I'm Lucky, I Know. But I Wanna Go Home. - Michael Buble

Five months. 20 weeks. 14 hour time difference. 23 hours on a plane. It's both the longest and the farthest I've been away from home, away from my family and friends. I was told all about the adjustment cycle, about who to talk to in case I need help adjusting. It was all part of the orientation process, I didn't think much about it. After all, I was in Australia, the country I had been dreaming of going to forever. How could I be homesick?

Home is southern New England (courtesy of bosguy.com) 

Well, 13 weeks in, and I can say I'm proud I made it this far. I've been so busy planning trips and exploring and living life to the fullest that I totally forgot about being homesick. Sure, I missed home like crazy. I cherish my weekly Skype dates with my parents and my boyfriend, and I never want to hang up. I think about home all the time, and imagine what it would be like if they were here. But this week, for the first (prolonged) period of time, I felt homesick.

The U.S. Department of State breaks the "culture shock" period into three phases: Honeymoon, Rejection, and Recovery. In the honeymoon phase, you are excited, open to trying things, and wanting to explore your country. The next phase, rejection, is when you compare your home culture to this new one, and decide that you like home better. Common characteristics include feeling homesick, diminishing motivation, wanting to finish the program early, and weird sleeping patterns. This is about where I am right now, which only means one thing...

...the next step, recovery, isn't far away. This is where the real change beings, and you become fully accustomed to your new culture. It is no longer a comparison between old culture and new; it is a melding of the two to create a new, self-confident person. You settle into your new life, and begin to relax and enjoy life, totally transformed.

I only have seven weeks to get there.