Homesick? These 4 Tips Are Guaranteed to TUN UP The Festivities This Winter
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Ashley Haynes
- Posted on
Homesick? You’re not the only one.
The Jamaican diaspora can be found in almost every nook and cranny on Earth. From London to South Africa, Jamaicans spread themselves far and wide. With such a large global community, many people try to find ways to stay in touch with their roots. Inevitably, living away from home can cause feelings of homesickness and even loneliness; especially when you haven’t been able to find others like you. Many places have tried to replicate Jamaican culture, but some things just aren’t the same as home sweet home. Nothing beats the real deal.
Homesickness is bound to creep up on us like these dropping temperatures. Winter is here. Longer days and shorter nights mean that most people don’t even feel the sunshine on their faces. If you are a Jamaican living abroad who is feeling homesick, here are a few ways you can soothe your homesickness while living abroad.
Greet Like a Yardie
Whenever you greet a Jamaican, the interaction typically goes something like this:
“How yuh doing?” “Mi alright man, everything Irie. Have to give thanks”
Other people typically respond to a greeting or question with “Busy” or “tired”. It can be easy to fall into this trap, but we urge you to try and add a tone of positivity to your daily vocabulary.
Even on the worst days, Jamaicans will still find a reason to be positive and upbeat. Being irie is all about being ‘positive’ and in good spirits. When living in the tropics with luminous sunshine almost all year round and breathtakingly stunning beaches, feeling irie comes quite easily. But with subzero temperatures and no reggae music for miles, it can make home feel like it’s on another planet.
Fake it till you make it is the key to happiness sometimes. Just because you can see your breath does not mean you can’t be that piece of sunshine that everyone is longing for and greet with a smile.
Tun Up Yuh Yard
Don’t let the dreariness of the winter season bog you down. Decorate! Take the irie of home and add it to your space. Whether it is a market scene or a breathtaking landscape, Jamaican art is the perfect way to brighten up your home- full of zest and colourful lines and textures. Jamaican artists typically use vibrant colours in their work which makes it stand out against any wall in any room.
Island themed paintings, colourful ceramic pieces are sure to brighten any space and make it feel more like home.
Gratitude
Gratitude opens the door for positivity to flow into your life. When those thoughts creep in about the cost of living crisis, heating prices and just general conundrums of life.Fill your heart with thankfulness and try not to sweat the small stuff. Time flies when you’re counting your blessings.
Tun Up Yuh Nyammings
When we think of home, the first thing that often comes to mind is food. The Sunday dinners that were enjoyed with extended family, the snacks we delighted in on the school ground. Food is a key part of Jamaican culture, and the first thing we want when we’re feeling down is a home cooked meal, or a snack from our childhood. The next time you feel homesick, try an authentic Jamaican recipe. With modern improvements in shipping and technology, you can find almost any ingredient online. The next time you crave ackee and saltfish, take the initiative to make it for yourself.
Snacks from home are probably the miracle cure for homesickness. A cupboard full of all your favourite snacks is guaranteed to make the distance between “farin” and Jamaica feel much shorter. With the wonga gut box, you can get an assortment of Jamaican snacks right at your doorstep each month. It sucks to have both pangs of hunger and homesickness, but the wanga gut box can solve both of those problems.
