Finding Your New Community - Where Do You Belong?

 “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”  ― Dorothy Day

When I was researching a new place to live, one of the most important things for me was to find a church to attend.  For me, that would be a progressive United Church of Christ. I knew that in moving to a new place where I had no friends or relatives, I needed to find a community to become part of. A church sounded like a good place to start.

Think about it, church memberships are made up of many different demographics. Young, old, long time members, new to the congregation, active and inactive participants. And as human beings, they will also have different opinions, interests and backgrounds.

Using a church community to help you get acclimated is like walking right into a “Google” store! And utilizing the Facebook “group” option, gives you many different opinions at the same time! If I need something, all I need to do is ask.  

     Bank or credit union? 

     Where can I get a good mani/pedi? 

     Is there a Trader Joe’s nearby?

     Target or Walmart?

     Best pizza around? Who delivers?

Attending church regularly and joining the church’s Facebook group has been a blessing. As a matter of fact, I joined the group on Facebook as soon as I committed to moving to Charlotte.  The funny thing is, some people I met upon my arrival thought I had been around longer as they had seen me and my comments online!  (They welcomed me anyway!)

I’ve been here just about three weeks now and in many ways it seems like longer. Because of the church, I have joined a yoga class and will start Weight Watchers next week. I’ve been able to share my moving boxes and packing materials with a member of the church who is moving from one home to another. I’ve had lunch in a beautiful park with a group of retired members and made plans to go to a Charlotte Knights minor league baseball game. I will join another group this coming weekend to tour a Raptor Center and have BBQ afterwards. A member is coming over tomorrow to do a few “handyman” chores for me and I’ve gotten advice on job hunting and possible employment prospects.

If you move to a new town, joining a church may not best serve your needs. But I do believe that finding a group of people who share a common interest will help you acclimate to your new surroundings. A “community” can be a knitting class, a softball team, a local theater group or even your place of employment.  Wherever you feel a mutual bond with others, embrace the environment. Learn from it and let it help you find your place in your new hometown! It has certainly helped me!!

Jumping right in - Adventures in North Carolina

Wow! So much has happened in the past three weeks that it is hard to know where to begin. No theme today, just lots of thoughts and sharing of my journey to call Charlotte, North Carolina “home”.

Moving day was kind of insane and went by in a bit of a blur. Sara had come home the weekend before and I thought we got a lot packed but I waited to do the kitchen last and that was a huge mistake.  I had far more stuff than I realized and the boxes just kept piling up. It got to the point where I was literally just sweeping things into a box, taping it up and labeling it “Kitchen Miscellaneous”! The same thing happened with the linen closet. 

 

The movers arrived at 10:30 am and moved pretty quickly.  There were some issues with me having more boxes than estimated (big surprise!) but that got worked out. A few family members were on hand to move a few things, pack and do last minute cleaning. Kudos to my friend Julie for pitching in as well. By 2 pm, I was hugging my mom goodbye and driving towards my new life.

I was concerned about traveling with my two cats as neither had been in a carrier before for more than the ten minute trip to the vets. Thanks be to God, Isabella settled down after ½ hour and Grace soon followed. By the time I hit the Tappan Zee Bridge, both cats were hunkered down and quiet. Taking advantage of the good weather, light traffic and quiet cats, I pushed on to Martinsburg, WV. After a decent night’s sleep, we were on the road again at 8 am. Neither cat was happy about being back in their carriers but once again, settled down after an hour. By three pm, on Wednesday, April 23^rd, we were all in our new apartment, ready to begin this new life!

Thursday had me discovering my local neighborhood and finding a really great grocery store. It makes me so happy they sell wine in the grocery stores here!!  A trip to Target and the dollar store were also part of my exploration.  AT&T arrived to hook up my TV and Wi-Fi and the washer and dryer were installed.  At this point I was sleeping on an air mattress, using cardboard boxes for a nightstand and television stands and eating pizza out of the box – I couldn’t have been happier!  Well, except for the fact I was tired of sitting on the floor. So, I bought an Adirondack chair – living room today, patio by the weekend!

The movers arrived on Friday morning and it was a bit overwhelming. All of a sudden all these boxes were coming into my new apartment and I had no idea where everything was going to go.  Also, not all of the wooden furniture pieces were blanket wrapped and I was looking at a number of scratches and scrapes. The mover offered me $50 to “not” file a claim.  In hindsight, I should have taken it!

Saturday saw me up bright and early. My new queen size bed was being delivered so I no longer had to sleep eight inches off the floor!  I also headed to the dollar store to get some inexpensive containers as trying to fit 12 boxes worth of stuff from a country kitchen into my galley kitchen was quite the project. Going from five drawers to two was a challenge I’m still recovering from. 

By Saturday evening, my bedroom was set up, I had flowers on my dining room table and I could watch television from the comfort of my couch.  This place was really starting to feel like home!  Sunday was spent going to church, the dollar store, lunch with old friend from high school, and a visit with a new friend, and back to church for a special meeting. No unpacking was done and no guilt whatsoever!

So, here I am, 16 days after I left Bethel. I am sitting at my new computer desk, listening to jazz, with my apartment 95% unpacked.  Last week saw me getting my new home organized and this week I am looking for a job. I’ve been to two employment agencies, sent out some resumes, discovered new parts of Charlotte, gotten lost in “Uptown” and been to a WW II reenactment at a local plantation. I’ve been to lunch with new friends from church, and have another lunch and an outing planned over the next ten days.  My goal is to get out each weekend and explore. This Saturday I may go to a Pottery Festival and look for the elusive bakery!  

Let the adventures begin!!