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197 Tapescript 2 BBC Learning English 6 Minute English Homesickness NB: This is not a word-for-word transcript. Jennifer: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Jennifer and I’m joined by Finn. Finn: Hello Jen. In this programme, we’re going to talk about homesickness. That’s the feeling that you get when you’re away from home and miss it – feel sad because you would like to be there. Do you ever get homesick, Jen? Jennifer: Oh yes. I live in London now, but I was born in the north-east of England, which is a three-hour train journey away. Sometimes I wish I could go back home and see my family. How about you? Finn: I’ve felt homesick when I’ve spent time in other countries. It’s very common and a lot of people suffer from it. Jennifer: We’ll talk soon about some tips that you can use to combat, or overcome, homesickness, but first, a quiz question. Finn: Ok, I’m ready. Jennifer: What percentage of students experience homesickness in their early days at university? a) 50% b) 60% c) 70% Finn: I’m going to say b) 60% Jennifer: We’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. So, if you are homesick, how does it feel? Finn: Well, I think you can often feel very lonely, especially if you’ve moved to a foreign country where the language is different to yours. You can feel quite isolated – feeling that you’re on your own with no one to help. Jennifer: That’s true. It’s often very difficult when you don’t know many people. It’s stressful. It can be hard to make friends, and you will often think about your friends and family back at home. Finn: You could say that you pine for your home. That means that you really want to go back and see some familiar faces, or people you know. Jennifer: I miss my friends and family lots. But when I’m feeling homesick, I also miss places, sounds and smells!