Moving to a new school, or a hostel is a daunting experience. Leaving your friends, family, and everything familiar means an opportunity to find new friends, new experiences, and most of all learn new things, in a different environment. However, it doesn’t have to be a frightening or uncomfortable experience if we keep a few things in mind.
5 tips for making new friends in a hostel, or new school:
- Expect to feel nervous. Joining a new environment is likely to make anyone feel nervous. That is to be expected. Once we accept that it’s normal to feel that way, we can focus on what to do with the new experience.
- Talk to people. Talking to new people allows us to learn more about ourselves. We understand what we like about others, and ourselves. While it’s normal to feel intimidated about talking to others, everyone is just as self-conscious as us.
- Befriend other newcomers. You might find others who are in the same situation as yourself and therefore might find it easier to relate to each other. Help each other navigate rules for the hostel, school, and other aspects of daily life.
- Establish a routine for communicating with family. Ensure you find time to communicate with your family, as part of your day. This will help you create some degree of familiarity, and consistency in a new setup.
- Try new activities. Sign up for new activities or experiences you may have never tried before. It’s your opportunity to find new aspects of your personality. Use this new setting to explore a side of you.
By treating this as an adventure, you choose to look at the whole moving experience as one of learning. It allows you to explore a new location, people, and local culture. In a new place, you can find reasons to become curious about the world around you and find new hobbies, or interests.