Moving to a new city or state can be difficult when you don’t know anyone. In 2015, I left Richmond, Virginia, the place I lived in for 26 years – where my family and friends were – and moved to New Jersey. I spent two years in New Jersey before moving to Albany, New York. Three states in two years is a lot of moving and makes for a fun time when filing your taxes (ha!)
I knew no one when I moved to New Jersey or New York and my significant other’s schedule is ever-changing shift work, resulting in a lot of alone time. I wanted to make friends and get involved in my new area after each move. In Richmond, I left behind a great running group and knew that would be a good starting point after moving. I went to the Road Runners Club of America’s website and searched for a running group in the area, joined, went to their weekly runs, monthly happy hours, and trained with them for the NYC marathon in 2016. To this day, I keep in touch with that training group through social media. I did the same thing when I moved to New York, this time, plugging in with a running group affiliated with a local running store and am currently training for my third marathon – something I would not have done on my own.
Professionally, I joined an organization for women in the insurance and financial services industry (WIFS), where I was on the Event Committee and held the role of Treasurer last year. My company is very involved in the community and we have a few Volunteer Days throughout the year, which is always rewarding.
“In order to have a friend, you need to be one.” Social media has made it easy to get involved – you just have to be willing to put yourself out there. Facebook lists upcoming events in the area, there are apps such as Meetup and Nearify, and in both of my cases, the cities I moved to have a local website with upcoming events. In February, I hosted a “Galentines” get together, inviting women though a fitness Facebook group. Thirteen ladies showed up to my house with healthy snacks and flowers and we assembled our own bouquets at the Bouquet Bar. It was so much fun, and I knew none of them 10 months prior. Use your skill set, get creative, and have fun with it! It can help you with networking and just meeting new people in general!
With St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, I challenge you to get involved in your community in a way you normally wouldn’t.
- Is your town hosting a 5k? Run or walk it and ask a friend to join you!
- Is your town having a parade or Irish festival? Attend!
- Host a brunch! Irish Soda Scones | Irish Coffee | Scrambled Eggs with Spinach Puree | Hashed Browns
-Carrie Souleret
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