Boredom = Homesick

As of today, I only have one month left in Spain. We are at the exam point in the academic year, meaning we no longer have classes, just studying and the occasional exam. I’ve already finished one exam, and my two pending exams don’t require much studying. So I have absolutely nothing to do during the day, therefore, I spend ridiculous amounts of time on Facebook, try to work out every day, and just look for random stuff today. Even then, I end up bored before the day is over. For the past two weeks I have been almost overcome by homesickness. So I present you with this lesson:

Boredom = Homesick

To solve this little problem. I registered through my home university for an online History class to help me get ahead on credits and have something to do for the last month I have here. Because I’m a nerd, this made sense to me. But if you not like me, here are some random tips on how to avoid boredom, and thus, homesickness.

· * Go out! Don’t just sit at home and twiddle your thumbs.

· *Don’t constantly stare at old pictures of you and your friends before you came abroad. Instead, make a slide show of your memories here. You can even show it to your friends and family when you get home.

· *Resist the urge to Skype your friends and family more than once a week.

· *If you’re counting down the days, change your perspective. Instead of counting the days until you go home, count the days you have left to enjoy this once and a lifetime experience.

· *Read a magazine in your host language, this way, you can keep your skills up.

· *Have coffee and watch the natives. You’ll be surprised at how fun people-watching is.

· *Take a dance class.

· *Meet with your friends that are native of your host country. You might not see them again after you leave.

· *Go see a movie.

· *Plan your going away party.

· *Take a day trip (or weekend, whichever you prefer).

· *Go souvenir shopping.

· *Blog about your experience.

Of course, these aren’t all the things you can do. The most important thing is don’t dwell on how bored you are. Go out and enjoy your country. Before long, you’ll have to leave it.