I realise it's been about a year since the last post about dealing with homesickness. It seems that Autumn and Holiday season coming up seems to fill me with emotions of brooding and a sense of longing and nostalgia. Even after living abroad for a little while and feeling comfortable and settled in, bursts of homesickness still crop up here and there.
The weather is finally cooling down but there's none of the familiar crispness in the morning air, no colourful autumn leaves, no real rain. I miss rainy days! I feel guilty that younger toddler mistook wind for the aircon because he isn't used to fresh air. While we had some incredible experiences recently, since coming back from our holidays in Europe it's been a challenging couple of weeks to readjust to our life in Saudi Arabia, so I had to come up with new ways to combat the melancholy and sadness that often comes over me during this time of year (regardless of location or climate it seems).
Allow yourself to miss home
Last week I decided to surrender to my homesickness and embrace my feelings. I lit my favourite scented candles that remind me of home and watched some movies set in London. I spent an embarrassing amount of time on Instagram scrolling through reels of our hometown, taking mental note of all the things we should do next time we visit. I found that it actually helps me a lot to take the time I need to process my feelings.
It helped me to read books and talk about England with the kids, especially the oldest. It fills me with joy to know that he remembers that Riyadh is not his only home. He gets excited when we look at the photos we took on our last trip, or when we read books about London and he recognises places. We love Paddington's London Story Treasury and Pussy Cat, pussy cat, where have you been? The boys also love this London train set we picked up at the Transport Museum last time we were there.
Keep in touch
One of the major drawbacks of moving abroad is being away from friends and family for long periods and consequently missing out on a lot that goes on in their lives. It's so important to check in and stay connected. It's hard to share everything over the phone but I love hearing about even the most mundane, simplest things from my friends like what they had for dinner, or if they discovered a new lunch spot, or had something funny happen during their commute. Similarly, after we've discussed all the major differences and culture shock, it's fun to share what our everyday life looks like in our current home.
Plan a trip (if you can)
I know this is something that comes from a place of privilege but having the opportunity to plan a trip somewhere, not even necessarily home, is a great way to find something to look forward to especially when feeling claustrophobic and wanting to step away. Even though I know we won't be able to travel to Europe before next Summer, I'm already thinking of all the places I'd like to take the family to, all the things I want to do with friends, the food I want to eat... There are certain things we always do when we're home that I look forward to and will surely complain if I find that things have changed even the slightest, like finding out our local chippie's changed ownership after 20 years.
In the meantime, we have two short trips lined up in the region plus we will also have visitors to show around Riyadh and the surrounding area, which will surely reignite my love for this place and fill me with the joy of discovery, alleviating the bursts of homesickness.
Settle into a routine
This is where I struggle the most, to be honest. As my pregnancy progresses and we have big changes on the horizon, I find it really hard to get back to my previous well-established routine or maintain a new schedule. The days I manage to plan ahead and stick to it are always better than the ones where I feel like I'm just floating around. It's hard to be consistent at the moment but I know that ultimately finding my way back to a more organised lifestyle is the solution to feeling lost and ultimately keeping me grounded and more present to enjoy what goes on around me.