Moving to a new city can be awkward at first, especially if you don’t fit in with the established demographics of the area.

That is what the guy in this story is dealing with, and it is making him very uncomfortable since people are stopping and staring at him everywhere he goes.

It has gotten to the point where he is thinking about breaking his lease and moving away because people are acting so oddly.

Personally, I think he should give the neighbors some time to get used to him. Chances are, everything will work out nicely. Read through the full story and see if you agree.

New City, Same Nosy Behavior

I recently moved to a new city. I’d like to say where, but I’m not trying to overshare.

This was a big move, and well thought out.

Long story short, let’s just say I have a different skin complexion than most people in my new neighborhood. I worked my butt off to move here and did a lot of research before deciding on this location. I spent nearly a year preparing for the move.

On day one, I arrived, unpacked my belongings, and went for a walk. I didn’t notice too much staring or unusual interest in me. I spent a maximum of two to three hours outside that day.

This is just weird.

On day two, things started getting creepy. I went on a local hike, and I’d say four out of five drivers slowed down or hit their brakes when they saw me.

Some even had their tires squealing. One woman was driving in the opposite direction, slammed on her brakes, made a complete U-turn, and stopped just to get a better look at me.

There is no reason for him to change his behavior just because the neighbors are being weird.

As I walked toward the hiking trail, I experienced similar behavior from several neighbors, including some pretty harsh looks. Nobody said anything, but I was already getting the feeling that maybe I wasn’t welcome in the area. I spent a maximum of two hours outside that day.

On day three, I decided to limit my time outside. I’d been noticing cars braking when I went for walks, along with police officers lingering around and looking at me. I figured it was best to take it easy.

What is the problem with this?

However, I did stop at the local Chevron convenience store. I know how small towns work, so maybe my first mistake was going into that store in the first place. I decided to buy something without thinking too much about my experiences over the previous few days.

During the purchase, I showed my ID and went about my day. Later, while out for a walk, I overheard neighbors discussing the state I had moved from. At that point, I had spent a total of only about six hours outside over three days.

People are acting weird; that is for sure.

I immediately suspected that the store clerk had shared my information with people in the neighborhood. I also saw him walking out of the neighborhood later, which made me think he probably lives in the area and may have even grown up there.

I brought up the situation with my Uber driver, who was a local, because I wanted to hear his perspective. I asked him, “Let’s say I just got into your car, and you somehow knew what state I lived in before moving here. Wouldn’t that be creepy?”

At least this one local seems normal.

He replied, “I’d tell you to get out of the car!” LMAO.

So yeah, even he thought that kind of behavior would be weird.

To make matters worse, one of the neighbors appeared to be following me around while discussing where I had moved from.

People often react oddly to change.

It’s a strange community, and I feel like if I were to lash out or confront someone, especially since I have a different skin complexion than most of the residents, it could turn into a much bigger problem. People are so weird.

I moved here to pursue a career and mind my own business, not to become the neighborhood’s latest curiosity.

Honestly, he is kind of weird for tracking how long he is outside because of this.

As of Tuesday, I’ve spent a maximum of nine hours outside since arriving, and I’ve been here for almost a week. That’s a whole different level of nosiness.

Sorry for the rant, but be careful out there, guys. Sometimes it feels like people will make you a target for no reason other than their own amusement.

Things will calm down, especially as he starts to make some friends and he settles in.

Honestly, this whole experience makes me want to break my lease already. LMAO.

I definitely didn’t sign up for whatever they’ve got brewing around here.

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While this would certainly be awkward, it doesn’t seem like anyone is being rude (other than the staring). He should just be himself and things will calm down.

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about it.

Give it some time; people will get used to it.

He shouldn’t let people intimidate him. Just make an effort to fit in.

The way people treat others depends a lot on region.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an artist who made sure to leave the walls of her home blank and boring before moving out, even though they were covered with gorgeous murals before then.

Here is a commenter with some questions.

This person had a bad experience.

It takes time and effort to fit in, but it doesn’t seem like the neighbors mean any harm.