When moving for your job, school, the military or what have you... the feeling is always the same. Anxious, nervous, excited, hesitant, curious... brought on by the huge pit in your stomach due to the unknown. However, it's thrilling to discover a new place on your own. For me, the thrill outweighed it all. I knew I had a chance to make my new city feel like my home and that was exciting!
Securing my job and deciding to move to the Live Music Capital happened very quickly. I never thought about how moving to Austin would change my life. Austin has been where I have launched my career, met life-long friends, discovered my strengths and revealed my weaknesses. I learned how to budget my own money, change a tire (by calling AAA, duh), and somewhere along the way I discovered that Sunday Funday is the adult version of college drink specials.
Even though I was lucky enough to move to an exciting city, it took some getting used to. I had to actively try to make Austin feel like home. Here is how:
Get Your Bearings
Knowing your way through the city without using your phone will make the town feel much smaller, faster. Get to know the side streets of your neighborhood, find a "cut-through" to work and discover the backstreets of the city. Drive to Target with the GPS on and return with it off. You'll quickly learn your way around and feel at ease with your surroundings.
Find an Activity
Join a club, volunteer, play rec league kickball, or attend yoga classes... there is a reason your mom pushed you to have an extracurricular activity in school. It helps you to acclimate. Find something where you can meet others that enjoy the same things as you. Its the best way to meet new people, find potential bffs and scope out prospective love interests.
Get the Touristy Stuff out of the Way
When moving to a new city there is always cool stuff to see. In Austin, it's the bats under Congress Avenue's bridge, Franklin's BBQ and East 6th Street. I made it mandatory to see all of these things within the first few weeks of living here. Getting in with the locals was important, and I wasn't going to do that by asking them to hang out at Iron Cactus downtown (touristy Mexican restaurant). Catch my drift? Check the tourist destinations off your list so you can discover where the locals hang.
Keep Doing What You Love
Moving is said to be one of the most stressful situations a person can go through. Without even realizing it, moving may add stress to your every day. Make time for yourself. Remember to do the things you love whether it is reading a book at a coffee shop, riding your bike in the park, painting or even watching Netflix... by yourself in bed with a bowl of ice cream (guilty!). You'll feel like yourself in no time.
Be a Homemaker
In college, you may have ventured far from home, but you never had to make your college accommodations a permanent. You always had your parent's house to go back to. Even though your parents will always welcome you back, the concept of "leaving the nest" means there probably won't be a return.
So, it's time to make your space feel like home. Decorate, stock the pantry, clean, bake, make breakfast, have a dinner party, grill, pack a picnic, garden... do whatever makes you feel like your place is a functioning household.
Always, Maddi B.