The Dispatch #22
Sushi, settling in, and the search for pals
I have an overwhelming urge to howl at the moon and punch my boyfriend in the leg. It’s my first period in my new city! 💅
Quick, ladies, now that the men have left, what day shall we meet for the revolt?
Haha… joking…
As I was saying, it’s my first period while working a full-time office job (in a very long time). Naturally, my period arrived the day I had to drive thirty minutes into the Lanarkshire countryside to give a presentation to one of the UK’s biggest supermarkets when all I wanted to do was crawl into the foetal position, waking only to eat chip butties and rub Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut into my gums.
It’s funny because I posted a note a few months ago all about the joys of being freelance and having autonomy while on your period. Alas, we can’t have everything all of the time.
For now, I’m having to heed my own advice and find balance where I can. Which I did, by working from home the day after with a hot water bottle stuffed down the front of my trousers and eating half a packet of chocolate digestives.
Life really is just constantly adjusting while trying to remain cheerful!
I’m swiftly moving through the stages of settling somewhere new – building my Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, if you will.
The first step, getting a home sorted, is very much established. My flat no longer has a foreign smell. The noisy road (thanks to trial-and-error earplug purchases) isn’t as noticeable anymore. We’ve bought most things we need. But most importantly, it feels like home.
The second step has been settling into my new job. I know my way there by memory on foot and by car. I remember (most) people’s names in the office. I sit down knowing what I’m doing, no longer feeling like an imposter; offering help to those around me, including my teammate who is recovering from a rather unfortunate accident involving a rubber ring and a Greek waterpark.
The third step, which I now feel ready for, is making friends and building a community. We know absolutely no one here, which is both thrilling and a bit glum. Bren, my boyfriend, is a musician and has been doing the open-mic and gigging circuits. He came home this week, enthused about making a friend, only to find out his new friend is moving to Edinburgh. So close.
We remind ourselves each day that all we can do is keep putting ourselves out there – as people, with our careers, our dreams. ‘Nothing good happens from staying at home,’ Bren reminds me. To which I huff and nod tentatively – me, the more introverted of the two of us.
He plays me one of his favourite motivational video clips of a man walking down a NYC sidewalk, talking about ‘embracing the day, booking in meetings and making the effort.’ And he’s right. If we want anything in life, we have to set the alarm, get out of bed and make the effort.
In other news, we christened our new sushi maker and let me tell you it’s the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off. After building your rice and fillings in the plastic drainpipe provided, you slam the sides together and push it out using the pump provided, instinctively shouting ‘SUUUSHIII POOOO’ at the top of your lungs. I’ll be the envy of my office with my homemade bento boxes.
I have also been reading voraciously! Likely because there are no new Bravo shows for me to watch on Hayu, so I’m picking up books rather than watching Ozempic-filled women lob glasses of water over each other.
I’m currently halfway through Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (as part of a book club I’ve just joined!), and I do not want it to end. I turn each page seething with jealousy that I have not written it myself. The prose is deliciously razor-sharp and hilarious. It’s the most unique book I’ve read in a long time.
For anyone looking for reading recommendations, you can support local bookshops by shopping my 2026 Reading List here.
I’ve taken the Monday Bank Holiday off work to give myself some time to write and continue edits on my book – keeping the writing dream alive! We’re scheduled for a heatwave, so I might have to take my laptop out to the park in true taps aff Glaswegian fashion. Brits, how are you spending the heatwave?!
And a few questions I’d love your thoughts on… Have you ever relocated? What did you find was the hardest part – and how did you find your community in a new place?
Till next week!
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No offence to Bren, but I'd say 70% of the best bits of my life happen by staying at home. 😁 Glad to hear you're settling in.
Hi from an American living who has lived in the UK and is now living in Germany! I remember the metaphor that kept coming into my head the first few months in Germany was planting seeds. I would go to so many different meetup groups (mostly centered around writing) and feel frustrated that I wasn't instantly besties with people. Alas, life doesn't work like an elementary school playground. But after a few months there, I could see my planted seeds begin to sprout. It sounds like you've got the right mindset about the whole thing.
I've also recently learned about the "luck from motion," meaning you create your own luck by actively putting in effort and choosing to put yourself in new situations. Exactly what you're doing right now. I'm excited for your future updates :)