Homesickness or Culture Shock? What's the Difference?

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Personally, before I studied abroad in England (Spring of 2017), I was very nervous because I thought that I would experience homesickness/culture shock and it would ruin my trip. Luckily, even though I did experience a bit of home sickness and culture shock, I definitely didn't let it ruin my time in England and in fact, it lead me to want to study abroad again (this time in Sweden).

Home Sickness:

Home Sickness, to me, basically means that you miss things back home. These things can include family, friends, your school, your way of life back at home, your country, your city, etc. When I studied abroad in England, I would say that I suffered more from homesickness rather than culture shock. Most of the time when I was missing family, friends, etc. back at home, I would leave my room and take a walk/exercise to take my mind off of it. If I wasn't in the mood to really exercise, I would watch a favorite tv show or movie and/or would FaceTime those I was missing. Thankfully, technology (like WhatsApp) has advanced enough so that even when we are thousands of miles away from our loved ones we can still see and talk to them as much as we would like.

Culture Shock:

I personally am experiencing more culture shock now while studying in Sweden. I believe this to be the case mainly because Swedish and American cultures are very different as compared to England. This doesn't mean that American and English cultures are the same, but for me, I had a much easier and faster time adjusting to the English culture rather than the Swedish (this is also due to language barriers). For example, it took me awhile to get used to the bus system in Malmö (Sweden). I am from an area in the U.S. where almost no one takes public transportation so it was harder for me to figure out where to go/how to get there/etc. especially when people didn't speak English and me with my poor Swedish language skills.

Facing homesickness/ culture shock doesn't mean that I have given up, it just means that some days are harder than others. Sometimes when studying abroad, we are so overwhelmed/excited/jet lagged/etc. that it takes awhile to really comprehend what we are actually doing and this is completely fine!

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For me, the number one piece of advice that I received (and you know, if you have studied abroad, that you receive LOTS of advice) is that you will feel homesickness/culture shock (this varies between people) and that is totally normal and okay. It doesn't matter whether you feel it your very first day or six months after you have returned back home, it is okay to feel overwhelmed by your new environment! By acknowledging these feelings, it helped me realize that I'm not alone and that most people feel this sometime before/during/or after studying abroad.

Other pieces of advice are getting involved on your campus (for example, join a club/sports team/gym/etc.), be active, call home, and travel (my personal favorite). Travelling doesn't have to mean going to another country but to a nearby town or just going to a new coffee/tea shop. It is about trying to feel at home in a new way. Finally, and most importantly, BREATHE! You are doing something unbelievably amazing! Most people who are going to college don't study abroad and you're one of the few who decided to step out of your comfort zone and experience another way of life!