Hey y’all! It’s Madison again! I wanted to talk to y’all today a bit about how to create your home away from home. First things first, I’m not naive enough to say that you won’t get homesick, or that your apartment/living arrangements will be as cozy as your bed with your 10 pillows and smell like your mother’s cooking. No, but there are some things that you can either bring with you, or purchase while you’re abroad, to make those long, rainy days a bit less lonely.

For example, if you’ll look close enough, on my book shelf I brought with me my Ole Miss ring dish with me from home. I’ve used that since I left home for college to put my earrings that I wear daily and my keys. Did I need to bring it with me? Heck no! But it was a little home comfort that I felt that I would want when I was packing for studying abroad. See my bright red and lime green comforter? Or the stapler and hole puncher on my desk?  Those are definitely not colors I would’ve normally picked, however it does make me happy having such bright colors in my room. I feel like the crazy colors make my dark room seem a bit brighter. And the stapler and hole puncher I’ve used so many times to make myself at least feel a bit more organized in the chaos we call “study abroad.”

Some other ideas would be to print out pictures and put them on your wall, or perhaps your favorite teddy bear. NO SHAME HERE! Feeling comfortable in your home away from home can be crucial to maintaining your mental health.  

Hopefully you found this post helpful! As always, love from Germany!