4.1 - Homesickness

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make your own sentence with it:

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make your own sentence with it:

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What does "homesickness" mean ? Describe it in English.

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make your own sentence with it:

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What does "distract" mean ? Describe it in English.

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make your own sentence with it:

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What does "toiletries" mean ? Describe it in English.

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make your own sentence with it:

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What does "likewise" mean ? Describe it in English.

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make your own sentence with it:

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What does "peel" mean ? Describe it in English.

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What does "cope" mean ? Describe it in English.

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It is hard to ​

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with homesickness.

I miss home. I suffer from ​

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.

My dogs can always ​

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me.

Please ​

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this banana for me.

The are ​

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on the bathroom sink.You can't pay by check. ___ you cannot use a credit card either. Cash only!

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1. 1. Where is Aimee originally from?

   a) Scotland

   b) Venezuela

   c) Japan

   d) Brazil

2. 2. What special season makes Gilder feel particularly homesick?

   a) Christmas

   b) Halloween

   c) New Year's Eve

   d) Valentine's Day

3. 3. How does Gilder cope with homesickness?

   a) By calling family and friends back home regularly

   b) By hosting international parties

   c) By exploring local culture and activities

   d) By avoiding making new friends

4. 4. What strategy does Aimee use to deal with homesickness related to food?

   a) She tries to cook her home country's dishes herself.

   b) She sends a list of items for visitors to bring from home.

   c) She goes to international restaurants frequently.

   d) She avoids eating her home country's food entirely.

5. 5. Which country's supermarkets does Gilder mention visiting to find familiar items?

   a) Japanese

   b) Brazilian

   c) Filipino

   d) Scottish

6. 6. What is the advantage Brazilians have in Japan compared to Aimee and Gilder when it comes to homesickness?

   a) Brazilians have more friends in Japan.

   b) Brazilians have better distractions.

   c) Brazilians can find more products from their home country.

   d) Brazilians are less prone to homesickness.

7. 7. How does Aimee deal with homesickness when she can't find her favorite products in local stores?

   a) She tries to make her own cosmetics and toiletries.

   b) She asks her friends to send her care packages.

   c) She buys similar Japanese products.

   d) She avoids using those products altogether.

1. a) Scotland

   2. a) Christmas

   3. c) By exploring local culture and activities

   4. b) She sends a list of items for visitors to bring from her home country.

   5. b) Brazilian

   6. c) Brazilians can find more products from their home country.

   7. b) She asks her friends to send her care packages.

Answers

LET'S ROLE PLAY!

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You're Gilder.

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I'm Aimee.

Aimee: So Gilder, we're both teachers, and we both live and work abroad, right, from our home countries.

Gilder: Yes.

Aimee: I'm from Scotland and you're from Venezuela. So, I'm sure we both have to deal with homesickness because we're so far from our home. How do you deal with home sickness?

Gilder: It's very difficult because as you said I'm so far from my country.

Aimee: Yeah.

Gilder: And like special seasons like Christmas or during the Holy Week – it is something that we celebrate a lot, I feel really homesick especially because of the food we have.

Aimee: Yeah.

Gilder: Yeah, a particular food and also meeting with your friends, hanging out with them, going to the beach. So all those things that I don't have here is, – yeah, it really makes feel homesick. But one thing I do is I always try to go for things in the country where I'm living. So what do the locals do? Is there any interesting – and it's a sort of like an adventure because you're doing something new so you're kind of replacing something that you used to do by something new. So in a way, it's nice dealing with homesickness.

Aimee: Yeah.

Gilder: What about you?

Aimee: Well, that's kind of what I was going to say. You said replacing, I was going to say just distract yourself with other activities. Obviously, we've met new people living here and, you know, I've made some new and wonderful friends. And it's not the same as your life back home but it's a good distraction, I think. You mentioned activities, so yeah, just exploring the new culture that we're in.

And if feeling homesickness in regards to food, you know, there's a lot of delicious foods here in Japan. Delicious foods, so we can distract our needs, I guess.

Gilder: Yeah. That's one of the good things of being in Japan is the fact that you get to know people from all over the world and try so many different things. So yeah, it's a distraction. It's a good distraction. Yeah.

Aimee: One, I guess, one strategy I have as well for homesickness is whenever someone comes to visit, which is very rare but it does happen, I send them a list of things that they can fill their suitcase with to bring over for me. Foods from home and just tea bags from the local supermarket and, you know, some cosmetics or toiletries that I cannot buy here, particular brands that I like. And it's little things like that that help me, I think, deal with not having them. Basically, having them helps me deal with not having them.

Gilder: I also do that sometimes like my family try to visit me once a year so their suitcase packed of stuff Venezuela, which is very important to me. And also I try to find those supermarkets from South America like Brazilian supermarkets…

Aimee: Right. Yeah.

Gilder: Or sometimes the Filipino supermarkets, they have stuff that we have in Venezuela, so yeah, it's very nice.

Aimee: I actually used to live out in a different part of Japan where there was quite a large Brazilian population, and there were many like Brazilian convenient store. Wonderful breads, the meat was good, too. Yeah, lots of really good products. So I guess a shop like that would help you in particular.

Gilder: Yes, I guess Brazilians, they don't have the same issue that we have with homesickness because they can get a lot of stuff from Brazil here in Japan.

Aimee: That's true. Yeah. Well, of course, you know, there are international stores around. I'm lucky enough to – even in a small city like this, I have an international store that's reasonably close. So there are a few products that you can – I feel happy about, I guess. Maybe I wouldn't even buy them at home but when I see them in the shop here, I feel like, oh I can't get other things so I'm going to buy these biscuits.

Gilder: Likewise, something that you can read.

Aimee: Yeah. Well, yeah, that too. Just peel the language stick off the top and read the English below.

Gilder: Yes.

Aimee: Yeah. There are different ways to cope with it, I think.

Gilder: Yes.

Audio Response

Can you share your experiences with homesickness when you travel to abroad? What triggers it the most for you?

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How do you deal with the absence of familiar cultural celebrations and traditions from your home country?

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Can you share any strategies or tips for making new friends in a foreign country, as both of you mentioned forming new friendships?

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Have you ever considered the idea of living and working abroad? What factors, if any, have held you back from pursuing it?

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Are there any specific countries or cultures that you're curious to learn more about or potentially visit in the future?

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Have you had the opportunity to engage with people from different cultural backgrounds within your own country? If so, what did you learn from those interactions?

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How do you think you would handle language barriers or communication difficulties if you were to travel to a foreign country in the future?

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Have you ever had the chance to introduce elements of your own culture to friends or colleagues who may not be familiar with it? How did they react?

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1. What role does food play in your life, and are there any dishes from your region that you particularly enjoy or think others should try?

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1. Reflecting on your personal growth so far, can you share any experiences or challenges that have shaped your desire to potentially live abroad in the future?

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Write a story or your experience using the words below (Use minimum 100 words)

homesickness • peel • toiletries
distract • likewise • cope