Homesick

[pianika]

I have moved to the Dunedin area from the UK with my Kiwi hubby and 2 kids aged 9 and 6. My kids and I are feeling pretty homesick, not so much for the UK but for friends. Any tips or advice on how to get over homesickness?

[julzandrews]

i think you just have to try to have as much fun as you can, make new memories, and out of all this you may find a great new pal. It can be really hard.
just remember your starting a new life. think positive, and enjoy the beauty of your new home.
i am sure if you got your friends to visit, they'd want to move in too (just don't mention the bad bits : )
i am trying to get my husband to get us over to NZ asap!

[kaz101]

Hi pianika,

I moved from the UK to Australia 2.5 years ago and although I haven't missed the UK I have missed family and friends.

As well as going out and making new friends, how often are you in touch with family and friends in the UK? I find that I couldn't cope without Skype. Family and friends that are on it keep in touch fairly easily and we can even see each other. I think that the longest call was 2.5 hours so far and of course it's free when PC to PC. There are other such services available but I was used to using skype when I was in the UK.

It does take a while to settle in any where but I found that going out a meeting new people really helped.

Regards,
Karen

[topcat83]

My advice would be to join a number of groups so that you start making some new friends - they don't replace them, but it does help to fill some of those gaps.

In my area, we also started a book club. It doesn't have much to do with books (the husbands call it 'the wine club with a book problem') but it has proven to be an invaluable back-up for friends and family left behind in the UK. There's a source of baby sitters, advice on where to go from everything from dentists to Hobnobs, and just people who are in a similar boat and want someone to sympathise with them. We've run it for 2.5 years now, and I'm certain that our book club has stopped a number of our group from moving back to the UK because of loneliness and isolation from friends.
The husbands have also started their own 'Thursday evening get-together' too, plus there's the regular family barbecues and trips to the beach. Invaluable for everyone...

[Ginty]

my advice, is get out there, join as may groups as u can, everyone will be friendly, i can assure that, your social life and your kids will end up packed!! if u join local clubs for youself and the kids you will love it, you probably will still have bouts of homesickness tho, i stayed 5 years, and as much as i loved it, homesickness got me bad some times, but it passed

[charlene_nz]

Originally Posted by pianika

I have moved to the Dunedin area from the UK with my Kiwi hubby and 2 kids aged 9 and 6. My kids and I are feeling pretty homesick, not so much for the UK but for friends. Any tips or advice on how to get over homesickness?

Oh you poor thing - I understand how you feel - I am in France and feeling homesick too!!
But you are lucky - Dunedin is a great town and people are very nice and friendly so I would join a club of some sort and you will be making friends in no time!!
Charlene