People who often go on business trips for work for a long time, orient themselves in a new place quite quickly. Those for whom it is still constantly stressful find a new job without business trips, the rest have learned to enjoy it and take as much as possible from a new place: new places, new people, new acquaintances and new opportunities! But what if this is all new to you? The most important thing is to leave the panic behind the plane/ train and enjoy the new!
I must say right away that I was born and grew up in the same city, studied at the same school, so I don't have any experience of global relocations, but the person who wrote this article has it.
1. So, let's start with the most obvious — search for the nearest stores. Once you have settled in a new place, try to find the nearest grocery store, pharmacy, service station and everything else that you consider most necessary for yourself.
2. Use the Internet. It's also obvious, isn't it? If you are moving across the territory of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other former Soviet republics, it is better to use the services for this Yandex.ru (maps, people's maps, traffic jams, billboard, transport schedules, etc.) If you have moved abroad, then you should use Google Maps services or, for example, Yelp (information on cities USA and European countries). You can also use the mobile Internet to determine your location and find the right route to your destination.
To this point, I can add from myself that thanks to the mobile Internet in Istanbul, we did not use paper cards at all. Free access to Wi-Fi in city parks gives a wonderful opportunity to identify the nearest sights within 20 minutes and plan a route for a walk around the city.
3. Ask people. It means not only asking the locals if you get lost or can't find the right store. If there are several people in your environment who have lived in the city you are going to move to, do not hesitate and ask them to tell at least a little about this place. They will surely be able to tell you about the places worth visiting, where the most delicious cappuccino is prepared, in which store it is better to buy products and which areas should be avoided altogether.
Similarly, you can ask about it on a social network or Twitter. If you have a lot of friends, you can get unexpectedly many answers and useful tips.
4. Get out of the house more often and make new acquaintances. Instead of staying at home, try to walk as much as possible. From sitting at home on the couch, new friends do not appear. Find places on the Internet where people of interest to you can gather, communities of your interests (bicycles, hiking, dog breeders, etc.)
5. Support your hobby. And if you haven't been doing anything for a long time except work, I advise you to remember old hobbies. As I already noted in point No. 4, the search for communities of interest will help not only to have a pleasant and useful time, but also to meet new people. On-Line games, various congresses, exhibitions and festivals — a lot of impressions and new acquaintances. Naturally, all this is searched for and found using the Internet.
On the one hand, this advice is obvious, but you would know how quickly people forget about such things when they move to a new place. Especially if at the same time they experience stress and except for work, there is no strength left for anything else.
6. Meet friends of friends. Here you can refer to point number 3, because in addition to advice from your friends who have already been to this city, you can also ask if they have any good friends there. There is absolutely no need to be shy and afraid to seem intrusive. This works especially if you move far abroad and these people are your compatriots. Believe me, it's very difficult to find new friends, and it's better to have someone with whom you have at least a common acquaintance as your guide to a new place.
7. Take the initiativey. If you need to work on something at home, it's better to take a laptop with you and work a little in a cafe or in the park (weather permitting). Do not refuse invitations that may not seem very interesting at first glance. Use any opportunity to establish contact with the local population, even if it is a meeting of the residents of your house.
If you are going to another country, it would not be superfluous to look for some information about local customs and customs. Believe me, what is considered the norm in our country may be a violation of all the rules in another country.
For example, in Switzerland, if you are late with your laundry schedule (if there is a shared laundry) even by 5 minutes, you may be complained about and fined. Of course, the first time you will be forgiven, but then there may be consequences. Locals are not particularly friendly to foreigners and it may take a very long time before they really let you into their cozy little world. Of course, they will tell you the way with a smile and can literally take you by the hand if it's on their way. But if you come there to live for a long period, be prepared for the fact that it will be difficult to establish contact.
I also want to share a rather interesting fact about the birthday celebration in Italy. Their birthday boy does not stand at the stove all day, and then does not wash a pile of dishes after a feast. There, friends cook everything themselves and invite the birthday boy to visit them. It's his holiday, isn't it? If you are invited to a cafe, then they can only pay for your drinks. Everyone chooses the rest by himself and pays for himself too.
And do not forget that on Sunday all shops and markets in Europe are closed, if you come to the grocery market in Rome after 3 o'clock in the afternoon in summer, you will kiss the castle. But he starts working at 6 in the morning. And in Istanbul, in the Bazaar district, they work almost around the clock!
There are a huge number of such small nuances that can eventually turn into a disaster. Therefore, look for information, study, meet new people and travel!
