5 things to do in your first week living overseas
How to embrace your first week as an expat!
Moving overseas is such a fun adventure, but the first week can be quite overwhelming as you acclimatise to a new country.
I moved overseas about 2 months ago now, and I can honestly say I only feel like I’m just starting to settle in now. It takes a while to get your bearings in a new place, which is totally normal.
My first week living in Lisbon, Portugal was definitely quite overwhelming, but not in a bad way! I was on such a high of the excitement of having finally arrived after so many months of planning and waiting, but it was a lot to adjust to.
There were five things that I did in my first week that made the transition into living somewhere new a little bit easier.
1. Walk everywhere
One of the best ways, in my opinion, to familiarise yourself with a new city, is to walk around a lot. Just walk wherever the wind takes you. Or to somewhere specific, because I’m sure you have a lot of tasks to do in your first week living somewhere! I tried to walk around as much as possible in my first few weeks here and it really helped me to figure out my bearings, as well as see and discover so many cool things.
2. Attend a local event
Have a peruse on Google or meetup.com and see if any events are happening in the week you arrive. We got to Lisbon in June where there were street parties and local festivals happening everywhere, almost every night, so it was such a fun way to immerse ourselves in the culture and meet some great people. We also went along to an English comedy night which was fun!
3. Go to your new local cafe or pub
Getting to know your new neighbourhood will happen over time, but in the first week make sure you at least go get a coffee and pastry at your closest cafe, or a beer at the nearest bar. Try and chat to the staff if you can because it could become your new go-to place!
4. Do a free walking tour
While moving to a new country is different to being there as a tourist, I still think doing some of the classic tourist activities in your first few days can be helpful. One of my favourite thing to do in a new city is to go on a free walking tour. They normally teach you all about the local history and always suggest other good activities and places to check out in the city.
5. Give yourself time
Moving to a new country can be daunting, overwhelming, and tiring. Just make sure you give yourself time to get your bearings. You’re not going to feel settled or at home for a little while so don’t stress too much if you haven’t managed to do as much as you’d hoped in your first week.
Weekly update
Hello hello! Coming back with another little weekly update for you.
This last week has been much better than the previous one that’s for sure. Our three-day nightmare Workaway situation all feels like a distant memory now, and we’re settling in nicely to our new place.
We had a very exciting week as we headed to Marseille for three days for the Olympics! The first night we were there we saw France vs New Zealand in the men’s soccer. Unsurprisingly almost the entire crowd was French, and France did end up winning 3-0. The second night was the main reason we went to Marseilles, and that was to see the Matildas play the USA in the group stage of the women’s soccer. Before the game, we went to a Matildas fan meetup and met some other keen Aussies who were also there for the game. The vibes were high and we ended up having great seats close to the field. Very sadly, the Matildas lost 2-1, but the last 10 minutes were very exciting, and I almost thought we were going to pull through, but alas, no such luck. It was still a really fun night though! My highlight was getting a high five from the famous Harper Gorry (iykyk).
Marseilles itself was lovely as well. We explored the city and ate plenty of delicious French pastries. We also did a boat trip to the Calanques, a famous national park, not far from Marseilles, and we got to swim off the boat which was very fun. The Olympic sailing and windsailing was also taking place in Marseilles and we were lucky enough to see the windsailers up close on our way back on the boat!
Overall was a great few days and I really liked Marseilles. We’re back in Lisbon now, catching up on work and planning our next adventure!