I had no idea the plane had landed when I first touched down in Prague. There was thick fog everywhere, blocking any view of the city. When I grabbed my checked bags and began searching for a Bolt, the fog turned to rain. I arrived at my hotel and ran inside.

In the two weeks after, I’d seen the sun just twice, only for about an hour or so each. I was warned Prague would be cold, and I knew Europe was cloudy, but for some reason, I didn’t expect the gray.

It was always sunny in my mind when I’d pictured myself abroad. This was, of course, unreasonable. But the clouds have affected me more than I’d like to admit. 

Every morning, the walk to class is cold and dim, with gray clouds layered in the sky. Instead of a beautiful sunset, Prague slowly gets dark. It’s freezing, which my Sambas are not well prepared for. I rush between school, cafes, and my dormitory to avoid the weather, just like I ran into the hotel when I first arrived. 

The clouds inevitably dampened my mood. I’d like to claim they don’t affect me, but it’s not true. I really miss the sunny days. I’m not sure I’ve gone this long without one before. 

I realized this week how homesick I was when I woke up to another dark, dreary day. I miss the temperamental, unpredictable weather at home. My friends and parents back in New England send me updates on the freezing temperatures. But when I check in on the New Hampshire cold, I can’t help but focus on the sun icon from the weather app.

It isn’t just the weather that I didn’t expect. As I was leaving, all I felt was excitement for a new adventure. But after two weeks of overcast, my overwhelming feeling is homesickness. I miss not just the sun, but my family, my friends, my dogs, even my general biology class from last semester.

As someone who’s never been far from home, this was relatively unexpected for me. The only time I’d ever felt homesick was at summer camp in eighth grade. As I consider the three more months ahead of me, I can’t say that same feeling of excitement remains. 

So today, when the weather app finally predicted some sun, I’m embarrassed to admit how much my mood improved. And sure enough, the sun peeked into our classroom around noon—finally. 

A crew of study abroad girls and I headed to a nearby Czech park, walking around and enjoying the “warm” weather (42 degrees). As I sat down and overlooked a new view of Prague, I couldn’t help but feel homesick again. Now the weather I’d been yearning for reminded me of the home I’d been missing. 

Clearly, the weather isn’t what’s causing me to miss home. It’s an obvious factor to blame, but at the end of the day, an experience isn’t made or broken by the forecast. 

I’ve been able to talk to friends who’ve given me some good advice on what to do about these feelings. The conclusion we’ve come to is that homesickness is inevitable. Obviously, I’d miss the people and places I love about home. I’d be crazy not to. And that won’t go away. 

But this too shall pass. Cloudy weather won’t, can’t stick around forever. And even if it does, it really shouldn’t change my time abroad. It’s easy to blame the weather for a tough time, but missing home will always be there, rain or shine. What’s most important is finding a way to embrace the whole experience, clouds and all.