HOMESICK: FRESHMEN’S ENEMY

Happiness spreads within high school students’ heart after final examination had been finished. In addition, they also feel happy when they are passed examination for entering university which they are dreamed. However, the happiness ends when they are on university, in point of fact is far from their home. There is not any option except living apart from parents in new place to go through education in university as they are dreamed.

Living in new place and far from parents is wonderful and unforgettable memories. Nevertheless, there is not any impressed experience without obstacle and challenge.

The first challenge which appears for the freshmen when stepping their feet on boarding house or dormitory is homesick which is a kind of feeling that miss their home. There are some symptoms of homesick:

• ·         Missing their home.

• ·         Feeling alone, depressed and restless.

• ·         Lack of concentration.

• ·         Feeling sick.

• ·         Suddenly crying

Those symptoms happen in certain moment, for instance:

• There is culture shock about campus world, actually when freshmen orientation, which assumed as the most harsh moment for freshmen.
• Bad mood will make it difficult to go undergo day by day when living apart from parents.
• When boarding house’s friends or dormitory’s friends go back to their home or they are visited by their parents.
• When financial problem emerges.

In some cases, homesick becomes haunting danger for the freshmen. Nonetheless, actually living apart from parents is wonderful experience which they must undergo at least once in their life.

Moreover, there are several points that will not let your homesick hampers your way to reach your dream and enjoy how beautiful campus world is.

Focus, Focus, Focus

Desire to go back home will appear within heart when homesick has been invaded. How great homesick is! It can blindfolded our brain about our purpose, why we are in here. In the place where we are far from parents we have purpose to study in campus for our dream. It is important thing to set our mind about purpose why we are here. Besides, we always remember which we stay in this new place for our future. When our purpose has been planted in our mind thus homesick will disappear slowly and replaced by spirit to reach our dream.

New Place, New Friend

Feeling alone is the main cause of homesick. That feeling appears since distance that separates us from our parents and everybody who makes us feel comfortable is not around us. However, that thing cannot be obstacle to have somebody who makes us comfortable. Making friend with others can be the way to get it, actually with people who fell homesick too. With the same background, which is homesick, can build relationship and solidarity to help decreasing homesick which always becomes frightening thing.

Busy, Busy and Busy

There are many organizations which becomes means to socialize with others in campus. Organization can be the exact place to make us busy and decreasing homesick which appears. Besides, organization is opened for all fresh men in university, thus through organization we can have many friends with different knowledge and social background. Meeting new friends, socialization and contributing on organization make ourselves becomes busy and there is not time to feel alone, moreover homesick.

Don’t Go Home Often

Though going back home only needs one hour or two hours, that thing can be reason to go home every time we feel alone, actually when we miss atmosphere at home. Even they will spend every holiday, although only one day, to go home due to homesick. Nevertheless, actually often going back home cannot effective. Going back home does not make our homesick decrease but it becomes worse. Feeling comfortable because we are on safety zone at home will make desire to going home is increased. Trying to go back home every once in a month and making friends with others can kill our homesick.

 

Keep in Touch

Avoiding contact with people at home to kill homesick is not the right way. However, keep in touch with people at home can be “medicine” when we miss our home. Development of IT make communication becomes unlimited. Whether phone calling is not enough to decrease our longing towards parents, we can use video call which make us face to face with our parents. At least, we can keep in touch with people at home by utilizing the modern technology.

Homesick is problem which makes freshmen are worried when living part from parents. Nevertheless, living apart from parents is parameter to measure our dependency level and maturity. Moreover, it can measure our tenacity towards new world that is “cruel”.

-dwina712-