Homesickness among International Students in Famagusta, North Cyprus

The study’s aim was to examine the issue of homesickness among international students studying in North Cyprus and to educate the entire world especially incoming or new international students on homesickness. These 4 objectives were set to achieve this aims: 1.To establish whether the international students studying in North Cyprus were homesick or not. 2.To determine the reasons for international students’ homesickness. 3.To examine the impacts of homesickness on international students; health, academic performance, behavior and character. 4. To understand how international students deal or cope with homesickness. In order to collect data a qualitative approach to research was adopted, through semi structured interviews; 29 African students who suffered from homesickness were interviewed. The data analysed shows that these international students missed several aspects of their homes like: family, friends, food and many more. Language barrier was identified as one of the main causes of homesickness, it also deprieved international students the opportunity of becoming friends with their fellow students and locals in the community. In some cases language barrier caused problems due to misunderstandings and lack of communication. Keywords: Homesickness, international students, African students, North Cyprus.