Sooo I have posted several posts on here about being homesick due to moving 1000+ miles from home. I have finally gotten over my homesickness but I am still extremely lonely. I talk to my coworkers at school and I attend church and sunday school but I still have not made any real friends. I am just having a hard time dealing with being all alone. I had to leave my dog at home with my parents when I moved and it is not possible for me to get another pet at the moment. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to meet new people when living in a big city. I have lived in a very friendly small town my whole life and I feel so lost in the big city. I will not go to bars or nightclubs and I don't know where else to go to meet people my own age. I am not looking for a date just a group of friends to hang out with so I am not feeling so alone all the time.
A gym is a great idea,you can meet many people as well as stay healthy.Join a religious organization or ask some of your fellow teachers to your house for a little dinner or party. Good Luck.
I don't know where you live, but any decent sized city has craigslist classified ads. I live in Los Angeles and though it may sound funny, I've actually met friends through craigslist (as well as roommates, gotten free stuff, bought furniture, found places to live, AND my current job). At least and this city, you can always find people with alike interests in the groups and activity partners section. http://www.craigslist.org and find your city in the right-hand menu. p.s. I'm from central Texas, San Antonio area. Where are you?
Keep in mind that big cities are nothing more than lots of "small towns" (or meighborhoods) linked together. Seriously. Explore the areas of your city that you find interesting -- you might meet friends that way. Do you have any hobbies that would place you in social settings? Try those. And remember that you have been spending a lot of time in school and have not really had that much spare time in which to make new friends. Your feelings are natural. You are still adjusting! You didn't say how old you are, but that info might help us point you in the right direction. And you don't have to hang out in bars or clubs to make friends. But, you do need to open your heart and yourself to new experiences BTW, you can trust my advice -- because of my dad's job, we moved a lot when I was growing up (every year or so), so we were always having to make new friends!
You mentioned liking dogs... you could go to a dog park in the city. You'll be sure to meet some pretty cool people, and then your new friend will have a dog that you can hang out with! I had a friend growing up that went to college on the other side of the country. She missed her dog, went to dog park, and made some new friends who came with canines.
I know what you mean about the home sickness and making friends. When I was active duty, I moved to San Antonio from Maine. Big difference and it was my first time living away from home! It was hard. I made friends at work, but not many were social friends. I started volunteering in the community and met people this way. I understand it's harder to find time to do that as a teacher, but it couldn't hurt. Hope this helps a little!
