Guest Blogger: Kristine

Today I am celebrating 1 month since I have moved to Brisbane.

And to celebrate I have a couple great guest bloggers.

They are going to share with you tips on moving city

How to set up a new life, meet new people and discover the city.

First I would like to introduce you to Kristine.

She is the blogger behind Just The Way I Am

Here is Kristine to tell her a bit about her....

I am originally from New York and moved to Arizona right after I graduated college.  Well, technically I moved to Arizona twice.  The first time was during my sophomore year in college.  My parents moved here and my dad convinced me to go with them instead of finishing school in New York.  I was very closed minded to this change and I had a miserable time so I went back to New York a year later.  After I graduated school, I was ready to move on with my life and decided to come back.  This time I was more open minded for the change but it was still not easy.  I started blogging during that time and 3 years later here I am!  I went from college graduate, ballroom dance instructor, my first long term relationship (two years long!) to a single 26 year old still trying to find her path.  This has actually been the hardest, biggest self-discovery year of my life but I can get through anything as long as I’ve got my blog!

Here are Kristine's tips...

1.      Be open to new things.  This biggest thing you need to know is nothing will ever compare to home and that could be good or bad.  Stop saying, “In ­­­­_______, this was so much better.”  The harsh reality is you are not there anymore so get over it.   Hold onto your home town memories and be open to what your city has to offer.  If people are really into bike riding, going to dog parks, or town fairs…go to them!  If people invite you to something you have never done before, try it and be opening minded.  The worst that can happen is that you realize it isn’t for you and that is ok.  Best case scenario, you win big and have fun.

2.     See what the city has to offer.  We have a site here called “AZ Central”.  It informs you on all the cool events taking place in Arizona.  From plays, art shows, concerts, grand openings of restaurants and clubs, top 10 summer/fall places to go…it has everything! See if your new home has a resource where you can find out what are the happenings of your town or city.  You would be surprised on what type of fun a small town offers, so don’t get into this rut of “there is nothing to do here”.  Go out and do some research.  When you find that resource, pick one that sounds interesting and make it a point to go.  Go as far as to make a pact with yourself to do something new once a month or more if you like.  It gives you the chance to have some fun, get out of the house and take advantage of what your new city has to offer.  Go with a co-worker, a neighbor or even by yourself!  You would be surprised what things you can enjoy even though you are alone. 

3.     Be the first to make a move.  As I get older I realized how much harder it is to make friends and moving to a new city makes it even tougher.  If you aren’t going to school, don’t have kids in school or don’t even have a job it seems nearly impossible to make friends.   God forbid you are shy, it feels like absolutely torture.  However, when you meet someone that you feel you could get along with, ask them out!  If you are going to wait to be invited to something, you are going to be waiting a while.  The reality of the situation is, this person probably already has friends and they are comfortable with their surroundings.  Not everyone you meet is going to think, “Hey, she is new.  Let me see if she wants to join me and the girls for brunch.”  And I wouldn’t take it personal if they don’t automatically start including you in their fun, they probably don’t realize how tough it is to be the new person in town.  So start asking them out to things.  Once you start making an effort to form a friendship, it will be reciprocated in no time.

4.      Trust your instincts. This is major!  You will start to eventually meet a lot of new people but don’t be desperate for dates and friends.  I once went out with this guy even though I really didn’t want to.  My thought process was “I don’t know anyone; I never have dates, why not?”  Sometimes you don’t need to have a solid answer to not do something.  If your instincts are telling you no, then listen.  It was probably the worst date I had ever been on because of my paranoid nature.  There were so many red flags throughout that date and I am still to this day convinced that this guy was high on coke.  Not kidding.  When meeting new people, if you have a bad feeling about something then go with it.  Remember, things will slowly fall into place but you have to be patient and you can afford to pass on an invite if it means not putting yourself in a bad situation.

5.     Blog about it! The whole reason I started my blog was because I moved.  I graduated school, didn’t have a job, lived with my parents and felt so alone.  Adjusting to a new home, in a new city, far away from comfort is very hard; at least it was for me.  Blogging helped me connect with people when it was so hard to do it in my real world.  I never knew the type of friends I could meet through blogging and it is so fun to look back in my blog and to see how far I have come in life.  My blog is like my own reality show and I’m the star!

Thanks for stopping by Kristine!

And for the awesome tips!

Be sure to check out Kristine's awesome blog!