Intimidation

Though I love cities, I'm not a city girl. I'm a big town girl. I grew up familiar with every building in my tiny city (read: big town) and forming webs of connectedness amongst its people. Hobart has a population of 219 000 which means that there's many people I don't know and have never seen before. It also means that most times I walk down the street I'll see someone I know. It's safe and predictable and I know where I fit.

In a lot of ways I love living in Sydney, but I've had trouble feeling confident here. Getting back after Christmas I realised that it's hard to be yourself in a city. You step out the door and not only are you not going to see anyone you know, maybe they'll attack you or snatch your bag or just be drunk or wierd. So you become this closed-off person while you're out. And then even when you get where you're going, you don't know these people. You didn't grow up with them around - they're all new and there's a lot of them.

I'm getting better at it now. I'm learning that people are people and relationships are relationships whatever the setting, and that I mustn't let the environment throw me off course.

Do any of you, my city-born readers, have tips for making your way in the big smoke?