Families move all the time. We all know someone whose family moved from state to state to house to house growing up, never having a place to settle down in for more than a few months or even a year. I, on the other hand, grew up in the same town in the suburb of Boston my whole life, until my sophomore year of college when my family packed up and moved 3 hours away to the absolute middle of nowhere Vermont. The transition was relatively easy for me since I live at college for most of the year, but adjusting to the new environment and meeting new people can definitely be tough. Here are some things I learned from the move.
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Having a positive mindset is crucial: If you go into the move dreading it, chances are you are going to be more negative and look over the positives. Being positive with the whole experience leads to a much smoother transition. At first, I was pretty upset with the news, but soon enough I was able to embrace the idea and make the most out of it.
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You need to take initiative to meet people: People aren’t going to do the hard work for you, if you want to meet people in your new town, go out of your way to participate in activities within the area and involve yourself as much as possible. Remember that they have their preexisting lives set and stone in the town, and you are just entering. It is important to involve yourself as much as possible, and I promise the majority of people will appreciate your efforts and reciprocate. Some of the ways I did this is joining a gym, signing up for yoga classes at a nearby studio, and reaching out to friends from college who lived in the state to hang out.
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Be flexible: As much as your friends from home want to visit you, it’s a lot harder to get a group of friends to make the haul to your new house and to find a time that works for everyone. I found that it was much easier for me to go back to my hometown. It isn’t ideal to be the one making an effort all of the time, but it is more practical and you can meet up with more people that way.
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True friends will show they care regardless of the distance: As important as it is to be flexible and go out of your way to see your hometown friends, your true friends will try as hard as they can to come and see you, even if it seems impossible. It becomes clear who truly cares for you, who reaches out, and who wants you to stay in their lives, regardless of if you can no longer physically see them as frequently.
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Take advantage of the new area and explore: regardless of where you move to, there is always somewhere fun to eat or somewhere fun to explore! Whether it be a cute coffee shop, or just going for a hike, even the most boring of towns have hidden gems.
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Remember that the move is temporary: By the end of winter break, I was ready to go back to school and see my friends. I was absolutely frustrated and over being stuck in my new town knowing very few people, but I realized this is temporary. Luckily my family decided to move when I was older, so I have access to a car to get places and I have the independence to move out if I so choose.
I am thankful I went into the move with a positive attitude and was able to appreciate and learn from the experience!