How to settle in smoothly in your new city
- Val
- Aug 26, 2019
- 3 min read
Once the thrills and the emotions of the first days have passed, you will start getting into a routine and find a sense of normalcy again. That being said, it does not mean that you will necessarily feel fully settled in or comfortable in your daily life. At this time, it will be important that you define for yourself how you want your life to look like, and find activities that will contribute to your happiness.
This may sound a little bit vague, but I hope that through telling some anecdotes it will appear more clearly.
After my initial week in London, I sort of dived into an easy, albeit empty routine.
Classes were demanding, there was quite a bit of work to do, but instead of using my free time to work on personal projects, or do some sports, or any other activity good for the well-being, I just stayed in my room, killing time away on social media or binge-watching Netflix. It did improve my English, and I have now quite an extensive knowledge of different kinds of series, so let's say that this time was not lost. I did think that socialising in between classes was enough, attending a party from time to time.
I feel like I have missed out on a lot of what London had to offer during my first year. I did try some activities, like fencing or joining activist societies, but I did not continue attending. I tried once bootcamp, but I am actually glad did not carry on with it. I still remember registering for the class, thinking boot camp meant fun exercises for a firm butt. "Today, I need to kill you", those where the words of the teacher when he entered the class. Oh he did, I stayed red for another two hours after this torture class. But this is not the subject. As a result of my lack of motivation to do anything during my first year, when I think back about it, it mostly appears to me in the shape of a repetitive blur. There is nothing wrong with deciding that you would rather stay in your room, but it might make you miss out on fantastic friendships, or getting to know yourself a little bit better. I started being more active during my second year abroad, and my daily life only got better from then on.
Even though I truly do not like this expression, I feel like I have to use it to describe what the second year entailed: getting out of my comfort zone. I am cringing as I am writing it, but yes, metaphorically and realistically speaking, that is what happened. I left my bed and my beloved Netflix session, and I joined for a bit the student radio and the student media. I took part in a great media project advertised by my university, which ended up becoming one of those experiences in life that takes tremendous importance on the personal level and teaches you more than a Netflix session would. I spent a lot more time outside, and that is when I started to feel truly settled in London.
With Dublin, the process was much faster. As for the first days there, the city was more friendly, my English level much better, and my shyness a tad less present. I would say in a sense that settling in Dublin was exactly the opposite of my first year in London. And it probably went a little bit too far, when I realised the bartenders in two different pubs knew my order when I entered the place. Dublin felt like home really fast, and I think this has a lot to do with the context within which I was, but also with the friendliness of the city in general. When most of my friends from university left after their studies, I was worried that the city would feel different. That was not the case because the friends and acquaintances who remained in the city made it feel like home.
I hope that reading those lines encourages you to get out and start building your community abroad, to let your laptop on the side for the time being, and to enjoy what your new place has to offer you!
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