Meeting people here... (Orem, Springville: apartment, how much, home)

[curt2199]

I moved to Orem a couple weeks ago for a job in Springville. I want to live in SLC but I couldn't afford the commute until I sell my home back in IL.

I'm trying to find some groups or clubs of people to hang out with and things to do. I'm not used to having nothing to do on the weekends and I'm not LDS so that limits my options for meeting people around Orem. And this place nearly shuts down on the weekends. I've literally been spending 2+ hours a night working out at the Golds Gym just to be out of the apartment but I'm still surrounded by BYU students. And the Gyms around here are closed on Sundays too. lol

Any ideas? I hunt, fish, off-road, just about anything outdoors except I haven't ski'd much due to lack of mountains near IL. I'll be traveling more after I get some training under my belt but the area is killing me as far as things to do. I'm 26 and not really ready to spend my nights at home reading books and watching TV.

Curtis

[hilgi]

Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup

[UtahRoots]

Well, the good news is that you're probably working with people who hunt, fish, and ride ATVs. The trick is to let them know that you're not having fun yet. Start some conversations about good places to fish or hunt and then invite some of the folks to come with you. Don't wait for them to invite you. They already have a circle of friends and family. It's not necessarily that they want to exclude you, they just haven't thought about including you. That's one thing that as a native Utahn I can say about some of my fellow Utahns. If they're LDS, they're often kind of socially awkward because their church always provided social opportunities and they never had to branch out or get out of their comfort zone.
Once you get a couple of guys to join you on a Saturday fishing expedition or a snowmobile ride, they'll start including you. It would be best to organize it as a small group of people rather than just inviting one person. Utahn's are mostly from big families and spend their social time at church-organized events. So they get weirded out unless they're with twelve other people. Invite a group to go fishing or snowmobiling. It's important that you show them that you're just like them - except that you enjoy a beer now and then. I wouldn't advise drinking beer the first time you go with them - or the tenth or twelfth time - but it seems like drinking soda might be a small price to pay for making friends and having some fun. Another possibility is to get three tickets for some Utah Jazz games that are in high demand. Then tell two of the guys at work who are already friends that you have three tickets to a Jazz game and invite them to go. If they're family men and have wives who are stay at home moms, they don't have the money to buy Jazz tickets and they'd probably love to go. And then, there's college football and basketball. I know it might be hard, but you might need to learn to love BYU. You have no idea how hard it is for me to say that, because I bleed University of Utah red. But you're not going to find anybody in Orem who doesn't bleed BYU blue, so if you can't be with the team you love, love the team you're with. Get some game tickets and do the same thing you did with the Jazz tickets. You need to be the one to break the ice. They have no idea yet what a great guy you are and how much fun you are to go hunting with. You have to show them. And it wouldn't hurt to volunteer to help them move, or offer to do something that you're good at and they need. When ski season gets here, take some lessons at Deer Valley. You'll meet gorgeous rich girls. And then you won't need to spend your weekend with the guys. It's amazing who you can meet on a ski lift. Hang in there. You'll make friends. It will get better.

[irman]

Originally Posted by curt2199

I hunt, fish, off-road, just about anything outdoors except I haven't ski'd much due to lack of mountains near IL.

Next week end take a ride to Five Mile. I think that is what it is called.
SouthWest of Eagle mountain, just follow the road until you see a whole bunch of Off Roaders. Usually quite a lot of them, especially during nice weather.
Start there.

[mlb]

Upcoming events

This is a free mag you can pickup just about anywhere on the Wasatch Front. Lot of ideas for outdoor activities. Great places to meet people.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Don't forget www.meetup.com. Put in your zip code and find a group to join.