Does anyone else get this weird quiet feeling eating dinner alone in a new city?
Posted by EmbarrassedDog2332@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 2 comments
Just moved to Hong Kong recently, and I didn’t expect this to hit me… sitting at a small restaurant alone, everything feels familiar and foreign at the same time.
It’s not sad exactly, more… quiet, reflective. Like you’re in-between chapters of your life.
Curious if anyone else has felt the same when first moving somewhere new.
Puzzled-Pay4828@reddit
Hm, I moved with my family so never felt alone, but I love and used to travel alone and I can say sometimes you can just enjoy it and think about your life, concentrate on what your soul wants and overall I find it refreshing. Hope you will find harmony and friends soon. BTW, how is HK for you?
Early_Switch1222@reddit
yes. the "in between chapters" thing is exactly the right way to describe it.
i remember my first weeks in the hague, sitting at this tiny indonesian place near my apartment eating nasi goreng by myself. everyone around me was speaking dutch, the light outside was completely different from what i was used to back home in greece, and i had this moment of like... "i chose this. this is my life now." not in a bad way. just this very still, almost surreal awareness.
it passes. or more accurately it changes into something else. eventually that same restaurant becomes your spot, the waiter knows your order, and the quiet feeling turns into something closer to comfort than loneliness. but those early solo dinners hit different. i think most expats know exactly what you mean even if they cant always put it into words the way you just did.