Homesickness

This has been a really long hard week.

*sigh*

I was reading my friend's blog the other day. She's very recently moved to another city and seems to be struggling. Not to fit in, but with not knowing anyone.

Moving to a new place has never been a MASSIVE deal for me. I mean, it is a big deal but I seem to be able to adapt really quickly. And I never really suffer from homesickness....I tend to miss a lot of material things about home but my friend seems to be really having problems.

It's not like she hasn't been on her own before. But when she's moved in the past, it's always been within the same area or country. Now she has been moved somewhere completely different where she knows only one person. And that person is too busy to have a social life apparently.

I think it puts a lot of pressure on that one person that she knows.

It was different for me when I came to Japan. I mean, I was alone in that I didn't know anyone, but you come over here with other people and there are loads of welcome parties and stuff where you get introduced to a lot of people. And then you start to make your own friends.

I really miss some of the people who have left. And I've been thinking about them a lot recently. I'm not sure what's triggered it off but things just feel so much different than they did a year ago. It's not necessarily bad, just different. But that's what happens with this job. People come and go every year. Nothing is ever permanent here in that respect.

i just really want some of those people back. 2 people in particular. No names - you know me!!
I really miss them and being here without them is hard sometimes. Everyone in your life here has a different 'function'. You go to different people for different things. And the types of things I would talk to those 2 people about I don't seem to be able to talk about with anyone else.

It's hard sometimes. But there's bugger all you can do about it, so you just have to suck it up.

Back to my friend.

I always thought she was a pretty strong person. But moving away has revealed just how vulnerable she really is. She misses her home like you wouldn't believe and she only left about a month ago. Still a short time I guess. I know a couple of JETs who were homesick for the first 5 or 6 months. So she will adapt eventually. It just makes me sad to read about how unhappy she is being in a new environment.

I hope she starts to feel better about things soon.

You take care honey.

xx