Homesickness is quite a common thing that many international students experience because it is difficult for them to meet people they know. Especially if you are from a country that is far from the UK, it could be challenging due to the time and cost you need to go back, which makes it less easy to meet familiar people. Even though I am less likely to feel homesickness compared to people around me, I also experienced it. Therefore, I would like to share some things that helped me to overcome the tough time from the perspective of a Japanese international student studying at the University of Surrey.

List of Contents

• Talk about It
• Join a Cultural Society
• Meat Your Local Friend

Talk about It

Talking often helps you organise your thoughts and feelings, and you will have a clearer mind if you have something that is not easy to share with others. In my first week in the United Kingdom, I was having a tough time due to homesickness. Fortunately, I made friends with some students living near my flat one year before my arrival, and they kindly cared about my homesickness, so I was able to talk about the feelings stuck in my heart. They told me that many students also experience homesickness and feel down when they are alone. Therefore, talking to students you live close to, even the ones you have just met a few days ago, will help you feel that you are not alone. If you feel hesitant to talk to other students about your personal feelings, you can talk to people from helplines. For example, a few people from Samaritans, which is one of the helplines, visit the University of Surrey every week so that students can talk about anything. Additionally, the university offers various support services, including peer support groups, where fellow students are available to listen and provide guidance. Don’t hesitate to reach out; sometimes, just voicing your worries can significantly lighten your emotional load and pave the way to feeling more at home.

Join a Cultural Society

Cultural societies tend to have people from a specific country, which can make you connect with people from the same country. In the case of Japanese students, compared to some Asian countries, the number of people living in the United Kingdom is less due to the basic population difference, so it is a little more difficult to make new friends with Japanese people. Hence, you might feel a little left out or lonely when you see other people talking to individuals from their countries in their own languages. Therefore, joining a society related to your own country will help you find other students surviving in the UK so that you can help each other out when it is necessary. For example, there is a Japanese Society at the University of Surrey, which attracts not only Japanese students but also those interested in Japanese culture. This society organises events, cultural festivals, and social gatherings that can provide a sense of community and belonging. In addition, there are many other cultural societies representing various countries and regions. Joining one can help you feel at home, share your culture with others, and learn about new cultures, contributing to a supportive and diverse community.

Meet Your Local Friend

If you have someone you know in the United Kingdom, meeting up with them will be totally worth it even if you two live far away from each other. I had not been meeting up with anyone I knew from Japan until recently, as most of them lived far from my living location. However, when I met my friend whom I have known since high school, it felt like we were back where we were in Japan as soon as we found each other in person. That encounter brought a sense of familiarity and comfort that I had been missing. Reflecting on my experience, it would have helped me a lot if I had made the effort to meet up with familiar faces earlier in my academic year. If you are fortunate enough to have someone you know from your home country in the UK, reaching out to them can provide a sense of home and safety, making the transition to life in a new country much smoother.

Thank you very much for reading this far. I hope you will have a lovely day.