Once you get to a new place, it's super important to start setting up your network. Network of people who know about the city, network of friends of friends, network of women (special interest groups), network of work opportunities...etc, etc, etc. This takes LOTS of energy, mental strength and stamina! Seriously, it's like a full time job just settling into a place and meeting people. You really have to truly love it...or LEARN to love it.
I was the later.
Usually you have a job when you move to a new place so you're already arriving with a built in network. You're work environment somehow builds into a full fledged life network without you having to really even think about it. If only it were always so easy!
DC was my first challenge with this. It was like the warm up before the sprint. I had to work extra hard to meet people. Go outside my comfort zone and actually talk to the person next to me enjoying there coffee at Dolcezza...or spend a little extra time talking to the girls signing me in for yoga class. People interactions are really something to cherish and so many times we take those little moments for granted.
But if that's the only "friend"-ly interactions you have in a new city, they are seriously very precious. I found myself gravitating to those moments. Anything to feel less lonely and overwhelmed.
So, yeah...here I am again.
This time around, though, something feels a little different. Like I'm not totally alone. Well, thanks to already being here visiting a year and a half ago and making a couple of friends, it feels like coming back to something familiar. Plus, Sara and Omar are just an hour away, so the network of friends is quite large in comparison! We're truly grateful for that.
I think once you have the friend network squared away, the work and others will follow. You just have to keep getting out there, meeting people and drinking lots of coffee!
I was the later.
Usually you have a job when you move to a new place so you're already arriving with a built in network. You're work environment somehow builds into a full fledged life network without you having to really even think about it. If only it were always so easy!
DC was my first challenge with this. It was like the warm up before the sprint. I had to work extra hard to meet people. Go outside my comfort zone and actually talk to the person next to me enjoying there coffee at Dolcezza...or spend a little extra time talking to the girls signing me in for yoga class. People interactions are really something to cherish and so many times we take those little moments for granted.
But if that's the only "friend"-ly interactions you have in a new city, they are seriously very precious. I found myself gravitating to those moments. Anything to feel less lonely and overwhelmed.
So, yeah...here I am again.
This time around, though, something feels a little different. Like I'm not totally alone. Well, thanks to already being here visiting a year and a half ago and making a couple of friends, it feels like coming back to something familiar. Plus, Sara and Omar are just an hour away, so the network of friends is quite large in comparison! We're truly grateful for that.
I think once you have the friend network squared away, the work and others will follow. You just have to keep getting out there, meeting people and drinking lots of coffee!
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