Hello and welcome my dear friends! Take a seat – enjoy.
Moving to a new city and or country isn’t like riding a bike at least not for most people. Although it was quite easy for me simply because excitement took over sadness or fear, there were a few “hardships”.
First things first I’m deeply in love with London for over six years now; therefore, I’ve been to London quite a few times before I bought my one-way ticket. So I knew my way around town and didn’t feel completely lost. Apart from that (not to brag but still) for me, there was no such thing as a language barrier. I’ve been learning English for years, and it was as a matter of fact never really difficult for me. My love for the UK made it quite effortless.
Furthermore, I already had some friends living in London from previous trips or family friends. Sounds all very “privileged” and relaxed. To be honest, it was and is. However, most of my friends were guys, and as much as I care about them and trust them, I didn’t necessarily want to talk to them about, for example, period cramps. So it was time to meet some girls — time to make some new friends.
Some people have absolutely no problem finding friends while others are really struggling. It’s obviously easier for extroverts than introverts because you have to put yourself out there and might have to escape some of your comfort zones. London is thankfully a huge city, so you will definitely find someone whose mind is set the same as yours.
“Can you finally tell us how to make friends?” (lol) Sure here we go. As an Au Pair, you can use the app “AuPairs UK” which is basically a dating app for Au Pairs. If you’re a “normal person” you could use the app “Bumble” which is not only designed for finding dates but also for networking and making friends. Works fairly easy as you just swipe right or left. Apart from that, you can find loads of Facebook groups for London “Newbies” or Au Pairs. I’m sure you could find Facebook groups no matter where you are moving to or living. Most of the time, you can find organised events in these groups to meet people. It might be awkward at first meeting so many strangers, but after a while, you get used to constantly being on a “first date”.
One of the “hardships” which basically comes with being an Au Pair is that people will come and go as they’re probably moving home at one point. It’s sad to admit, but on some level, you get used to saying goodbye or at least see you later. It doesn’t get any easier; however, it becomes a sort of routine. Apart from that, most people know that you and they are only here for a specific amount of time. So you kind of push years of friendship and trust in a couple of months. Those friendships are so different from the ones you have in your home country but just as beautiful. So much cheese – somebody please stop me.
“When one door closes, another one opens.”
Alexander Graham Bell
It’s true. Although you say bye to many people during this still incredible journey, you’re also saying hey to so many new people in your life, which is absolutely amazing. You might end up being super close with a couple of them so enjoy the ride.
Hopefully, this post was at least a little bit helpful or informative for you.
see you next time
anita
ANITA 