Things that may not have seemed appealing or that you have never done in the past may become intensely interesting to you. Challenge yourself to get involved. It is important to keep a reasonable level of contact with your family. This varies from individual to individual. Consequently, the combination of changing interest patterns, the very nature of education itself and the distance will cause you to have less contact with your family.
Many students find it helpful to have ritualized ways of being in touch with their family.
A phone call at a certain time of the week seems to work well for most students. Decide on the appropriate number of visits for you to return to your home environment and for people from home to come and see you. Balancing developing new relationships with maintaining the old is an art form. When communicating with parents and family members, find some time to communicate the kinds of changes that are taking place. This will help others be more respectful of how you are growing as a person.