HSBC: Sounds of Home - Taiwan

From keeping a seat at the table for virtual family dinners, to staying up to date on the lives of friends, research by HSBC shows the majority of international students are using technology like video calls, Instagram, WeChat and WhatsApp (97 per cent) to connect with friends and family – but this doesn’t stop them missing home. 92 per cent of international students say that they miss the familiarities of home while studying overseas, with almost six in 10 (57 per cent) saying it’s the sensory experience they miss most, and three quarters (74 per cent) specifically missing the sounds of their hometown. International students identified the sound of people talking in their native language (50 per cent), the hustle and bustle of local markets (26 per cent), the rumble of public transport (25 per cent), and birds, insects or native animals (20 per cent) are among the sounds that international students say they are most likely to miss. To help international students as they venture abroad to achieve their ambitions feel connected to home, HSBC has released Sounds of Home, global soundscapes, crowd-sourced and created by international influencers including Meh Chou, Melissa Koh and Zarnizar and will be available on Youtube, Alexa, Spotify and itunes. HSBC also captured the process behind recording and compiling these evocative sounds. While moving overseas is an exciting adventure for students which they say has a positive, lasting impact (99 per cent), it can take some adjusting to. Two in five (43 per cent) international students feel homesick at least once a week or more, nearly half (49 per cent) believe missing family and friends has impacted their academic performance, and for two in five (40 per cent), being away from home has affected their ability to get a good night’s sleep. Homesickness is particularly prominent late at night, specifically between the hours of 10pm to 12am.