Seven cities, one way of settling in
What moving between Venezuela, China and the United States taught me about the first month anywhere.
I have lived in seven cities across three countries. The first month in each one followed the same shape, which I only noticed on the fourth move.
First comes the market. Not the supermarket, the place where people shout prices. You learn the numbers in the local language within a week because you need them.
Then the route. One walk you take every day until it is boring. Boring is the goal. A city is yours when one street in it is boring.
Then the one friend who corrects you. Not the one who is polite about your accent, the one who says the word back to you slowly. My Spanish, my Cantonese and my English each have a person like that behind them.
New York is the city I have come back to twice. The market is on Grand Street, the route goes through Washington Square, and the friend is still being found.
