I am doing an internship out of state this summer and I was wondering how you initially handle(d) the "settling in" phase?

[harrisonfjord]

I'm completing my graduate degree at the same institution as my undergraduate degree (I know, I know).

 

I relocated just for the summer, but I am having a hard time with the settling in phase. I forgot how hard it is to be in a completely new city/town. I don't really know anyone besides my one roommate and she declines my invitations to hang out. I know I will be able to interact with the other interns soon, I just am bored being completely by myself for the entire day. I don't have access to a car and I have no TV in my new living situation. Yesterday I walked around downtown a bit to check things out. I've been reading a lot and brushing up on my statistics, but do you have any other advice? 

Edited May 31, 2014 by harrisonfjord

[maelia8]

If you're only staying in this city for 2-3 months, I wouldn't count on forming any meaningful new friendships while you're there, although you might get to hang out with the other interns over a beer after work. Last summer when I was alone in a city for an internship (in a single apartment, without a roommate), I spent a lot of time going for walks, working on craft projects, and writing. When you have a lot of free time to yourself, it's a good time to get creative and do some writing, drawing, crafting, sculpting, etc.

[MakeYourself]

Bumping this thread because I have the same question.

[harrisonfjord]

If you're only staying in this city for 2-3 months, I wouldn't count on forming any meaningful new friendships while you're there, although you might get to hang out with the other interns over a beer after work. Last summer when I was alone in a city for an internship (in a single apartment, without a roommate), I spent a lot of time going for walks, working on craft projects, and writing. When you have a lot of free time to yourself, it's a good time to get creative and do some writing, drawing, crafting, sculpting, etc.

 

I don't necessarily agree with this statement, but I do understand that I'm not going to make friends with all the interns. I really am not a creative person so these things typically don't interest me. My biggest issue is that if I purchase supplies for creative projects, I have to lug them back on the plane with me. I was hoping to get some input as to how you did things to manage homesickness or how you went about exploring the city safely on your own? 

[maelia8]

I was in a mid-sized city (about 300,000 people). I went on a lot of walks and spent a lot of time reading and writing, as I said. I was friends with two of the other interns at work, so we went out to lunch together a lot and sometimes for a beer after work, but that was about it in terms of social interaction (joining a club or sports group to make friends might not make sense for such a short period of time). I took the train out to surrounding towns and cities to get a look at something new on the weekends, but since I was working a full-time 9-5 internship, I usually didn't have that much time to go out during the day anyway. I went to all of the museums and galleries in the city, I did a walking tour, i spent a lot of time in the park behind my apartment building, reading … I also made an effort to get to know my neighbors in the hallway of my building and we had a couple of grilling nights. I hope this is more helpful to you, good luck!

[hj2012]

When I lived in a new city for a short time, I used apps like Circle or sites like Meetup to find people who enjoy similar activities (hiking, biking, etc). Like maelia said, it'll probably be difficult to make super meaningful relationships but I always enjoy meeting a variety of new people. Meetup worked really well for me!

Good luck!