Study reveals which citizens experience the most homesickness
With so many South Africans living abroad, do they even miss home at all?
With the local economy feeling the pressure, young job seekers are increasingly looking beyond our borders.
But this is nothing new for South Africans.
For decades, SA citizens have been immigrating internationally for better job opportunities and a more stable, safe and improved quality of life.
Many of the SA expats will convince us at home that the grass really is greener.
While there might be many positives to moving to a different country, some aspects will always be harder to deal with.
You might be living your best international life, but what about your family and friends back in SA?
Or missing the smell of braai in the air on a weekend?
Every so often, the homesickness sets in.
According to a recent Remitly study, some citizens experience homesickness more than others.
The company surveyed 3,100 adults across 21 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, India, Greece, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK and the USA.
So where does SA rank on the list?
Remitly's data shows that expats from the Philippines suffer from homesickness the most, with 96,15%.
However, South Africans are not far behind with 96,10%.
Here is the list of the top 10 below:
Why do people get homesick?
Homesickness doesn’t always have a clear cause.
In fact, almost half (49%) of those who participated in this survey say it can appear without warning, with feelings of stress or sadness rearing their head for no apparent reason.
Other reasons include:
- moments of vulnerability
- speaking to friends or family (53%)
- experiencing a difficult time (50%)
- feeling unwell (40%)
- during holidays and festivals (43%)
Most South Africans experience homesickness because of the obvious big hitters, but not hearing your home language, the weather back home, struggling to adapt to a new culture or workplace can also have a major effect.
How to cope with homesickness
It might seem counterintuitive when you are missing your family or friends so much that you feel intense sadness or longing, but reaching out to those you miss the most can help comfort you.
Here are some of the best ways people have found to help alleviate homesickness:
- Call family and friends (69%)
- Seek out familiar foods and flavours (35%)
- Watch something from home (25%)
- Exercise (23%)
- Journaling (9%)
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