With distance from the comfort of homes, comes great responsibility and sometimes also a large load of sadness. The community at Jacobs University is warm, lively and welcoming, and perhaps the best home away from home we could ask for. Nonetheless, there’s always a part of us that yearns for the company and familiarity home gives us, especially during a festive time like this. Coping with homesickness takes a lot of emotional strength and is often, no mean feat. We asked few homesick students what home means to them and how they overcome homesickness in case it ever gets too overwhelming.
SafaT Al Fahim Tawsif (Bangladesh)
Safat on campus, but excited to go home to Bangladesh soon!
Where are you from? Home is…?
Bangladesh. Home for me is seeing my mom’s face and the warmth of my own bed.
How long have you been at Jacobs?
A year and counting.
How often do you go home, if at all?
I will go home for the first time in January. I’m really excited.
How would you define “home”? Is it the people or the place that makes home?
The ambience and my mother’s face.
What are the typical emotions you go through when you’re homesick?
I’m just grumpy and I cry a lot. It is followed by multiple calls to my mother and questioning everything.
What parts of home make you homesick?
My everyday routine, the boring afternoons, bunking classes with my friends, football matches, and all the tiniest things. Weirdly enough, I also miss the things and places I never thought I would.
How do you cope with your homesickness?
I don’t. Home is the only thing I want when I’m feeling homesick. Every time I close my eyes and go to sleep in my dorm, I pray that when I open my eyes, I will be home.
Christopher Jensen (Germany/Singapore)
Christopher at the Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore
Where are you from? Home is…?
I am German, but I moved to Singapore when I was 8 and grew up there. So home is Singapore.
How long have you been at Jacobs?
Since September 2018
How often do you go home, if at all?
In 2018, I went home for every long holiday, including spring break! Takes about 14 hours including the layovers!
How would you define “home”? Is it the people or the place that makes home?
It would be a combination of the two, but at the end of the day home is where my family is.
What are the typical emotions you go through when you’re homesick? What do you think it is that makes you homesick?
I’m not sad when I’m homesick, it’s just a feeling of wanting to go away for a bit, to a place where I know the people and the food. My homesickness kicks in when I eat specific things or talk to people from the region.
What parts of home makes you homesick?
Apart from my family and the sense of familiarity, I miss the ocean and everything that comes with it.
How do you cope with your homesickness?
I call home, home calls me. It keeps me going until I catch my flight!
Maryam Mahjoub (Iran)
Maryam at home in Iran
Where are you from? Home is…?
I’m from Iran and home would also be Iran.
How long have you been at Jacobs?
I’ve been here for three years - I was a foundation year so now I’m in my second year.
How often do you go home, if at all?
Every break – spring, summer and winter!
How would you define “home”? Is it the people or the place that makes home?
For me, home is the place; I miss the culture, the people and the colour. I see my parents and my family often enough!
What are the typical emotions you go through when you’re homesick?
It’s a feeling of wanting to get out, especially when there is too much work. I also miss being able to communicate in my own language; I think being able to freely converse in your own language gives you a sense of warmth.
How do you cope with your homesickness?
The thing about Jacobs is that it is what you make it be. To cope with my homesickness, I celebrate the things I celebrate at home, I hang out with people from home.
BY USHASHI BASU (INDIA) | CLASS OF 2020
