Getting Through Homesickness in New York City
Coming to Barnard is the best decision I have ever made in my life, and one of the many reasons is that I get a chance to live a life in New York City. However, New York is far away from home, and I can’t help feeling homesick sometimes when I see a faraway friend’s post of all family and friends gathering around spicy hotpot for their birthday dinner. It is expected and normal to experience homesickness when you are alone in this big city, but a good thing about living in New York is that there is always a place that can help you find some familiar and authentic food from home which always bring comfort and help ease the homesickness.
I came to New York last year, and it was my first time spending months by myself outside of China. There were always so many things that I needed to learn about this new environment, and often I missed the food from home. Thanks to my friend who noticed one time when I was feeling homesick, I was brought to Flushing which has become my favorite area when I miss home. Flushing has many great food places for Chinese hotpot, noodles, traditional desserts, and bubble teas--many of them are well-known chain restaurants from China, so it feels like I’m back in Beijing eating out with my friends. Because it reminds of home very much, I feel comfortable and relaxed when I bring my friends here to eat and go to karaoke, and it often helps me stop from missing home on the other side of the world too much.
My friends Joohee and Jessica are both international students at Barnard, and they have experienced homesickness now and then like me and possibly every student with home outside of New York. They would also like to share some of their favorite places in the city and how they cope with homesickness!
“My name is Jessica and I’m from São Paulo, Brazil. One of my favorite places in the city is Little Brazil located on 46th street between 5th and 6th Avenue. There I can always find great Brazilian food! My favorite restaurant there is Emporium Brazil Cousine but there is also a really good one on East Harlem called Paladar BBQ. I go there when I feel homesick and often bring my non-Brazilian friends there as well.”
“I am Joohee from South Korea. When I first came to America and was with my family in Tennessee, I always considered Korea as my home and missed it a lot. But as I came to college and stayed away from my family, I sometimes missed Tennessee more than Korea and slowly realized that “home” is where I feel comfortable enough and where my family is. Since I am Korean, whenever I’m in NY I go to K-town, located on West 32nd Street Manhattan, a lot because I always miss Korean food. Back in Tennessee, my mom always cooked Korean food.”
Other than Chinatown, Little Brazil, and K-town, New York has neighborhoods for many different cultures, and there is also a great diversity of restaurants around campus! Living in a big city far away from home could make you feel homesick, but it doesn’t always have to be when you can be exposed to diverse cultures and have your own favorite spot which reminds you of home close enough at the same time!