The Plague: Homesickness

It is a battlefield, simply put. The players: you and yourself. Everybody feels it, everybody fights it, and eventually, everybody overcomes it. It is a like when a soldier is asked if he is scared before going into war and if he answers "no", you know he is lying. Those who acknowledge their surroundings, and better yet, that within them, are more likely to find success and peace in the end. I am acknowledging my undeniable, full on case of homesickness. It is a dreadful thing, homesickness. It frustrates you. It depresses you. It raises questions within yourself you didn't know existed. Yet, as with all things, there is some good to be found in it. Homesickness makes us stronger as people. It strengthens bonds. It makes us fight harder and teaches us valuable lessons. After every great fall, there is an even greater uplifting. We learn when we fall. And the concern becomes not so focused on the fall but rather if we can pick ourselves up and what we gain from it. I fell into homesickness, and I am picking myself up. I am learning about myself and the things I need to do in order to better myself.

Every morning I will wake up better and happier than the one before.

I will smile instead of frown.

I will stop comparing. I did not come here to be a judge, but rather to learn, to merge.

Less Internet time, more personal time.

Stop being concerned about what is going on at home. I will miss out on what is going on right under my nose. I came here to be involved here, not there.

Do not be afraid to ask them to slow down when they talk and tell them you can't understand.

Ask questions. Engage yourself.

Leave the house at least once each day, even if it is only walking Pepita around the block.

I said it before but GET INVOLVED.

Be open to meet new people, go to new places and see new things.

Don't get frustrated when things run on "Brasil Time". You are IN Brasil, you are ON Brasil time and that is where you are SUPPOSED to be.

Don't think about what you could have done, where you could have gone. It doesn't matter. What matters is the NOW.

Lose focus on the future, gain insight on the present.

Practice Portuguese.

Be persistent. They won't reach out to you, you are going to have to make the effort to make friends yourself.

If they don't want to hang out or meet, then get over it. Try somebody else.

Take photos. Take them in black and white. Take themed photos.

Go to a museum, even if you have already gone before. There could be something you missed. And it always offers a good chance for people watching.

Stop being so tight with your money. This is your one chance. Take it.

Do not think about how this is holding you back, rather how it is opening new windows of opportunity and pushing you forward.

You did not come here for the education. You came for the experience. Stop stressing about school.

Travel. Travel. Travel.

Try something new each day.

Eat something new each day.

Get in touch with the "Third World" side of the country. That's what you have always wanted to do anyhow, why not start now?!

Be extra polite. Smile more often.

Give up your seat to somebody else on the bus.

Engage in conversation instead of plugging in the iPod and tuning everybody out.

Listen to some local music.

Cook a meal every so often.

Watch a movie in their language.

Lean on him, but do not depend on him.

Treat yourself to a much needed Skype date with him every now and then.

Stop viewing it as "them" and "us". You are one of "them" now. Act like it.

You do not have to accept their culture, but try to understand it.

Write in your journal. VENT to it. But make sure after every entry you end it with a positive thing, even if it is just a motivational quote.

Stop looking at it as impossible. Start thinking of it as a challenge you can and will overcome.

You can do anything you set your mind to.

Pace yourself. Embrace yourself. FACE yourself.