To those who will miss home while studying abroad,

At some point during your college experience, you may have the opportunity to travel the world and study abroad. Maybe you'll get to go to England, China, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Ecuador; the possibilities are endless. If you get the opportunity, jump at the chance and don't look back. It can be the best experience of your life. If you are lucky enough to get the opportunity, college is one of the best times to take advantage of studying abroad. It is scary. It is hard. It is also worth it. If you're going alone, it is perhaps even scarier, harder, and more worth it.

Traveling and studying abroad is all about self-discovery. You will come to find strengths and abilities that you didn't know you had. Touch every corner of the world. It will change who you are. You will come to experience and appreciate cultures in a way you never believed to be possible. The hard part? You may miss home. By home, I mean important people in your life. That's OK. Be thankful that you are able to miss a home with people so special and worth having. Homesickness is one of the worst feelings you can experience. Let the emotion flow, but don't let it stop you from experiencing the world. I promise that you will be OK. Find ways to keep pieces of home with you by taking pictures of your friends and family or writing to your people back home. Even if you will get homesick, the experience you will have is so worth it. Though you won't be able to simply drive home, thank goodness for FaceTime and Skype to make contact with friends and family so much easier. Hang in there through the homesickness. It will pass, at least a little bit. Being in another place will also not last forever- it is only temporary.

During your time abroad, you will get to collect stories, experiences, and memories that will last a lifetime. Let this new place become a new sort of home for you. Soak in the culture and people, and it will become a part of your very existence. You will get to go places that are historically significant or breathtakingly beautiful that otherwise, you would not experience. You are a part of this world, and while you're in it- you should see it. Just know that there are people rooting for you to succeed and watching over you from afar. You will get to share your stories with friends and family, and they will be so proud of you for being brave enough to travel like you did. You will feel strong and courageous, and feel as though you can take on the world. Nothing tops that feeling. The best part? You get to come home in the end.

From,

A former homesick traveling girl