I have travelled before, but I have never felt the same way about leaving home as I did on my study abroad trip. My study abroad trip was by far the longest I have ever spent away from home. It was about 6 weeks total away from home and I missed the luxuries of America. I miss Chick-fil-A, my moms cooking, and a consistent bed to sleep in. I also miss driving my car whenever I want to go somewhere! There truly are things about America that we take for granted. 6 weeks abroad is the perfect amount of time. I do not think I could do much longer than 6 weeks because I was ready to go home by the end of the trip. It was the best time of my life and a trip of a lifetime, but I still missed small things about home.
Even though I missed home, the homesickness never caused me to be sad on my trip because I created a new family out of my study abroad friends. We ate, travelled, and explored new towns together. We had the best time and have already planned reunions. If I had to give advice to new study abroad students, I would tell them to soak up the time they have in a new place and make the most of it. I would also tell them to appreciate the time they have at home and the small luxuries of America. Each part of the world has unique things to offering, and studying abroad is what helped me to realize that.