Comments on: Vocabulary Class: Homesick http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2009/11/homesick-expat/ Live where you want to live... Live how you want to live... And make money doing it! Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:29:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Gary Davidson http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2009/11/homesick-expat/comment-page-1/#comment-1509 Gary Davidson Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:04:50 +0000 http://www.escapefromamerica.com/?p=1250#comment-1509 What a great article, but I think that your "longing for a place and time that aren't there anymore" is better classified as nostalgia or sentimentality rather than homesickness, which is defined as "a longing for home". This is what Bart felt as a soldier in Greece, and what he felt when he spent three weeks away from Thailand; the same feeling a child might have at a summer camp or perhaps during their first semester at a non-local school. As for the "stronger" feelings, i.e. the nostalgic sentimentality felt for nouns of the past (people, places, etc.), I can empathize with those feelings as well, in that I currently live about 100 miles south of my "home" town (my birthplace, to be more precise) and whenever I have to go back there, for whatever reason, I can't wait to leave again. The growth of that city (Phoenix, Arizona) since my childhood have rendered it completely unrecognizable to me; it is NOT the same town that I grew up in. Yes, I'm nostalgic for my past, but, understanding that it doesn't exist anymore, I have no desire to ever move back there. I think that the main difference between "homesickness" and "nostalgia" is this: Nostalgia is a longing for the past, the "place and time that aren't there anymore", while homesickness is a longing for a place that definitely DOES still exist SOMEWHERE other than where the sufferer happens to be at the time. As they say, "Home is where the heart is". What a great article, but I think that your “longing for a place and time that aren’t there anymore” is better classified as nostalgia or sentimentality rather than homesickness, which is defined as “a longing for home”. This is what Bart felt as a soldier in Greece, and what he felt when he spent three weeks away from Thailand; the same feeling a child might have at a summer camp or perhaps during their first semester at a non-local school. As for the “stronger” feelings, i.e. the nostalgic sentimentality felt for nouns of the past (people, places, etc.), I can empathize with those feelings as well, in that I currently live about 100 miles south of my “home” town (my birthplace, to be more precise) and whenever I have to go back there, for whatever reason, I can’t wait to leave again. The growth of that city (Phoenix, Arizona) since my childhood have rendered it completely unrecognizable to me; it is NOT the same town that I grew up in. Yes, I’m nostalgic for my past, but, understanding that it doesn’t exist anymore, I have no desire to ever move back there. I think that the main difference between “homesickness” and “nostalgia” is this: Nostalgia is a longing for the past, the “place and time that aren’t there anymore”, while homesickness is a longing for a place that definitely DOES still exist SOMEWHERE other than where the sufferer happens to be at the time. As they say, “Home is where the heart is”.

]]> By: Yoko Saw http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2009/11/homesick-expat/comment-page-1/#comment-1152 Yoko Saw Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:16:03 +0000 http://www.escapefromamerica.com/?p=1250#comment-1152 The longer you live abroad, the further away your life back “home” becomes. I agree. When you feel homesick, you are missing your past, not your country. I noticed it on my first year here, when I move to London from Tokyo and 10 years passed since then but I still feel the same. The longer you live abroad, the further away your life back “home” becomes.

I agree. When you feel homesick, you are missing your past, not your country.
I noticed it on my first year here, when I move to London from Tokyo and 10 years passed since then but I still feel the same.

]]> By: thaikarl http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2009/11/homesick-expat/comment-page-1/#comment-992 thaikarl Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:25:31 +0000 http://www.escapefromamerica.com/?p=1250#comment-992 oh man, can i relate to this article. i feel the same way. i am married to a thai women, i have to come to the states because i haven't developed a way to make a good income in thailand. i feel so detached from america now. it's familiar and all that, and i have clients, friends and birth-family here, but my heart and mind is there. i have no interest in bringing my wife here except to sight-see and tour a little. i posted to my blog about this: http://thaikarl.blogspot.com/2008/04/080412-thaikarl-wheres-home-anyway.html but walter said it a little better in ways. oh man, can i relate to this article. i feel the same way. i am married to a thai women, i have to come to the states because i haven’t developed a way to make a good income in thailand. i feel so detached from america now. it’s familiar and all that, and i have clients, friends and birth-family here, but my heart and mind is there. i have no interest in bringing my wife here except to sight-see and tour a little.

i posted to my blog about this: http://thaikarl.blogspot.com/2008/04/080412-thaikarl-wheres-home-anyway.html

but walter said it a little better in ways.

]]> By: Zarathustra http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2009/11/homesick-expat/comment-page-1/#comment-936 Zarathustra Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:24:07 +0000 http://www.escapefromamerica.com/?p=1250#comment-936 "This kind “Homesick” is longing for a space and time that isn’t there anymore." I too get this bittersweet feeling about certain things or thoughts. Its hard to explain, but it makes me smile and feel depressed at the same time “This kind “Homesick” is longing for a space and time that isn’t there anymore.”
I too get this bittersweet feeling about certain things or thoughts. Its hard to explain, but it makes me smile and feel depressed at the same time

]]> By: Laura P http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2009/11/homesick-expat/comment-page-1/#comment-724 Laura P Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:02:32 +0000 http://www.escapefromamerica.com/?p=1250#comment-724 Absolutely beautiful article. Absolutely beautiful article.

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