The concept of Fernweh leaves me incredibly puzzled. I'm trying to picture a situation in which someone would be homesick for a place they've never been, but I can't seem to wrap my brain around it.
The BBC article I cited above suggests it's akin to a stymied wanderlust - when you are dying to travel but, for whatever reason, can't. But I'll admit that I've been thinking of as a more concise way of saying "you can't go home again." Like my niece is attending university at my alma matter, so you'd think that visiting her would be full of nice memories of the school and the town. But they've both changed so much in the intervening 25 years that it's not the place I remember; the place I remember and that I want to go back to is gone. So I feel fernweh. I could be wrong about the word, but that's how I'm suggesting we use it in English. :)
Your usage suggestion makes a lot more sense to me ;) And the example with your niece makes is a great one! It makes me realize I was feeling fernweh recently when I passed by my primary school's in my hometown.
The concept of Fernweh leaves me incredibly puzzled. I'm trying to picture a situation in which someone would be homesick for a place they've never been, but I can't seem to wrap my brain around it.
The BBC article I cited above suggests it's akin to a stymied wanderlust - when you are dying to travel but, for whatever reason, can't. But I'll admit that I've been thinking of as a more concise way of saying "you can't go home again." Like my niece is attending university at my alma matter, so you'd think that visiting her would be full of nice memories of the school and the town. But they've both changed so much in the intervening 25 years that it's not the place I remember; the place I remember and that I want to go back to is gone. So I feel fernweh. I could be wrong about the word, but that's how I'm suggesting we use it in English. :)
Your usage suggestion makes a lot more sense to me ;) And the example with your niece makes is a great one! It makes me realize I was feeling fernweh recently when I passed by my primary school's in my hometown.
It will be a season of festivals, a month later in India. I will be missing a few people who are no more. Will that be hiraeth?
I think so. In the definition above, it mentions missing the lost or departed, so I would say yes.
I think I'm a GenX in disguise because Cawfee Tawk makes me verklempt as well.