202003 - A New City, and a Hope for New Friends
Big job, big move — now I just need someone to share the small things with.
Letter ID:LON-202003
Dear London,
I don’t quite know how to say this without sounding dramatic, so I’ll just say it plainly: I moved here for work, and I’m proud of that — but I’m lonely, and I didn’t expect loneliness to feel this sharp.
Three months ago I packed up my life in a small town just north of Manchester, signed a new contract, handed back my house keys, and took the biggest job I’ve ever had. Everyone told me how exciting it would be — “London will suit you,” “you’ll thrive there,” “so much to do, so many people to meet.” And parts of that are true. I walk past places I used to see only on TV. I hear accents from everywhere. There’s always something happening. But being surrounded by people is not the same as having people.
Two weeks ago I got lost on the Underground. I must have changed at the wrong station or stood on the wrong platform — I still don’t know — but suddenly I didn’t recognise anything and the more I tried to figure it out, the more my mind raced. I stood there while the platform board changed and trains arrived and left, people rushing around me like they’d been given a map I didn’t have. I cried for ten minutes on that platform. Quietly — head down — but still. I cried. Then I pulled myself together, checked the signs again, and kept going. It felt like a small metaphor for my life here.
I’ve tried to meet people. I joined a gym, but everyone seems to move around like they already know each other, or at least know exactly what they’re doing. Starting conversations there feels… awkward. At work I manage people, which means friendships are complicated — I don’t want to blur lines or make anyone uncomfortable. I’ve tried dating apps in the past but had a bad experience back home, and I’m not ready to go back to that just to feel connected again.
So I’m writing this in the hope that maybe someone reads it and thinks, that sounds a bit like me — or I could be her friend. I’d love someone to go for a drink with after work, or try the cinema with on a Sunday, or sit on a blanket in a park when summer comes back around. Nothing dramatic. Just someone who wants company too.
I came here because I believed London was full of possibility. I still believe that — I’m just hoping some of that possibility includes friendship.
— Kelly
Occasionally we shape real stories into letters, so every voice is heard.
Source: Shaped from a real conversation/interview
Photo credits
Images are sourced to enhance the reading experience and do not depict the original writer.
• Main Letter image: iStock.com/Wirestock