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Homesick as Au Pair

BEING HOMESICK

Get over your homesickness as an au pair Feeling homesick as an au pair? You are homesick and feel all alone? 
Find out how to get over it!

INFORMATION AT ONE GLANCE:

  • It’s normal to feel homesick.
  • Usually it goes away after 2-4 weeks.
  • Don’t isolate yourself, go out and try to get to know the new country and meet people.

HOMESICK AS AU PAIR

Homesickness often comes from being scared. It can happen to you as an au pair if you are abroad and you don’t know the culture. It is also called  culture shock.

A typical thought is: ” Everything is better at home. “You might feel this way if you don’t speak the language very well or also if you don’t know the culture yet.

You can avoid being  homesick if you find out as much as you can about the new country before your trip so you are mentally prepared for the cultural differences.Also , you should be open-minded when you arrive in your host country.Respect and honesty are essential for accepting a new and unknown culture. 

If the culture shock makes you  feel homesick , it will only last for two to four weeks. After that you usually start adapting to the new country. As an au pair you will start to identify with the country and you will feel at home soon.

During your first weeks as an au pair there is a lot to do. You get to know a new home, you take care of the children, you take language classes. You will probably be very tired at night since absorbing all the new information and speaking a foreign language is very demanding.

If you feel homesick as an au pair, don’t worry. Soon you will get to know the country and meet a lot of new people. You will probably meet new people already during your first class at the language school. Go out! Make plans about getting to know your new place. Go to au pair meetings and meet other au pairs. You will see, after a short time you will have such a full schedule that you won’t have time for being homesick any more.

Give your host family the chance to get to know your culture as well. You could cook a typical meal from your country for them, for example. Or you tell the children stories from your home country. Or you can look for a movie from your country and watch it with your host family in German.

If you feel  homesick as an au pair  due to the culture shock, it can help to stay in touch with your friends back home, write letters or a diary or even plan a visit back home during your au pair vacation.

FEELING HOMESICK? HOW TO GET RID OF IT …

Feeling homesick as an au pair is an inner urge to go back home when
you are away from home.
This is how you can overcome it:
  • When you feel homesick, meet up with other au pairs.
  • If the homesickness is very strong, don’t call your parents right away! This can make it worse. Try to distract yourself.
  • It can help to have a clear structure during the day. Not only will you feel less homesick, you can also plan your free time better.
  • Your daily au pair routine with the children is too stressful? Try to change it up and plan something special with the children. You could go to the zoo, to the movies or have a picnic. That’s not only fun but also a nice change in your au pair routine.
  • Decorate your au pair room with personal things. You can put up a Germany map and mark which places you have visited so far and where you still want to go.