Moving to a new city is never very easy. It’s even more difficult if you don’t have any friends already living there. We as humans adapt quickly though and feeling familiar with a new neighborhood and way of life doesn’t take long to get used to. Here are some ways to help you get comfortable with a new city, meet new people and have fun while doing it.
Try the food
Every city has their special dish. Hong Kong is no exception. Eating is one of the country’s favorite past time. They often greet each other with the phrase “Have you ate yet.” Discovering new restaurants is an awesome way to explore the neighborhood with rewards. You’ll find that people like to talk about food so having some knowledge of where is good to eat and what menu item is hot at each place will do wonders for your social life.
Learn the language
English is Hong Kong’s second language. The first being Mandarin. You’ll see that English will take you pretty far in the city but once you head out of the main city communicating with only English will get tougher. A way to meet a local and begin to learn a bit of the language is to hire a tutor. Find a tutor in Hong Kong and it won’t take long before you can speak the basics and meeting a local is a great way to get familiar with the city.
Check out the parks
Most cities have an abundance of greenspace. The park is a great place to relax and get your mind off of the stress of the new move. Loads of parks have exercising stations, running tracks and nature trails. Try to explore as many as your can. Find a list of the city parks here
Find a favorite coffee shop or bar
Like finding a good place to eat you’ll need to find a local watering-hole. No matter what your beverage of choice is, it’s good to have a place you can go to where you enjoy the atmosphere, the people and where can relax, read a book, have a chat or a laugh and be yourself.
Join a Social Group
If you are into sports, dancing, painting, advocating or whatever – you’ll want to find like minded people. Having a quick search on google or finding a facebook group will lead you to the niche you are looking for. Hong Kong is a major city with people coming and going often, groups will always be looking for new comers. Make sure to get involved in what you love in your new home.
