I am often asked by exchange students here and by friends in the States if I miss the States. On the whole, I don't consider my feelings about the States to constitute "missing". So no I don't miss the States, not to the degree that I would pack up and return home. The exception to this was during my first week or two here during which I did at times intensely, but not anymore. "Missing" doesn't convey how I feel often here. It's too strong, too sad, and too much longing. I feel something less than longing or sadness.
To describe how I feel, I prefer the Chinese word for "to miss": 想 because it is the same word as "to think". I often think about the ways in which Denmark is different from the States more so than "miss" my life in the States. I use the States as my preference point so naturally I am aware that I am not at home here.
These are moments that make me think.
1 comment:
I didn't miss the US either when I studied abroad in Madrid. There was too much to do, see, people to meet, many adventures to be had; plus, I wasn't that sentimental about home. In 2008 while I was away in Botswana, I missed home violently. That was the first time I was ever homesick. That was a very different situation though!
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