The Art of Being Homesick

I admit it ... I'm 30 years old, and I still get homesick.

I have lived in Kentucky for almost seven years; I went away to college and went home only for a brief spell between jobs. But .... I still miss it.

Homesickness is something we deal with quite a bit with our Scholars--it tends to hit hardest when they first get to campus. For many of our students, it's their first time away from home and from family for an extended period of time.

In an effort to combat homesickness, we do an event dubbed "Pegasus Camp"  two days before the rest of the students get to Georgetown College. Our Scholars get to move in early and we get to spend two entire days with them. We do all kinds of fun stuff:  play icebreakers to get to know each other, tour farms, go see what's happening at the Kentucky Horse Park, visit equine entities that might be too far away for us to get to during the year (think KESMARC--Kentucky Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center--and KER--Kentucky Equine Research), go to dinner, go bowling or to a baseball game, and overall just get to know one another.

The purpose of this camp is twofold:
1. We want every Scholar to know someone when they go to class that very first day. It's amazing what one familiar, smiling face can do for nerves!
2. We want them to really get a taste for what this Program entails.

Our Program is completely different from any other equine program in the country: We seek to show our kids how many different jobs there are in the equine industry by taking tours; listening to speakers; and having them intern, job shadow and network so once they graduate, they can step right into an equine field. And really, we have a lot of fun.

If our kids can make it through that first weekend away from home, they usually stick around :) Though it can be lonely when you're in the dorms with just a few other students, soon the dorms are full and people are bustling around night and day. Our Scholars always have the option to room with other Scholars, as well; sometimes it's nice to have someone who REALLY understands muddy boots, equine ailments and the need to "talk horse" at all hours of the night ...

We suggest that as soon as they begin to get sad that they try to do something else, whether it is chatting with a friend, going out for a ride or (and this is their least favorite) even starting homework to try to get their attention on something other than their desire to go home. And, most importantly, we want them to know they can always call me or our Program Coordinator, at any time. We're pretty good at making people feel better, too!

I don't think we ever get over being homesick if home is a place you truly love. Though I now consider Kentucky my "home," in truth, home will always be in Ohio, with my parents on a small farm surrounded by massive trees and an old horse or two in the pasture.

I think George Washington said it best:

I had rather be on my farm than emperor of the world.

How true it is.