I surprised myself over the past few days by putting in the extra effort to meet new people. I already have one group of interns here to hang out with, but I’ve always been the person with multiple friend groups—so it’s been hard over the past week and a half to adjust!

I had my first ‘couch surfing experience’ on Sunday. This is quite the cool app; it isn’t limited to people who are looking for a place to stay. The ‘events’ section allows you to see what’s going on near you, organized by other couchsurfers.

This is a place full of people who want to meet other travellers, or locals, and try new experiences! I went for a 8k run through Hyde park (my first time being there) with a super friendly guy who had been in London for six years already.

It’s a fresh perspective to hear stories from a local. We had a great time, I pet some swans—and got a bit of exercise in too!

On a different note, I also met up with a new group of girls the next evening. One girl coincidentally moved here the same day as me, is from Ottawa (like me) and is getting into a similar field that I want to pursue.

And this connection all began through me reading her blog a few months ago! So she organized a group hangout, with other new girls, and we met up in person for the first time at the Aqua Shard (the 32nd floor of the Shard).

After some photography sessions, we moved onward to another (less expensive) restaurant for fish and chips!

What a great past few days it’s been. I hope to be as busy as possible for the next little while! I’m always happiest with an full schedule.

Anyone else love meeting new people, but find it challenging to get things started? I’d love to hear!