About January. And about homesickness…

January was a lot of fun for us: we went to three different countries – Germany, Ukraine and Poland! In Ukraine we spent some time with our relatives and friends, celebrated Ukrainian Christmas (that is on the 6-7^th of Jan), after that we left for Poland. Many people ask what transport we use… So, I will write it shortly: elevator-taxi-train-bus-train-tram And it took us 26 hours to get to Gdansk, Poland from Ukraine.

There were many changes on the way but it made the trip interesting;-) The most boring part was waiting and doing nothing on the border all night:-/ Some people slept on the bus, others are asked to get off and go to the office where they have to prove their picture/identity in the passport because they are not recognized by customs officers. We had to do that too )))) After that they had to check all bags looking for cigarettes and alcohol. So, we stayed on the border for 3,5 hours this time… Not too bad in comparing to the last time – 5 hour wait.

Gdansk was waiting for us: the children in the club, the friends in the church and the swans with seagulls in the sea:-) Our little flat was waiting too, with the pigeons on the window from outside. Now it’s very cold here, the sea started to freeze from the shore, the ice is on the sand… We like to slide there. It’s not dangerous because it’s not deep under ice:-)

Also I wanted to write that it was the first time when I left my home in Ukraine with homesick sadness… I don’t know why it came, but it was really difficult and pressured. Maybe it’s because I saw my sad parents and grandma… They would like me to be ALWAYS next to them. Or maybe it’s because I’m getting older? I started to think and ask God about this strange homesick feeling. Is it ok to feel it or should we fight it? Where does it come from?

In the Bible there many examples of leaving the native land for the land that God pointed. But I don’t remember that Bible says anything about homesickness. So, maybe it is just emotions and it doesn’t have any sense? Dear friends, if you have some ideas or revelations about, please write them in comments here or on my e-mail. I will appreciate it very much!

P.S. Here is what I found on the internet:

We get homesick because “there are things that we love,” said Thurber. “It’s the byproduct of the strength of our attachment. If there were nothing in the world we were attached to, then we wouldn’t miss them when we’re away.”

“You’re not literally just missing your house. You’re missing what’s normal, what is routine, the larger sense of social space, because those are the things that help us survive,” Klapow said.

“They think something’s terribly wrong. But it’s normal and adaptive to feel homesick for some period of time. It’s just your emotions and mind telling you you’re out of your element.”