What Homesickness Taught Me About Belonging

Three years after I moved overseas, I felt homesick for the first time.

Not the occasional kind where you miss a meal or the sound of your native language in the streets.

I’m talking about the kind that hits you deep in the chest—the kind that makes you feel like you’re floating a little too far from where your roots are.

It surprised me, to be honest. I thought I had settled. I had my routines, my favourite cafés, my community. I had made friends, created my own structure, built something that felt like a new beginning. But then, out of nowhere, something shifted in April.

I was in the middle of a busy season. There were projects to finish, ideas in motion, and yet something felt… off. Like a quiet ache in the background I couldn’t shake. It was subtle at first—missing Austrian surroundings, craving my friends, wanting to wear warm clothes and shop at DM (ofc) without thinking. But it grew louder.

I felt disconnected from the culture around me. I missed the unspoken ways things worked back home, the rituals I never thought twice about—Sunday closures, the seasons, even the humour (or shall I say directness?). There were moments I felt like a stranger in my own life.

And then came the guilt.

I told myself: You chose this. You’re lucky to live here. Other people would love to be in your shoes.

But that didn’t make the feeling go away.

So I let myself feel it.

I journaled. I cried. I reached out to close friends and was met with so much love and understanding. They reminded me that it’s okay to miss home, even if you love where you are. That growth doesn’t cancel out grief.

Slowly, I began to see it for what it was:

A sign I’m growing.

A sign I’m changing.

A sign that I’m learning to hold more complexity, more nuance, more parts of myself.

What is home-sickness?

Homesickness isn’t always a sign that something’s wrong. Sometimes, it’s your body reminding you of what matters. Sometimes, it’s grief for the version of you who no longer fits where she came from. And sometimes, it’s the invitation to create deeper roots—within yourself, wherever you are.

I started looking for ways to feel more connected again—not by trying to replicate Austria, but by grounding into what gives me a sense of belonging here. Cooking comfort foods. Letting myself speak in my native language more often. Reaching out to people I trust. Talking about it openly instead of brushing it aside.

What I’ve realised is this: You can miss home and love your new life at the same time. You can feel grief and gratitude in the same breath. You can long for familiarity and still be proud of how far you’ve come.

This kind of emotional contradiction? It’s not weakness. It’s growth.

So if homesickness is tugging at your heart, I want you to know: You’re not regressing. You’re evolving.

Let the missing guide you. Let it show you what matters. Let it remind you that you’re human, and that longing for connection is not something to fix—it’s something to honour.

Because home isn’t just a place. It’s a feeling. And the more we learn to carry that feeling within us, the more rooted we become—no matter where we are in the world.