I took the plunge and joined a group of people I didn’t know for a Christmas party
Making friends as an adult can be difficult. We don’t have the confidence we had as children to approach strangers and befriend them. We can no longer ask people if they want to play on the school yard or if they want to hang out at the kids club on holiday.
For some it’s even harder – especially if they uproot their lives and move to a different city where they don’t really know anyone. That’s what happened to Nina Skalonja, an Australian who moved to Swansea after meeting a Welshman while travelling around Europe. Despite having her fiancée, his family, and a few friends dotted around south Wales the Aussie was keen to meet new people.
The 32-year-old decided to post a TikTok asking if anyone wanted to celebrate Beaujolais day in Swansea with her. The video went viral in Swansea with thousands of women from the area saying they’d love to come together to dress up.
That’s when Girls Night Swansea was born.
Nina decided to create a network for women from Swansea and the surrounding areas to get together, make new friends, and eat some good food.
So far she has hosted several events including a book club, monthly dinner clubs, a sunrise hike up Pen-y-Fan, and of course, the event that started it all, Beaujolais day. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What’s On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here.
I grew up in Swansea and was fortunate to have a close group of friends. Unfortunately as we get older we have different schedules or some have moved across the country. So we can’t do as much together as we used to, which is just how life goes.
In some ways this has meant I am less likely to go out and dress up nicely – not because I don’t want to but because I don’t have the opportunity.
When I saw Nina’s original TikTok I thought it sounded like a great idea. A way to meet new people and an excuse to dress up for a change. A Christmas party was planned and I thought I’d take the plunge and put myself out there.
To begin with I was a little nervous. I wasn’t sure if I’d be overdressed or if I’d have anything in common with the girls I met.
Then I walked in to the event and I couldn’t believe how comfortable I was. I walked down the stairs and rather than everyone staring they were all so supportive. The best way to describe the welcome I had was that it felt like walking in to the women’s toilets on a night out.
Everyone was chatting, the cocktails were flowing, and it was so nice to meet new people.
We had goodie bags, a gorgeous charcuterie board of food, and we even played B*tch Santa (a little bit like Secret Santa but people can steal your gifts).
The whole evening felt so easy and I was actually really shocked at how effortless it was.
I met women who had to moved to the UK for their partners and didn’t really know anyone in the area. There were girls who were mums and felt like they didn’t do anything since having their children. Others just wanted to make some new friends.
We all had such varied careers with different backgrounds and a wide variety of ages. Realistically in day-to-day life we probably would never have met. However this proves how important it is to have groups and networks like this.
So, it turns out, it’s actually not that hard to make new friends as an adult. You just need to put yourself out there. Perhaps you could join a new club or maybe speak to the newbie who has joined your team in work. Just give it a go because what have you got to lose?
If you live in the area and you’re keen to join any of the upcoming Girls Night Swansea events you can find them on Instagram here.
