Seeing is believing

Missing home is an integral part of being away from home. You’re in a strange place, you may be away from a partner, you don’t have the same ‘in’ jokes that your buddies back home have, no one can pronounce your name (let alone your home town) correctly, and nobody makes a roast chicken dinner like your mom.

There are ways to combat the misery of loneliness. Rather than run off a list of all the obvious remedies (get out and meet people, see things etc), I’ve decided to concentrate on one solution that I’ve only recently begin to enjoy – webcaming!

Talking via skype with just audio is fine, but you can miss the little facial expressions that those people back home might not relay with just sound – maybe a smirk or a look of disbelief.

Looking may be fine, but can sometimes become a bit awkward when you’re just chatting about the weather (or maybe trying to surf the net as the conversation becomes stale, ahem). Why not try and make it a bit more interesting! Have your mom sit you at the dinner table while the family has their meals, or have the camera perched on the coffee table for a bit as your friends hang out one evening. As strange (/sad?) as it sounds, it really can make you feel like you are there. One of the highlights for me was seeing my newborn niece, as my sisters, parents and in-laws all gathered around.

These epic moments can sometimes make you feel out of the loop, but just remember, you cam be there!