Being an expat isn’t always all sunshine and siestas. (Sorry Cat, but couldn’t help myself, this name is too good!)
Sure our lives can be glamorous, but us expats still have all the complications of day-to-day life, we’re simply doing it in a foreign place.
Making a life for yourself in a foreign city can be hard. It’s new. It’s unfamiliar. It’s different. You may not understand the language and doing simple daily tasks becomes exhausting.
Sometimes no matter how much you love your current situation (I’m truly obsessed with Madrid), you miss home. You just can’t help it.
I’d being lying if I said I never found myself moping around humming the Cheers theme song:
‘Sometimes you wanna go..
Where everybody knows your name
And they’re always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
The troubles are all the same.
You wanna be where everybody knows your name’
Us expats have become all too familiar with this feeling. It’s inevitable.
But, what can you do when homesickness strikes abroad? What are some ways to pull yourself out of that slump?
Well, let’s be serious, does it surprise you that I battle my homesickness with food? It shouldn’t.
When I’ve had a long week, a bad day at work, or am simply just missing my friends and family, I like to indulge in some of my favorite comfort foods. After all it’s called comfort food for a reason, right? I keep a few easy staples around the house for when I need them most. (My go-tos are Jiffy Peanut Butter, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup and Kraft Mac and Cheese) This way if I’m feeling particularly blue one day, I don’t have to go out of my way and find them- they’re right there waiting in my closet. I absolutely love Spanish food, but sometimes I just need to give into the growls from my hungry tummy with tastes of home. Give in every once in a while and you’ll be feeling better before you know it!
Looking for American food in Madrid?
Taste of America– the best place to find typical brands from home. A little pricey, but hey when you’re craving a particular brand this is where to go. Come here for your Kraft, Jiffy, Betty Crocker, etc.
Be Sweet– here you’ll find every type of movie theatre sweet you could dream of! Get your Popsecret, Willy Wonka and Hersey’s right in the heart of Malasaña!
Juicy Ave– finally, BAGELS!!!!!! Maybe they’re not the fresh, out-of the-oven gooey NY bagels I’m used to- but they’re bagels! Weeeeeeeee (Sorry, I’m a bit of a bagel snob)
Carmencita, Toast, Federal– awesome American-style brunch spots. Sometimes you just need your usual greasy breakfast foods to cure that Spain induced hangover.
Tierra– if you’re a Chipotle fanatic this place is for you! Burrito heaven. They’re supposedly even owned by the same person!
Check out what my fellow Madrileño expats had to say!
Whenever I’m feeling particularly homesick, the thing that helps me the most is getting out of the house and exploring. A simple walk around the block does wonders for reducing my homesickness, so you can imagine how great it feels to squeeze in an entire day of adventures around the city. Not only does getting out and exploring cause me to fall more and more in love with Madrid, but it also makes it feel more like home. Every new restaurant, café and plaza I discover makes the city feel a bit more like my own. The more I feel at home in Madrid, the less I focus on missing the States.”
Courtney of Adelante
Courtney also has her very own post “Surviving Homesickness in Madrid!”
When I was living in Madrid, I started to feel very homesick right around January, just after the holidays. Before I lived in Spain, I had taken up photography as a hobby in college. I had worked for a wedding photographer and part of me really missed that part of my life. I had my camera with me in Madrid, so one Sunday, after moping around and feeling homesick for a week, I decided to get out and do something I knew would remind me of home and make me happy! I even went as far as to create a website/blog and promoted my new little business on the Auxiliar Facebook page! I started by telling people I would take their photos for free and this led to many new friendships and kept me so busy with photo shoots and meeting new people that I forgot how homesick I was beforehand! So my advice is to think of a hobby that you love, something you’ve done most of your life or something that reminds you of home.”
Shea McGrath of SheaMcGrath.com
Life as a language assistant can get a bit redundant: get up, go to work, teach private classes, home to bed, then wake up and do it all over again. Weekends are great for a small reprieve, but when homesickness hits galavanting through your go-to cafes, bars or restaurants don’t have the same charm as they usually do. Get over your homesickness by reigniting your sense of wonder, and take a trip to a previously unexplored location.
Madrid is a great base for travelling to western European countries. London, Paris, Rome and Malta are all less than 3 hours away by plane. If you’re low on time or funds, take the chance to discover more of Spain. Trains and buses departing from Atocha, Méndez Álvaro or Chamartin lead to every major Spanish city and the many pueblos in between.”
-Estrella of Estrella Explores
For me homesickness only strikes when it’s my own doing. Perhaps it’s because I have no plans for the day, the weather is miserable or I’m in bed feeling sorry for myself after a big night out. To beat it, I make a point to recognize why I’m in a funk, and then solve the problem. Often all it takes is a simple whatsapp to a friend to organise a wee coffee or wine date. Being social, trying new places (eating lots of delicious food) and just generally making the most of my time in Madrid, helps me appreciate how lucky I am to be here, and keeps me positive.”
-Liz of Passport Packed
All of this advice may be geared towards Madrid, but it’s easily adaptable to wherever you may be!
Hope this helps! Does anyone have any other tips for combating homesickness?!
Linkin’ up for Travel Tuesday today!
A really helpful post and all of it is just spot on. I’ve found myself thinking more than once in the past week, “what am I even doing here?” which made me ask (about the past), “what was I even doing THERE?” Touche, self. I do crave that “Cheers” feeling (I’ve actually had dreams about a ‘coming home party’ in my favorite Cheers-like bar) but for now I’m going to try really hard to make here work 🙂
All we can do is try to be happy where we may be at the moment! Thanks for stopping by Cynthia! 😀
Love, love, love this post! I think people are under the impression that expat life is all travels, sunshine and exotic pictures, and even though it partly is, it’s oftentimes a lot of homesickness (and infamous FOMO!) I like to go for a walk in a new part of town that I haven’t explored yet or better yet visit an iconic landmark in Sydney to remind myself how special the experience is and how blessed I am. FaceTime with friends and family always helps too 🙂
UGH the infamous FOMO! I know this feeling all to well. I love exploring new things! It reminds me why I’m here in the first place! Thanks for reading 😀
Great post and tips! Definitely get out and explore and spend time with your friends and/or significant other. I don’t get homesick too often but when I do it’s because I am moping around by myself.
Being lonely is definitely the worst! Whenever I meet up with friends I instantly feel better!
These are all great tips, and ones that I personally utilize while in Sweden. I’ve found that being social can help- at times- but it can also be a curse. When I am the most homesick, I avoid social media- it often presents such a golden and unrealistic picture from home, that skipping out on it a few days can greatly benefit. After all, we are still having the time of our lives abroad!
Social Media is the worst! Seeing all of my friends together gives me incredible FOMO! But you’re right, it’s so unrealistic. We’re only missing out on a few select moments! 😀
These are greeat tips, I also have a stash of comfort food readily available!!
Comfort food is a must!
Aww Cheers! 🙂
When I get homesick I try to distract myself in some way – be it exploring, friends, hobbies… you’ve got it all covered in this post!
Thanks Marianne!! ;D
What a beautiful post! I am not even American and I find my eyes misting up when I hear that song and the homesickness starting! I love you our ideas there!
Thanks! Hope they can help!
Great advice! I find living abroad I get the most homesick on Thanksgiving. But a combination of being social and getting a taste of comfort food from home do the trick for me usually. So luckily around Thanksgiving, the weekend will come and I celebrate it with friends in Paris, combating homesickness with both methods! Great tips that can be applied at any time.
And I love that you’re a bagel snob! My friends laugh, but coming from NJ I have some very high standards 🙂
The bagels from Spain are actually frozen and flown in from NJ. Just not the same as the originals ….. We can’t help it, we’ve tasted greatness! ;p
Haha how funny! Love that NJ is sharing the bagel love to Spain, even if they are frozen. I finally found a place in Paris making legit bagels – not quite as good as NJ, but pretty darn delicious!
We gotta take what we can get over here! 😀
I agree with the getting out and walking around/trying to be social especially. It’s SO easy to get down when you’re in your room on the Internet checking social media because the weather is bad or some other reason. I lived in Argentina and never started to miss home until it became winter there and summer in the States – I would see photos of all my friends on the beach back home and feel ready to go back. Walking around and seeing your awesome neighborhood and friends where you are helps!
Getting out and exploring always gets me out of the homesick funk! thanks for sharing 😀
Lovely post 🙂 I found, when I lived in Chile, that going to do something new helped with homesickness, even just trying a new ice-cream flavour or walking down a new road. That helped to remind me about the positives of living somewhere different and having so many new, daily discoveries.
Such a good idea! Sometimes you need to experience something new (no matter how small) to remind you why you’re abroad in the first place!
Great post! I’ve gotten homesick a few times this year and have used a combination of all of these things to get me feeling better. I just wish I had more options for some American comfort food here in Logroño. Maybe I’ll have to stock up when I visit Madrid!
It must be hard to find international food in a small town like Logroño! The food is super expensive here, but honestly sometimes you just need to give into a craving!
These are all great tips!
I was feeling so stressed with life last week trying to get a job in Australia that this week I have been eating comfort foods from home (all the ones full of cheese, pasta, and sugar). Sometimes a taste of home is just what i need to get me out of the slump.
Oh no! I hope you’re doing better! Cheesy carbo-loading is always my go to! Hey, if it helps, it helps, right?!