It truly is... for most. Some of us don't have the feeling of "home" and are like sea gypsies :-) Others... from different countries... don't get to speak to their wives and children for weeks or see them for months :-( They work to send money back home. they don't get any days off... and are paid pennies compared to Americans or Europeans. I'll tell more of their stories too... <3 It is very VERY lonely sometimes. We all have each other at certain times though. We all have that loneliness in common.