enjoy your program. The five weeks will go by much faster than you can imagine, and you may leave the program with some wonderful friendships. Good luck!</p>
<p>My younger son was horribly homesick the first year he went to camp and went the second year with great trepidation. He had a wonderful time that year.</p>
<p>Try not to focus too much on what might be happening at home. I think often when kids are away, they assume that everyone at home is doing great, fun things without them when really most of the time they are doing laundry and the dishes…</p>
<p>it took me 2 full summers out of my 3 summers of sleepaway camp to get over my homesickness i started sleepaway when i was 13…</p>
<p>the first yr i started getting upset since everyone else was(we were all new except one who was new that summer except she had been at camp for a session already…)</p>
<p>2nd yr i had a lot of bunk mess ups and everyone knew eachother already i got really home sick…</p>
<p>lets just put it this way once u get into things u feel fine
once i got thru show auditions…and was placed into a show(i went to a performing arts camp i used to act) i was not homesick we had 2 period a day practices to be able to perform in the show at the end of the 3 weeks. and i also rode horses and i did jewellery(A LOT OF IT!)</p>
<p>Going to Andover, Exeter, or any of those summer programs is a lot different than Japan! You will have so much fun that you probably won’t want to go home. They’re cozy and charming, everyone is starting fresh and looking for friends, English is the spoken language, the food is familiar, etc. Your only problem will be that you’ll wish you went full-time (which will be very hard on your parents, I imagine). :-)</p>
<p>Your feelings are understandable but 5 weeks is really not so long. Resolve to make the best of what is available for 2 weeks–concentrate on the activities you like and getting to know the other kids–ask yourself what resources are here and how can I best enjoy them? After 2 weeks–take stock – what have I learned? how have I benefitted? what difficulties have I overcome? what challenges have I met? what have I Iearned to appreciate about other participants? It is likely there will be many positive factors in the balance. Now congratulate yourself and say --I survived and I gained something worthwhile–it is already almost half over–now I know I can handle the second half!</p>
<p>My flight was okay, and I am pretty homesick. When I came here during lunchtime, everyone was with their parents so there weren’t really any kids by themselves. The campus is HUGE and it took me forever to find my dorm. Hopefully I’ll start making new friends later in the day when everyone has to be back in their dorm.</p>
<p>maybe, because you have been homesick in the past, it is not realistic to expect now that you will experience NO homesickness. I think you need to consider the possibility that perhaps you can miss home and your family (which is natural) AND also have a great time. Try to remind yourself of the reasons why you decided to go away this summer to this program and remember that your home and family will still be there waiting for you when you return. Missing them doesn’t mean you have to ruin your summer.</p>
<p>I completely understand what you are going through. I am a person who has experienced homesickness my entire life. I think part of it has to do with an attachment to a routine. Another part off it has to do with the fact that I am very close to my family. Whatever the reasons for your homesickness are, the fact is that you are not keeping yourself from fulfilling one of your goals because of it. You went to this program because, despite the fact that you knew parts of it would be very hard for you to go through, you really wanted to have this experience. My best advice is to stick it out. Know yourself and your emotions. If you need to cry, find somewhere where you can be by yourself and do that. If there is anything you can do in your free time that would help you destress, be it letter writing, listening to music, or talking to friends at camp, then do it. Also, seek out people who are supportive of you. it’s probably harder for boys who are homesick (I’m a girl), but if you can find even one friend who you can confide in about your feelings, it might help you relieve your anxiety. Also, talk to the camp nurse or a counselor. They are trained in dealing with homesickness and will help yyou cope/deal with it. it is great to have these allies. Finally, divide your time into checkpoints. If you feel like you can’t make it, give yourself another week. Usually it will improve as time goes on and you make more friends.</p>
<p>As a recent high school grad, I still cope with homesickness from time to time. My first camp, a 10 day program in 5th grade, I left home early. in the summer before 9th grade, I struggled through an intense 14 day wilderness camp, all the while dealing with homesick blues. I felt great afterwards when I saw all of the things I had let myself do by staying. The summer before 11th grade I went to a 4 week language immersion camp. The first week, I thought I’d never make it though and got special permission to call home. By the end, I was crying because I didn’t want to leave the amazing people I had met. Next year, I’m going to Russia for a year because I want to learn the language fluently. I know that it is going to be a hell of a rough journey and that the homesickness will probably be brutal in the first few months. But this is my goal and I want to see myself do it. </p>
<p>One of the parents had it right. If you know you will be homesick, then expect that and think about how you will deal with it. But never let it get in the way of your goals. If you struggle your way through the program being homesick, you will leave feeling this great sense of accomplishment at achieving your goals. I guarantee you will also grow as a person because you have chosen to push your limits and live outside of your comfort zone. Best of luck. I hope you have a fantastic summer experience!</p>
<p>Try to make a buddies with everyone in your dorm, and find some friends in your classes and afternoon activity as well. Interact with the cool groups from around the world (the “Italians”, the “Germans”, etc. - it’s so great how there are little pods from so many places and the kids find each other). Get a few kids from your dorm to walk into town to explore and get ice cream. Develop a crush on someone. Get really into your class or classes and aim for great grades. Make some goals for the next few weeks. Pull out your blue blankie like Matthew Broderick’s character in the Producers. :-)</p>
<p>Have fun! Report back and tell us if you do.</p>
<p>I’m feeling a lot better than yesterday. When I’m busy, I think about homesickness much less, and we’re supposed to get a few hours of homework each night, and be in class for about three hours, plus an hour or so of afternoon activities.</p>
<p>I’ve been talking to my mom at least twice a day, and I talked to my grandparents yesterday and it helps me get through it better.</p>
<p>Once again, thanks. I’ll try to give you an update tomorrow.</p>
<p>Some people take longer to transplant themselves. They often don’t want to go on vacation when the day arrives. Then they are unhappy when they first arrive because the new spot doesn’t seem as good as the spot they just left.</p>
<p>Cut yourself some slack. You probably won’t feel your best for another week. That’s okay. Stay busy and try to chat up as many new friends as possible. </p>
<p>Camps prevent kids from calling home becuase they know calling home tends to increase the homesickness. Immersing yourself in the new place is the best way to get over homesickness.</p>
At night, which is when homesickness usually arises, hopefully you will have a kind RA or two with whom you can develop a nice relationship. They are trained to deal with this. Think good thoughts and enjoy your program. The five weeks will go by much faster than you can imagine, and you may leave the program with some wonderful friendships. Good luck!</p>