The countdown has begun! It's officially one month until I go home. Everything is starting to wrap itself up here in Japan, with my final exams and essays next week, and my starting to arrange to see people for the last time before I leave.
As you can imagine, I have very mixed feelings at the moment. I'm really sad to be leaving again, and anxious to make sure I do everything I want to while I still can, but at the same time I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and friends again, and being at home.
With ICU's last lesssons next week, I'm really looking forward to being able to enjoy myself without the pressure of essays and schoolwork etc, but I've had such an amazing time there I know I'm going to be really upset to leave.
Tomorrow after teaching I have a farewell party in the afternoon on campus, and then the last ever Soul Run get-together in the evening in Kichijoji. It's going to be so sad!
But I know that the people I've met will still be here, or spread across the world in places like California, New York and France (which obviously gives me an excuse to visit!), so it's not a goodbye forever. But it will feel like one, as my adventures in Japan come to an end, again.
But because I remember how it felt to leave two years ago, and I remember how it felt when I came back last summer and saw my old friends and my old house, and everywhere I love in Tokyo, I know that I can come back in the future, and hardly anything will have changed.
Or so I'm telling myself now, so I don't get upset!
For now, I can focus on the amazing month ahead of me, and the memories I have yet to make. It's going to be a good one!
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Friday, November 20, 2009
200th Post Spectacular: I'm Home!
I'm at home!! I'm sitting in my bed with a cup of tea in my favourite mug that my mum brought to me, listening to Radio 1, amazed that I'm here.
Five days ago I didn't think I'd see my home or family for another ten months, but here I am, just like I've never been in Japan!
I got up at 5am yesterday (it really doesn't feel like it was yesterday...) and had breakfast, put the very last things in my suitcase, and then headed up to the station. It was only 10 minutes or so to Kichijoji, where I was catching the bus to Narita airport. At first I couldn't find where the bus left from, so I asked at a police box and they took me just round the corner and I saw a long line of people waiting for the bus to arrive.
I saw the guy from ICU who I spoke to after getting my re-entry permit earlier in the week in the line and I chatted to him before joining the back. The bus came about five minutes later and it was exactly the same process as the Airport Limousine buses I got from Narita last year, show the man the ticket and tell him which terminal you're going to, get a receipt for the luggage and then get on and find a seat. It was actually an Odakyu bus, but it was doing the Airport service.
It was timetabled to take two hours, but it was more like an hour and a half, which was good. We went through Shinjuku and I saw the skyscaper district from a distance, which was an amazing view, seeing the buildings suddenly shoot up from the low-rise surroundings. Then we headed east to Ginza and I saw my old house from last year from the bridge over Sumida River!
At the airport, it was very easy to get through check-in and customs, and then I had a second breakfast in the same ramen restaurant near my gate that I ate at when I left Japan last August. It was very nostalgic!
My plane boarded at 10.30 and then left early at about 11am. I had checked-in online, so I'd chosen a seat near an emergency exit that didn't have a seat in front of it, so I had loads of legroom!
The flight went okay, and it didn't seem to take long, which was very welcome, as it was a 12 hour and 15 minute flight. I watched Independence Day, which I've seen about 15 times, but I can't resist watching it if I have the opportunity! And then I tried to sleep, but it didn't happen. I can never sleep on planes unless I'm really really tired.
There was a bit of turbulence over Europe, which wasn't very fun, but it only lasted about 25 minutes or so. And then I was back in Britain! I was staring out of the window with wide eyes at the British countryside, and then the Thames River and the Houses of Parliament as we came in to land.
There were no problems at Arrivals, but my baggage did take a while to come out onto the carousel. Apparently there was a security issue which delayed them, and I was praying it wasn't my bag, but thankfully it wasn't!
And then I came out and met my mum. It was wonderful! We had a long hug and then got some coffee and went to the car. I was really tired but it was a lovely drive home to Birmingham through the British countryside. It's so British!
We went straight to my old school for a quiz night where my youngest brother was doing a performance. I don't think I was any help with the answers, but it was fun. It was such a nice reunion with the rest of my family as well. People were staring at the many long hugs going on!
And then we went home and had a bit of dinner. I was so tired I couldn't really take in being in my home again, but it was so nice. So amazing to be back.
And then, after 26 hours of being awake, I could finally rest! And now here I am, in bed at home. Now I think I'll have some of my favourite cereal and watch some TV on our new sofas, before having fish and chips (so British) from our local chip shop for dinner and then going to my gran and grandad's house for the night with my dad.
The dream has begun!
Five days ago I didn't think I'd see my home or family for another ten months, but here I am, just like I've never been in Japan!
I got up at 5am yesterday (it really doesn't feel like it was yesterday...) and had breakfast, put the very last things in my suitcase, and then headed up to the station. It was only 10 minutes or so to Kichijoji, where I was catching the bus to Narita airport. At first I couldn't find where the bus left from, so I asked at a police box and they took me just round the corner and I saw a long line of people waiting for the bus to arrive.
I saw the guy from ICU who I spoke to after getting my re-entry permit earlier in the week in the line and I chatted to him before joining the back. The bus came about five minutes later and it was exactly the same process as the Airport Limousine buses I got from Narita last year, show the man the ticket and tell him which terminal you're going to, get a receipt for the luggage and then get on and find a seat. It was actually an Odakyu bus, but it was doing the Airport service.
It was timetabled to take two hours, but it was more like an hour and a half, which was good. We went through Shinjuku and I saw the skyscaper district from a distance, which was an amazing view, seeing the buildings suddenly shoot up from the low-rise surroundings. Then we headed east to Ginza and I saw my old house from last year from the bridge over Sumida River!
At the airport, it was very easy to get through check-in and customs, and then I had a second breakfast in the same ramen restaurant near my gate that I ate at when I left Japan last August. It was very nostalgic!
My plane boarded at 10.30 and then left early at about 11am. I had checked-in online, so I'd chosen a seat near an emergency exit that didn't have a seat in front of it, so I had loads of legroom!
The flight went okay, and it didn't seem to take long, which was very welcome, as it was a 12 hour and 15 minute flight. I watched Independence Day, which I've seen about 15 times, but I can't resist watching it if I have the opportunity! And then I tried to sleep, but it didn't happen. I can never sleep on planes unless I'm really really tired.
There was a bit of turbulence over Europe, which wasn't very fun, but it only lasted about 25 minutes or so. And then I was back in Britain! I was staring out of the window with wide eyes at the British countryside, and then the Thames River and the Houses of Parliament as we came in to land.
There were no problems at Arrivals, but my baggage did take a while to come out onto the carousel. Apparently there was a security issue which delayed them, and I was praying it wasn't my bag, but thankfully it wasn't!
And then I came out and met my mum. It was wonderful! We had a long hug and then got some coffee and went to the car. I was really tired but it was a lovely drive home to Birmingham through the British countryside. It's so British!
We went straight to my old school for a quiz night where my youngest brother was doing a performance. I don't think I was any help with the answers, but it was fun. It was such a nice reunion with the rest of my family as well. People were staring at the many long hugs going on!
And then we went home and had a bit of dinner. I was so tired I couldn't really take in being in my home again, but it was so nice. So amazing to be back.
And then, after 26 hours of being awake, I could finally rest! And now here I am, in bed at home. Now I think I'll have some of my favourite cereal and watch some TV on our new sofas, before having fish and chips (so British) from our local chip shop for dinner and then going to my gran and grandad's house for the night with my dad.
The dream has begun!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Japanese Re-Entry Permit
Because I'm leaving Japan but returning on the same visa, I need a re-entry permit (再入国許可, sainyuukoku kyoka) otherwise the visa would automatically be cancelled when I leave the country and when I come back it would only be on a tourist visa. This is true for student visas and working holiday visas, and probably work visas as well.
In order to get the re-entry permit, I had to go to my closest Regional Immigration Bureau (入国管理局, nyuukoku kanrikyoku), which thankfully wasn't too far away, in Tachikawa (立川). Last year I went to the other one in Tokyo, which was in the middle of nowhere in Shinagawa. Every area in Japan will have one of these Immigration Bureaus, but unfortunately if you live outside of the major cities, you may have to travel quite far to get to one. It's lucky that Tokyo has two!
To apply for a re-entry permit you need:
- an application form (available at the Immigration Bureau)
- passport with your Japanese visa inside
- Alien Card (外国人登録証明書, gaikokujin tourokushoumeisho, or just gaikokujin tourokusho)
- a special stamp (available at convenience stores)
- fee (Y3,000 for single re-entry, or Y6,000 for multiple)
So this morning I spoke to Wynne, an American girl who's in my class at ICU, and also lives in the same guesthouse as I do, because she went through the re-entry permit process a few weeks ago.
I went to my local city office (市役所, shiyakusho) to get a map and then took the train to Tachikawa. Following the instuctions on the map they gave me, I took the bus from stand #12 of the North exit of Tachikawa station bound for (北町, Kita-machi) and went to the 多摩車検場前 (Tama Shakenjou-mae) stop. The automatic announcements for this stop were in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, so obviously a lot of foreigners go there!
In order to get the re-entry permit you have to buy a special type of stamp from a convenience store. I found this very strange, but never mind, who am I to argue with the Japanese immigration laws! All the nearby shops seemed to sell the stamps, so I just went into one and asked for a 再入国許可のスタンプ (sainyuukoku kyoka no sutampu). I don't know if that was the correct way to ask in Japanese but they understood and asked if I wanted one for Y3,000 or Y6,000. The Y3,000 ones are for a single re-entry, which means you can leave Japan and come back once and continue using the same visa. The Y6,000 is for multiple re-entry, so you can leave and come back as many times as you want. This is the one I went for, because it's the same price as two singles, and I intend to go to China next year, and then if I go anywhere else I can do it without paying any extra money.
After buying the stamp, I asked the shop assistant where the Immigration Bureau was and she pointed me in the right direction. Once I was on that road it was clearly signed and only took about two minutes. It was quite a small building, with a foyer and a room to the right with a waiting area, a desk with three clerks serving people, and some tables with files of forms.
I took a form for re-entry permits and started to fill it in, when I realised that I should have taken a slip of paper from the ticket machine to lessen my waiting time. It took me a while to find the machine, but I knew there must be one because there was a screen with numbers being called. It turned out to be on the main desk, so I took one and I was 128, the number being served was 97. I finished filling out the form and sat down.
Two hours later I was served. I didn't mind the wait, because I know how frustrating bureaucracy can be, so I was patient.
The clerk asked to see my application form, passport, Alien Card and then asked me to affix the stamp to the form and sign it.
He then stuck a label in my passport, stapled a form into it and that was it. A whole two minutes! So it was quite an easy process, it just took a long time. I have to fill in the first section of the form stapled into my passport for when I leave Japan, and then the second section for when I return.
After getting the permit, I then walked back to the bus stop and waited for the bus back to Tachikawa station. Then a guy from Bangladesh started talking to me, because he said he recognised me from ICU! He was a graduate student and he had been in the Immigration Bureau getting a re-entry permit because he was returning home the same day as me! Our flights are 10 minutes apart and he's also getting a Limousine bus from Kichijoji on the same morning as me! We might be on the same bus, but I think I might be on the one before him. It was such a coincidence! Who knows, I might bump into him on Thursday!
When I got back I rang the Limousine bus company and officially reserved my ticket. It was my first phone conversation entirely in Japanese, and it was very scary! But I muddled through and, if I understood everything correctly, I have to go to Musashi Sakai before 2pm tomorrow and pick up the ticket. So I'll combine a trip to Higashi Koganei to pay my next month's rent tomorrow morning with picking it up.
And then on Wednesday I can check-in online in the morning, and then I'll cycle into ICU to use their printers and print my boarding pass. I'll also see if they have sorted out my work permit application so I can pick that up. Then in the afternoon I'll pack, and then get up at 5am on Thursday and fly back home!
It's all incredible! I really can't believe it's happening! I think the next post I write will be from Birmingham, probably when I wake up in my own bed, in my own room, in my own country! Wow, it's going to be amazing...
In order to get the re-entry permit, I had to go to my closest Regional Immigration Bureau (入国管理局, nyuukoku kanrikyoku), which thankfully wasn't too far away, in Tachikawa (立川). Last year I went to the other one in Tokyo, which was in the middle of nowhere in Shinagawa. Every area in Japan will have one of these Immigration Bureaus, but unfortunately if you live outside of the major cities, you may have to travel quite far to get to one. It's lucky that Tokyo has two!
To apply for a re-entry permit you need:
- an application form (available at the Immigration Bureau)
- passport with your Japanese visa inside
- Alien Card (外国人登録証明書, gaikokujin tourokushoumeisho, or just gaikokujin tourokusho)
- a special stamp (available at convenience stores)
- fee (Y3,000 for single re-entry, or Y6,000 for multiple)
So this morning I spoke to Wynne, an American girl who's in my class at ICU, and also lives in the same guesthouse as I do, because she went through the re-entry permit process a few weeks ago.
I went to my local city office (市役所, shiyakusho) to get a map and then took the train to Tachikawa. Following the instuctions on the map they gave me, I took the bus from stand #12 of the North exit of Tachikawa station bound for (北町, Kita-machi) and went to the 多摩車検場前 (Tama Shakenjou-mae) stop. The automatic announcements for this stop were in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, so obviously a lot of foreigners go there!
In order to get the re-entry permit you have to buy a special type of stamp from a convenience store. I found this very strange, but never mind, who am I to argue with the Japanese immigration laws! All the nearby shops seemed to sell the stamps, so I just went into one and asked for a 再入国許可のスタンプ (sainyuukoku kyoka no sutampu). I don't know if that was the correct way to ask in Japanese but they understood and asked if I wanted one for Y3,000 or Y6,000. The Y3,000 ones are for a single re-entry, which means you can leave Japan and come back once and continue using the same visa. The Y6,000 is for multiple re-entry, so you can leave and come back as many times as you want. This is the one I went for, because it's the same price as two singles, and I intend to go to China next year, and then if I go anywhere else I can do it without paying any extra money.
After buying the stamp, I asked the shop assistant where the Immigration Bureau was and she pointed me in the right direction. Once I was on that road it was clearly signed and only took about two minutes. It was quite a small building, with a foyer and a room to the right with a waiting area, a desk with three clerks serving people, and some tables with files of forms.
I took a form for re-entry permits and started to fill it in, when I realised that I should have taken a slip of paper from the ticket machine to lessen my waiting time. It took me a while to find the machine, but I knew there must be one because there was a screen with numbers being called. It turned out to be on the main desk, so I took one and I was 128, the number being served was 97. I finished filling out the form and sat down.
Two hours later I was served. I didn't mind the wait, because I know how frustrating bureaucracy can be, so I was patient.
The clerk asked to see my application form, passport, Alien Card and then asked me to affix the stamp to the form and sign it.
He then stuck a label in my passport, stapled a form into it and that was it. A whole two minutes! So it was quite an easy process, it just took a long time. I have to fill in the first section of the form stapled into my passport for when I leave Japan, and then the second section for when I return.
After getting the permit, I then walked back to the bus stop and waited for the bus back to Tachikawa station. Then a guy from Bangladesh started talking to me, because he said he recognised me from ICU! He was a graduate student and he had been in the Immigration Bureau getting a re-entry permit because he was returning home the same day as me! Our flights are 10 minutes apart and he's also getting a Limousine bus from Kichijoji on the same morning as me! We might be on the same bus, but I think I might be on the one before him. It was such a coincidence! Who knows, I might bump into him on Thursday!
When I got back I rang the Limousine bus company and officially reserved my ticket. It was my first phone conversation entirely in Japanese, and it was very scary! But I muddled through and, if I understood everything correctly, I have to go to Musashi Sakai before 2pm tomorrow and pick up the ticket. So I'll combine a trip to Higashi Koganei to pay my next month's rent tomorrow morning with picking it up.
And then on Wednesday I can check-in online in the morning, and then I'll cycle into ICU to use their printers and print my boarding pass. I'll also see if they have sorted out my work permit application so I can pick that up. Then in the afternoon I'll pack, and then get up at 5am on Thursday and fly back home!
It's all incredible! I really can't believe it's happening! I think the next post I write will be from Birmingham, probably when I wake up in my own bed, in my own room, in my own country! Wow, it's going to be amazing...
A Sudden Change in Plans!
Well here's a big surprise!
My exams finished on Friday, and that started a two and a half week school holiday. I was really relieved to finally have my exams all out of the way.
Then I was talking to my parents on Skype on Saturday evening and they surprised me by saying that they were going to pay for a flight home for this break! As you can imagine, I was completely overwhelmed! I didn't think I'd be going home for ten months!
But now, the flight is booked and I'm going home on Thursday morning for 12 nights! I can't get my head around it... But I'm so excited! I'll see my family, and my home, and my friends, and I'll be sure to go back to Cadbury World and see people I used to work with. And it coincides with a trip to my grandparents' house in Wiltshire, and also our annual family trip to Norfolk where we meet up with my mum's side of the family.
It will be incredible - I can't wait!
So now I have three days to sort everything out and pack, and then on Thursday morning I'm getting up early and heading off to Narita Airport! How amazing is that!?
My exams finished on Friday, and that started a two and a half week school holiday. I was really relieved to finally have my exams all out of the way.
Then I was talking to my parents on Skype on Saturday evening and they surprised me by saying that they were going to pay for a flight home for this break! As you can imagine, I was completely overwhelmed! I didn't think I'd be going home for ten months!
But now, the flight is booked and I'm going home on Thursday morning for 12 nights! I can't get my head around it... But I'm so excited! I'll see my family, and my home, and my friends, and I'll be sure to go back to Cadbury World and see people I used to work with. And it coincides with a trip to my grandparents' house in Wiltshire, and also our annual family trip to Norfolk where we meet up with my mum's side of the family.
It will be incredible - I can't wait!
So now I have three days to sort everything out and pack, and then on Thursday morning I'm getting up early and heading off to Narita Airport! How amazing is that!?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Exhaustion
This is something I forgot to write about when it actually happened, but I thought I should add it in retrospect.
After I got back from Japan on 7th August, I went on holiday with my family to Norfolk on the 10th. I was okay for the first two or so days there, but then I became so tired every day. I ended up sleeping for around 10 hours every night, and then anything except sitting around and eating made me tired.
It wasn't very pleasant because I sometimes had to take a nap after going out to recharge some lost energy.
If you experience this, don't worry, because it passed after a week and then my sleep pattern was normal and I had energy in the day again.
I guess it was just caused by the stress and everything finally ending once I was back at home. I was so busy during that last month in Japan, I didn't had time to relax or reflect on anything.
It may have just been me though, so don't take it for granted that you will be that tired once you return from travelling!
After I got back from Japan on 7th August, I went on holiday with my family to Norfolk on the 10th. I was okay for the first two or so days there, but then I became so tired every day. I ended up sleeping for around 10 hours every night, and then anything except sitting around and eating made me tired.
It wasn't very pleasant because I sometimes had to take a nap after going out to recharge some lost energy.
If you experience this, don't worry, because it passed after a week and then my sleep pattern was normal and I had energy in the day again.
I guess it was just caused by the stress and everything finally ending once I was back at home. I was so busy during that last month in Japan, I didn't had time to relax or reflect on anything.
It may have just been me though, so don't take it for granted that you will be that tired once you return from travelling!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Time Again
I have been here a month today.
What a weird feeling!
I know I've said that before but it really is. I haven't had time to take in half the things I've seen and done, and whenever I think about the trip I feel like I haven't started it yet and I'm still nervous about going! Really really strange...
I think I'll only be able to truly look back on everything when I go home (hopefully in August if everything goes to plan) because it's all too present and happening now. The pace of life is so quick, and it's jobs one day, and touristing the next, there's no time to stop and just think.
I can't believe I've been here for a month. Time has gone quickly, definitely. Much much quicker than I expected.
And still no walls! I've thought about what it would be like to pack my bags, catch a bus from Tokyo City Air Terminal down the road, and catch the first available flight back to the UK, but that was just a passing thought, no reality in it. Besides, I didn't like the outcome of that. I imagined how nice it would be to be in my house, then sleep in my bed, and wake up with my family, but then... what would I do? Teach an English lesson in one of the world's busiest stations, then go for a wander through Ueno Park, visiting the Tokyo National Museum? Not likely in Northfield!
I wonder if time will slow down from now, once I start working, or if it will stay at this fast pace. The days blended into each other when I worked at Cadbury World, but maybe because teaching is more dynamic and creative, it will be different?
Only time will tell. Yes, time!
What a weird feeling!
I know I've said that before but it really is. I haven't had time to take in half the things I've seen and done, and whenever I think about the trip I feel like I haven't started it yet and I'm still nervous about going! Really really strange...
I think I'll only be able to truly look back on everything when I go home (hopefully in August if everything goes to plan) because it's all too present and happening now. The pace of life is so quick, and it's jobs one day, and touristing the next, there's no time to stop and just think.
I can't believe I've been here for a month. Time has gone quickly, definitely. Much much quicker than I expected.
And still no walls! I've thought about what it would be like to pack my bags, catch a bus from Tokyo City Air Terminal down the road, and catch the first available flight back to the UK, but that was just a passing thought, no reality in it. Besides, I didn't like the outcome of that. I imagined how nice it would be to be in my house, then sleep in my bed, and wake up with my family, but then... what would I do? Teach an English lesson in one of the world's busiest stations, then go for a wander through Ueno Park, visiting the Tokyo National Museum? Not likely in Northfield!
I wonder if time will slow down from now, once I start working, or if it will stay at this fast pace. The days blended into each other when I worked at Cadbury World, but maybe because teaching is more dynamic and creative, it will be different?
Only time will tell. Yes, time!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Homesickness
I bet you were wondering how long it would be before I wrote a post with that title.
The good news is that it's not too bad at the moment. (I might regret saying that.)
I arrived in Japan three weeks ago today. That's the longest I've ever been away from home (and that was with my family). I wrote a post about how distorted time has been for me last week and it's no different for me now. It feels like I've been here a day, or a lifetime, depending on how I look at it.
Missing home strikes me worst at certain times; when I'm trying to get to sleep, in the shower and when I see a picture of something from home randomly. I haven't hit any walls and thought, "Right. That's it. Done Tokyo. I'm going home." or anything yet. I've heard three months is tough, but it strikes people at different times - people I've spoken to have said that Day Six or Week Two were hard for them.
There are things that I do to try to resist homesickness and so far, they've worked.
Watching an episode of Family Guy every night on Family Guy Now.com has been great. I know that whatever happens during the day, nothing will stop me from watching Family Guy before going to sleep. I tried to watch programmes on 4oD and the BBC's iPlayer but they are only available in the UK.
Bringing sentimental things from home e.g. a favourite mug, helps me feel connected.
MSN Messenger is great! It helps me keep in contact with friends and family, as does Facebook. But even better than them is Skype. I have been able to talk to my family, having live conversations with video and audio, for free since I downloaded it two weeks ago. Being able to see my house and family makes me feel like I never really left. I heartily recommend it if you go away anywhere.
Listening to radio online. I like the UK's Radio 1 which you can listen to online. I use the listen-again facility and find the show that would be on at the time I am at, even if it's 6am in the UK, I can listen to Edith Bowman, who would be on at 3pm. That does mean that I am a day behind so I get all the old news and all the wrong days and dates. But at least the time is right! That helped me get over my jetlag too.
It's easier said than done, but taking each day at a time works. Not thinking, right, I've been here two weeks, only 29 to go, but focussing on what I've got to do right now. Living in the moment. Which is hard to do if I'm nervous or stressed about something, but, if you can, it's a good way to look at things.
I know it sounds cheap and cliched, but songs mean more to me now. In particular, 'Change' by The Sugababes (I know), 'Oh My God' by Lily Allen and Mark Ronson (I don't like the original) and 'The Journey Continues' by Mark Brown feat. Sarah Cracknell (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha - I'm not laughing, if you hear the song, you'll know what I mean).
I'm not sure when I'll hit my wall, or if I will, or what will come of it, but I do know that tomorrow is another day, and that's all I've got to think about.
The good news is that it's not too bad at the moment. (I might regret saying that.)
I arrived in Japan three weeks ago today. That's the longest I've ever been away from home (and that was with my family). I wrote a post about how distorted time has been for me last week and it's no different for me now. It feels like I've been here a day, or a lifetime, depending on how I look at it.
Missing home strikes me worst at certain times; when I'm trying to get to sleep, in the shower and when I see a picture of something from home randomly. I haven't hit any walls and thought, "Right. That's it. Done Tokyo. I'm going home." or anything yet. I've heard three months is tough, but it strikes people at different times - people I've spoken to have said that Day Six or Week Two were hard for them.
There are things that I do to try to resist homesickness and so far, they've worked.
Watching an episode of Family Guy every night on Family Guy Now.com has been great. I know that whatever happens during the day, nothing will stop me from watching Family Guy before going to sleep. I tried to watch programmes on 4oD and the BBC's iPlayer but they are only available in the UK.
Bringing sentimental things from home e.g. a favourite mug, helps me feel connected.
MSN Messenger is great! It helps me keep in contact with friends and family, as does Facebook. But even better than them is Skype. I have been able to talk to my family, having live conversations with video and audio, for free since I downloaded it two weeks ago. Being able to see my house and family makes me feel like I never really left. I heartily recommend it if you go away anywhere.
Listening to radio online. I like the UK's Radio 1 which you can listen to online. I use the listen-again facility and find the show that would be on at the time I am at, even if it's 6am in the UK, I can listen to Edith Bowman, who would be on at 3pm. That does mean that I am a day behind so I get all the old news and all the wrong days and dates. But at least the time is right! That helped me get over my jetlag too.
It's easier said than done, but taking each day at a time works. Not thinking, right, I've been here two weeks, only 29 to go, but focussing on what I've got to do right now. Living in the moment. Which is hard to do if I'm nervous or stressed about something, but, if you can, it's a good way to look at things.
I know it sounds cheap and cliched, but songs mean more to me now. In particular, 'Change' by The Sugababes (I know), 'Oh My God' by Lily Allen and Mark Ronson (I don't like the original) and 'The Journey Continues' by Mark Brown feat. Sarah Cracknell (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha - I'm not laughing, if you hear the song, you'll know what I mean).
I'm not sure when I'll hit my wall, or if I will, or what will come of it, but I do know that tomorrow is another day, and that's all I've got to think about.
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