An internship abroad means being confronted with many new things, but especially with yourself. Some students experience homesickness at the start of their internship. Also students who have never been bothered by it before in their lives. Homesickness is unpredictable and especially difficult to explain to others. If you’ve never been bothered by it, you have no idea how annoying this can be. It is a kind of monster that stirs at the most unexpected moments and can paralyze you completely.
Joyce’s experience
I can still remember as if it were yesterday that I went to England as a 15-year-old to work as an au pair for a month. At that time, there were no mobile phones and calling from a landline was still very expensive. So I could make a short call home at most once a week, and that from the living room of the family and not from my own room or bed. When I called home and heard my mother’s voice, I would always cry. My mother then pretended not to hear and started asking me all sorts of questions until I got myself back together. Not once did she ask if I wanted to go home and I’m glad she didn’t.
It was a very difficult time and the month seemed like a year, but I never wanted to miss it. Because I had to look for a way to feel at home a bit and to give my sadness a place. I loved to write even then, so keeping a diary was one of the ways to express myself and I wrote letters to family and friends.
Distraction
I also went hiking and cycling and of course I played with the boys of five and seven in the family. Distraction always helped and a bit of crying every now and then also relieved. Giving up was just not an option and with willpower you can do a lot was my motto. There is only one way to overcome homesickness and that is right through it. That’s how I still think about it, by the way.
Nowadays I have been living abroad for years and have not had a day of homesickness! Within the JongLeren team, I am therefore the person to whom students can go if they are homesick. In addition to being an expert by experience, I am also trained as a coach. So I understand what they are going through and can help them overcome the homesickness.
Coaching session
There are students who, after such a coaching session, choose to tackle this special period in their lives with both hands. They allow themselves a coaching trajectory. In such a case, we clarify the coaching question and agree on how many sessions we think we need. Coaching takes place on a nice terrace, somewhere indoors, but can also be done online. The sessions are flexible in length and are tracked per minute, so students keep track of their ‘coach credit’ and every minute is spent usefully.
Would you like to know more about coaching during your internship abroad? Take a look at our ‘coaching‘ page!
