So I think I am a social nomad.
This is new to me. I am lucky to be able to say I have a lot of friends and I always have. As someone who has lived in many places, I have groups from different stages of my life, but they are all very defined groups. My school friends who I have known since I was 11, my university friends who I met at 18, my mummy friends who found each other when our babies were all a few months old, my work friends from my longest running teaching job where I worked for 8 years, the friends I met when I first moved to Sheffield. I have some individual best friends who don’t fall into those categories, but mostly if I want to see a particular friend there will always be a group of us.
That is until I moved here.
When we moved from England to California I didn’t know anyone, so I tried to forge bonds with everyone I met who I felt a connection with. The result of this is that I don’t really have a tribe here like I am used to.
I have people who I adore but most of them are part of their own tribe.
It isn’t a bad thing most of the time. We get asked to go along to fun parties and group events and I do coffee with friends and dinner. I have people I can call if I am bored or if I want to have a giggle with a girlfriend. We have friends as a couple that we double date and a really fun group who we have game nights with.
BUT I miss my tribes.
It is hard to explain. I know I am loved here, but occasionally I see photos of girlfriends with their tribes and it makes me sad that I don’t have something I am so used to having. Something I probably took a little for granted.
Of course, this is part of the territory of moving somewhere at this time in life. Most people here have their little groups of friends, just like I do at home. Sometimes it can feel hard to infiltrate those groups fully.
This is why I came to the realisation that I am a social nomad. I have lots of people who are my friends, but I do not belong to any one tribe. I am a floating member of many!
Almost 2 years into our adventure and I see how lucky I am to have made so many friends here. I don’t often feel lonely anymore and I certainly feel loved by the friends I have here.
Yes, I miss my tribes but our experience here has turned into this crazy journey of self-discovery. I didn’t realise I would learn so much about myself by moving. But I am brave and I have learned to be fearless and throw myself into social situations.
So what if I am a social nomad? My biggest fear about moving was not managing to make friends. I am proud of our family for making a life so far from ‘home’.
