Fighting off the feelings of homesickness

Shannon Copeland/Contributing Writer

Are you homesick? Well guess what, I am too!

Coming from a country with a population of under 3 million people to a State with over 18 million people, I honestly miss every face I know and don’t know.

Jamaica is a small island with a warm group of people who love life, food and music. We also have one of the best dishes in the world, Jerk Chicken. It’s always sunny in Jamaica and even the breeze sounds like music, reggae music. I know all my neighbors and the language they speak; plus, they never fail to let me know they used to see me in diapers.

Home is a memory that can never leave you, even if you leave your home.

So when I came to the US, I first thought, “who me, I’ll never miss Jamaica. I’m in a new country with new people and I’ll fit right in, no one will know I’m a foreigner,” as most foreigners think.

I learned the hard way, and to say I experienced culture shock or homesickness does not sum it all up. But when I miss Jamaica, the food and my family—especially my brother who is my best friend (sad, but he is)—I have a few things that I do, so I thought I would share some with you.

First, have friends from your home country; they’re the best way to remain sane when you feel like you’re losing your mind.

My best friend (not my brother) just happens to be Jamaican and when we talk on the phone, we lose track of time. We talk about our life back home and for those 3 hours, we reminisce about the past until it becomes the present. We laugh, we cry, we argue about school days and the home that seems a million miles away is now so tangible in front of us.

Second, do activities you did in your country, be it playing sports, watching movies or going to the beach.

I used to watch movies and TV series a lot with my brother and Smallville was the only television program that made going into my dad’s room with my brother a once in a lifetime event.

Why, you say? My dad actually smiled and on few occasions, he laughed out loud. My dad is not the easiest nut to crack and he came home before 5 p.m. just to watch “Smallville” together.

So when the homesick bug paid me a visit last year, I got all 10 seasons of “Smallville” and all those good memories came back; it’s as if I never left home.

Finally, and this is one thing that most people will agree with: food.

Cook a big dinner, invite all your friends, put on a movie you all know and love and have a good time.

If nothing can heal homesickness, food can.

opinion@fiusm.com