Table For One

Today is Tuesday the 21st of October and I have officially been here for three weeks. When I arrived, all my roommates were just starting to work and I still had almost two full weeks before starting. This led to me to do a lot of independent exploring and activities. 

Immediately after landing, I spent my first day here buying sheets and towels and just getting organized in my new space. Luckily I have an El Corte Ingles right down the street from my apartment so I made three trips there that day for all my essentials (best store in the world). The next day, I was itching to get outside and explore. 

In the past, I never would have been someone so comfortable going off alone in a foreign city but I think I immediately felt at home here. In college and when studying abroad, there's a lot of pressure to immediately build a social circle but here I felt like it was most important to get myself established. I was signing up for different workout classes through classpass, and wandering aimlessly, popping into all the cute boutiques and local shops. 

I also allotted time to set up my new phone number, my bank account and my abono. My appointment for the abono was in Sol so I headed there and experienced it by myself. While in Sol, I popped into the Orange store to set up my phone number. Getting these things out of the way was hugely helpful to feeling more settled in here and I was proud of myself for doing it all on my own. 

As someone who is very routine oriented, having so much free time was overwhelming. I wanted to add structure into my days so each day I would give myself a loose plan. Typically I would book a workout class and then meander around or explore a new park. I blocked out times for myself to read or journal. I tried different coffee shops and browsed sooo many stores. I never wanted to let myself get bored when I knew there was so much to do and see so I just took advantage of all the time I had and just walked around. 

Another thing is trying new places alone. I am almost embarrassed to say this but in my first two weeks here I did not cook once. I’m not saying I ate every meal out for two weeks but if I was eating at home it was a non-cook meal like a yogurt bowl or snack plate. With all the excitement and newness of it all, I was allowing myself to try different cafes for breakfast or occasionally go to dinner alone. It felt like a vacation at first and with no set schedule of work yet, I fully leaned into it. 

I was treating myself left and right to delicious pastries and exploring the local cuisine. It can feel intimidating going to eat alone but it's so normal and I promise no one is paying attention to you. Now as I settle into a better routine with work, I will definitely be taking full advantage of shopping at the fruterias and carnicerias for all my cooking needs.

Being able to do things alone is so important in getting yourself situated. I really cherish my alone time but I also love meeting new people and doing social things so having a balance between both is huge. My roommates and I always catch up with each other despite everyone's busy schedules. Orientation was also such a great way to meet new people. As school starts for me and my days get busier, I am going to continue on with prioritizing solo time while also making time to build relationships here. Building a community in a big city is so important to making it feel more homey.