Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

Oh my goodness, yes.

I don't know if you have read 'Brick Lane', about a Bangladeshi woman struggling to come to terms with London. There is a line about being in a state where the days are a dream and real life comes at night.

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

For me it's the desire for familiarity

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

Just got back from a 2 week trip home yesterday. I've only been out in the States 2 years, but I've always been positive about living here, never really suffered from home sickness. But this time, wow. I think my new 5 month old daughter has added a lot to the mix. I feel a massive amount of guilt at taking her away from my mum and sister who totally dote after her. Seeing my grandad for what will almost certainly be the last time the way his health is. Also realizing how much I miss my friends after spending some quality time with them whilst I was back. For the first time since I moved over, I could cery easily move back. I'm hoping this feeling soon passes as it sucks!

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

Everything gets more complicated with kids I'm afraid.

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

You really are not kidding!

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

I think Rupert Brooke (who by the way, I am related to) said it best; 'If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is forever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England's, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home'. This really epitomizes my thoughts at least in regards to what is physically England. I know Mr. Brooke was a well traveled man, who actually himself died on foreign soil. Perhaps that's what is so frightening for me? Home will always be home after all. But he also seems to indicate by this quote that we take our home with us and internalize it wherever we are. Human nature called is it?

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

I was going to write something, but then I read this.
I wouldn't of said it any better! :goodpost:

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

Rosie Lee....and it gets worse as you get older because life becomes so much more complicated. No matter how many British shows I watch it doesn't help in fact it just renforces just how much I am missing. My niece went to London a couple of weeks ago she visited the theatre, museums and Hampton Court and loved it all.she just popped on the train and was in London within a couple of hours.... It made me so envious.....those things which we took for granted when we were younger are now out of reach....

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

This is what I would like, but it's funny how unfamiliar my hometown now feels for me when I'm there. I've only been away 9 years but sometimes it feels like forever. It's a strange thing this homesickness... when I'm here I wish I was home in Canada. When I'm there I can't wait to get back to Australia. It's almost like there's no home anymore.

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

Dorothy....I think once you make the move its never the same again especially if you have children. You are split in two forever more......"There is no place like home, but we're exactly is home:("

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

That's true. My kids (now young adults) are firmly settled here and it would be impossible for me to leave them. I know lots of people do it, but for me the thought of being 1/2 a world away from them is too much to bear.

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

I still have waves of homesickness... Nothing as bad as last year where without being over dramatic I felt like my heart was breaking I was so desperate to go home.

I still wish we had never come because now I know that Canada is better in most areas of our lives but I still miss our friends and family and my home so so much. I suspect now I will always feel this way.😢

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

Hitting the phase where friends' kids are getting married now, and *doh* theirs will be easily accessible.

It feels vere homely here though, even though it's not my original home area.

Re: Homesickness. What is it?
 

Hi, My wife and kids are ready to move to UK after having been in Saudi for 14 years. Kids were born here. While life is good here the homesickness has set in. In my case, I was born in Dubai so I used to think of Dubai as home but now after several visits there in last 14 years it does not seem that way. We are ready to go back to UK since both mine and my wife's extended families are there. Some people do feel reverse cultural shock when they return after several years and start missing the place they had just left.