The first familiar face in a new place can make arrival feel less temporary.

Belonging starts with recognition rather than with paperwork. You can live somewhere for weeks and still feel in transit until one person knows you by sight, and after that the street stops being scenery and becomes somewhere you are also part of. It usually takes one repeated encounter rather than a friendship, and being recognised does an enormous amount of quiet work.

If you have moved recently, go to the same place at the same time for a fortnight instead of trying new ones. If someone near you is new, learn their name early and use it.