A new city is scary. That's a fact. When you drive through town for the first time, you see all the bad things. The filth, empty buildings, narrow alleys.
You feel the buildings bend around you. Bent over you, the dark windows ask you, "What are you doing here? You don't belong here, do you?"
And that's why you dive into the depth that you know best: the internet. You hide from the unknown, because the fact that you are in a new place is enough to think about it for hours.
When you venture outside, you feel looked at. The eyes see that you don't know the way here. Another student, tourist, unknown.
But then you know the way to your new home. Without realising it, you walk further and further away from the known. One street further every day, because you trust that you can find your way back.
You know you have a new home when you find your own supermarket. And then you know how to find your weekly groceries without walking to employees with google translate. You also know the way here. You can find the * cornichons *!
You sit on a bench and look out over the sea. The buildings are beautiful, idyllic. The people are friendly, but mainly concerned with themselves. This is not surprising, this is the way it always is, you are home.
(repost from Bloglovin', 17 feb 2020)