How I Recovered from Homesickness Abroad

Over the holidays I felt a SERIOUS type of homesickness.  I honestly wanted to drop everything and go home. I'm assuming I felt this way because most of the friends I had made for the semester went home AND it was Christmas...the happiest holiday filled with family and laughter and tradition and food..and I spent it sick in a hotel room in London.  If that doesn't make someone homesick I'd wonder whether or not that person even has a home.
However after about 3 weeks of legitimately HATING France and everything about it, I started school again, made new friends, and remembered why I loved Aix-en-Provence and on a larger scale, Europe.
When I was freaking out about my desperate need to return home, my friends and family got the worst of it.  I'm apologizing here for my constant complaining and not believing you when you'd say, "once you start school again, I know you'll be happy again."  You know who you are. Thank you for dealing with my melodramatic ass.
Also, I received gifts from my best friend Alyssa for my birthday/Christmas that were basically the epitome of Zoë in a box and those presents meant so much to me!!  Knowing that I still have friends back home who love me and think of me (even if we talk much less than usual) gives me the strength to see the world in a positive light and make the most of my time abroad!
I just got another package from home today that was my mother's Valentine's gift complete with gummy Krabby Patties and a Nerds Rope (my favorites).  Also inside the box was a LOT of gifts from my sister Haviland for my birthday/Christmas that were highly reminiscent of my childhood.  There was a DVD of The Pagemaster-one of our favorites growing up- a black tattoo choker with a mood stone, and some vanilla hand cream and soap.  However the best gift of all, and I'm not sure how she pulled it off, was an EXACT replica of the white blanket I slept with every night as a kid.  I stole my original white blanket from my mom when I was like, 3, and slept with it up until it was a bunch of tatters with patches and a backing so it wouldn't fall apart...I think I was maybe 7 or 8.  That thing was my lifeline.  To make this gift even more perfect, she had my Mamanana wash it and keep it at her house until it was shipped to me so it would smell like her house.  If you know me at all, you know that my grandparents' house is my absolute favorite place to be.  The 5-year-old Zoë inside me is crying with happiness (and the 21-year-old Zoë on the outside cried quite a bit too).  As juvenile and silly it seems to receive a "White Blankey" for my 21st birthday, it was exactly what I needed as a reminder that even though I'm over 4,000 miles away from home, I have an amazing family that loves me to return to and I couldn't be more blessed!

In addition, I'm completely over all the homesick feelings so thank you again to everyone who supported me. Actually I want to stay in Europe forever now.