Blog 5: The Unexpected Side of Living Abroad
Bio
My name is Sidar Yilmaz, and I am an International Relations student from the Netherlands, currently pursuing my degree at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve, Germany. This fall, I will join the International Center of the Capital Region (ICCR) and Hudson Valley Community College as an international intern. With family roots in Nijmegen, Albany's sister city, I am excited to experience the Capital Region firsthand while learning more about its history, communities, and international connections. During my internship, I look forward to contributing to ICCR's mission while sharing my experiences and discovering the people, culture, history, and opportunities that make New York's Capital Region unique.
Hi everyone,
Welcome back to my blog! Over the past few weeks, I have been continuing to discover the
Capital Region of New York. When I first arrived, everything felt new and exciting. Every place
I visited, every cultural difference I noticed, and every new experience gave me something to write about. But now, after almost two months here, I have noticed something changing.
Recently, I went to
Montreal, Canada, where I had a lovely time exploring the city. During my trip, I met several other Europeans who were travelling around North America. We talked about their journeys, the places they had visited, and what they were going to do next. For many of them, their travels were coming to an end, and they were getting ready to return home.
Listening to their stories made me feel something I had not really expected: homesickness.
While they were talking about going home, I suddenly realized that I was not going home anytime soon. I still had several months left in the United States, and although I was enjoying my time here, the thought of being so far away from home suddenly felt different. It was a strange feeling, especially because I had come here excited to experience something new.
But then something even more interesting happened.
When I returned to Troy and walked into my apartment, I felt at home again. The feeling of homesickness that I had experienced in Montreal seemed to disappear. I was back in my own space, in the place where I had built my daily routine and where I was starting to feel
comfortable.
And that made me think: how is it possible to miss a place that you have only lived in for a month and a half or two months?Before coming here, I would probably have associated homesickness with missing the Netherlands, my family, my friends, and the place where I grew up. I had never really considered that you could start missing a new home while you are still so far away from your
original one.
But I think that is exactly what is happening. Somewhere along the way, Troy has become more than just the place where I am staying during my internship. It is becoming a place where I live.
Another thing I have noticed is that the Capital Region is starting to feel more familiar. The first few weeks were full of those “wow” moments. Everything was different, and even small things
could surprise me. Now, many of those things are becoming part of my everyday life. I know my surroundings a little better, I have developed routines, and not everything feels completely new anymore.
Of course, there is still so much left to discover. But I think this is also the moment when my experience starts changing. Instead of simply noticing everything that is different, I want to start looking a little deeper. I want to understand the region, its history, its communities, and
the people who make it what it is.
Perhaps that is what happens when you spend more time in a new place. At first, you experience it as a visitor. Then, slowly, you begin to feel like you belong there. And once the
first excitement settles down, you have the opportunity to discover what lies beneath the surface.
I came to the Capital Region to explore a new place, learn about a different culture, and experience life far away from home. I did not expect that, somewhere along the way, I would start to miss this new home too.
And honestly, I think that is a pretty special feeling.
Stay in touch as we continue to discover the Capital Region of New York together.
Sidar
