By: Maddy Dittrich

While moving to a brand-new city is definitely something to be excited about, it’s no secret that it can be a little bit scary, too. This summer, I moved to New York City to work as an intern for Nickelodeon. It has been a dream of mine to move to New York for as long as I can remember. While I immediately fell in love with my job, it took some time to get settled into a new routine. Here are some ways that have helped me to feel at home in a new city.

Meet new people – Making friends is not hard to do in a big city like New York. Ask other interns to grab lunch and introduce yourself to people living in your summer apartment building. It’s very likely that many others are just as willing to branch out as you are!

Get involved – Joining clubs is not just for college! Sign up for a workout class, spend time volunteering, or find a new hobby and get involved. These kinds of activities will help you feel more at home in the city that you’re living in, and they’ll give you something to do after work and on weekends besides catching up on Netflix.

Explore your new home – Make sure to take the time to check out the area where you’re living. Find your favorite ice cream place, and the best spot to get pizza. Being more familiar with your surroundings can help you feel much more comfortable in a new place.

Call home – I’ll admit, it is very strange not being at home during the summer. I miss my friends from home, and I’ll be spending less time living at home this year than I ever have before. Calling and face timing my friends and family reminds me that they are not as far away as it feels.

Ultimately, these are a few tips that helped me to adjust to life in my new home – maybe some of these tricks can help you too!