LucilleLelant

I joined this group because I'm living in Kentucky. I moved here to live with my husband. I've been feeling really home sick recently and wanted to find a group of people who have also moved across from the UK and could understand what I'm going though. I've been working for a year now but still having trouble making friends.

caretaker

Welcome to the forum!

anotherlimey

Hi Lucille, you are not alone here, most have been through the same experiences

KK85

Hi Lucille!

I'm Kate - I very recently moved to Pennsylvania from the UK (I lived in Cardiff most recently, but am originally from Somerset). I'm so sorry you're feeling a little blue. I'm still new to expatdom, so I don't have much to offer in the way of knowledge or wisdom when it comes to overcoming homesickness, but I do know you are far from alone on these boards. I often read of people recommending watching your beloved TV shows from back home, importing some favourite UK comfort foods, making video-calls with loved ones; I also read of people recommending the complete opposite (some vow to NOT indulge in the aforementioned nostalgia-binge!), and to embrace your new environment with meet-up groups, clubs, or volunteer work, especially when it comes to making friends.

Whatever you think might work for you best, I hope you can find the means and the will to do it, and I hope something helps. Know you are not alone. And I always find it comforting to remind myself that everything is temporary - 'this too shall pass', 'n' all that - and this will be just a blip, and you'll be out on the other side in no time, wherever that might be.

Good luck! And welcome to BE.

Kneeno

I know what you mean and I've been here just over 6 years now! There's actually 3 of us Brits in our small Kentucky town so that makes it a lot easier at times. Just silly things like off-the-cuff one liners that mean nothing to any surrounding Americans but can have us in tucks of laughter. Little victories make the homesickness a lot more bearable.

Whereabouts in Ky and if we can be of any help we certainly will try?

SultanOfSwing

Hello, welcome to BE. Hopefully you like it here and stick around for a while, we always like it when new people come along. Especially since we're all bored of each other now ...

Seriously though, I know what it's like when the homesickness creeps up on you. I moved over here on a K1 in 2005 and after a couple of years it hit me pretty hard, which was totally unexpected because I was in fully-immersed US overload from the time I first visited here but I think it was a combination of stress at work and our first trip to the UK since I moved out that brought it on. It can, and does, go away though over time.

CAdreaming

Hello and welcome. I don’t really have pearls of wisdom but just a few of my own experiences. It gets better!!! I’ve been here nearly 7 years and the homesickness never goes but one does indeed adapt to life in the USA and it miraculously becomes home. For me it was a slow process and sort of crept up on me. Working certainly helps and just coming to terms with the fact that we are the same.. but different. I also joined some meetup groups and have met some nice people. I’m very lucky in that I can go back every year and whatsapp is a lifesaver for keeping relationships alive. I’m in touch with friends daily... really about 8 times a day!!! Hang in there and when in Rome ...

Bob

Welcome to BE!

BenK91

Welcome!

Perfectly normal to feel homesick. I've lived in the US for a little over a year and I still miss things about home. We recently just got back from the UK as we went over for Christmas. Definitely made me a little more homesick once we returned to the UK but again, perfectly normal and many people on BE can sympathize

excpomea

Welcome,
Took me about 18 months before I was settled.

markonline1

I’m one of those that love it out here, took to it like a duck to water. Having been here 5 years now, I still check my sky news app daily, but find myself watching less and less
UK tv. That being said, I literally dropped my mum off at the airport 2 hours ago. She’s just texted to say she’s boarding. The urge to just dump the car and get on that plane was huge. As is the way whenever anyone comes out to visit, the homesickness is gonna kill me for the next 48 hours until it starts to subside again, only to rare up the next time someone comes out to visit. I don’t miss the UK, and it already sounds like things have changed a lot since I left, but I don’t think missing friends and loved ones ever subsides. It’s the one thing that completely sucks about being an expat.

Kneeno

I agree. I can go back home for a couple of weeks holiday and get my fix of fish n chips, pasties and pies etc but it's leaving the people that really hurts. Sure social media helps but not having that everyday contact is the kicker.

As I said earlier in the thread there's 3 of us Brits in our small town and the most recent arrival I work with regularly so that helps a lot.