Breaking The Ice With Your Atlanta Neighbors
Mar 6th, 2008 by atlanta apartments
When you first move into an Atlanta apartment, it can be overwhelming, more so if you move into an Atlanta apartment alone. Thinking about talking to anyone you don’t know, can be difficult and sometimes overwhelming. Not everyone takes to people easily and getting to know the people around you can be quite a daunting task. But breaking the ice with your neighbors in your apartment doesn’t have to be difficult.
Walk around the neighborhood: One of the quickest ways to get to know your Atlanta apartment neighbors is to walk around the neighborhood. Talk to the merchants or small businesses around you and ask questions. Tell them that you’ve just moved into the neighborhood and want to get acquainted with everyone. Also a number of apartments have a concierge desk, make it a point to mingle. Smile at people while in the elevator, that’s a good way to break the ice. You can then start up a conversation.
Be the first one to talk: Most people today are shy of strangers and when you are new to the neighborhood, neighbors are already checking you out to see if you’re a fit for what they already know. Unless someone is extremely extroverted, they will not be the first ones to talk to you. You can simply approach them when you see them outside or walking down the hall and say hello. A good point of conversation is let them know that your new and your looking for something like a pharmacy or something nearby. You’ll find people are more than willing to help someone new.
Take food or invite them in: No one can resist free food and neighbors love it. Have a small gathering at your place and invite people for snacks. Let it be a space to find common ground. Some of your Atlanta apartment neighbors will come out of curiosity, others may not come the first time. The point is to create a positive space for everyone to meet and get to know each other. Or, if you’ve seen the neighbors have pizza delivery before, send them a surprise pizza. Everyone likes to know they are appreciated.
Join them online: Since we are in the cyber age, some people are more comfortable meeting online. There are a couple of sites today that are social networking groups and allow neighbors to meet each other online first. If you go to http://www.LifeAt.com you will find a community space that tells neighbors of upcoming events. Your Atlanta apartment building has to be listed, but there is a space on the site to make that happen.
Another great space for the same purpose is Meet The Neighbors. They
http://meettheneighbors.org. They are similar to LifeAt but they allow you to organize get togethers online and give you the option to use instant messaging to communicate in real time.
Be patient: For some people, it’s easy to talk to strangers. For others, they like to be sure they want to interact with someone. Stay friendly whenever you see someone in your Atlanta apartment building and be patient. It may take you a little time to get to know people. However, you can start by talking to the neighbors on either side of you.
Look for things in common: As you watch your Atlanta apartment neighbors, do you see things you have in common? Do you have children that are similar ages? Do you see that they drive the same car as you do or you see they go out walking everyday? If so, you could talk to them about what you see. Do they have a dog and you always wanted one? Ask for their advice on getting the right dog. Anything like this will help them get to now you a little better.