Immigrants Tell How to Cope With Homesickness

Prayers, Internet Help Them Drive the Achey Nostalgia Away

Apr 1, 2009

As they eke out a living in a vast country as the US, immigrants have to cope with homesickness aside from adjusting to a new environment.

Eight out of ten immigrants resort to prayer and the constant use of the internet to connect with loved ones in order to cope with the loneliness of being away from home. All of them regard that the advancements in information technology has bridged the physical gap of families torn apart because of economic reasons.

Staying Online to Ease Homesickness

"When I stay online every night to keep in touch with my children and grandchildren, I don't feel very homesick anymore. That is why I have all my gadgets like the webcam and the telephone," said Sylvia Villarmia, a Filipino teacher in Houston, Texas.

The same is true with Barbara Vera of Brazil, who at the age of 22, left a comfortable home to explore how it is to work in the US. She works as part-time babysitter and salesperson in a pharmacy. "I am in constant communication with my mother in the internet who is worried about me, being so young and new here in New York," she said.

The Power of Prayer for Homesick Immigrants

Majority of the immigrants said that being prayerful drives away the nostalgic feeling. "Prayers ease my aching heart. I entrust to God everything that is happening to me and my child who is far away from me," quips 30-year-old Jennifer, a nurse, who left behind her eight-year-old daughter in the Philippines to the care of her sister.

According to Dr. David Larson, president of the National Institute for Health Care Research in Rockville, MD, "Faith brings a calming state which helps decrease nervousness and anxiety in coping with day to day stress." Larson co-authored a study on the effects of prayer in lowering high blood pressure among those who suffer from hypertension.

Work Hard, Date Online to Avoid Loneliness

Seven of the ten immigrants noted that working more hours not only drives the achy feeling away. It also means more dollars for them at the end of the day. Five out of ten said that shopping and dating online are effective ways to ease the burden of homesickness.

"I am just to glad there is the internet. I am able to date online and see my children on the webcam, at least twice a week. That is not so bad," quips Miguel, a mechanic from Mexico, a father of three.

The US is the largest host country of immigrants which now reach 15 million. Most of the immigrants come from Mexico, followed by China, the Philippines, India, Korea, and Europe. The states of California, New York, Florida, and New Jersey are where the immigrants are largely concentrated.

Immigrants constitute 12.2 percent of the total US work force and 12.5 percent of the total population of US business owners, according to the Census 2000.

The copyright of the article Immigrants Tell How to Cope With Homesickness in Personal Development is owned by Marivir Montebon. Permission to republish Immigrants Tell How to Cope With Homesickness in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.