Telling new classmates early on about your allergies makes life easier!
At the beginning of September, I moved away to London, Ontario to start a Master’s degree. When I did my undergrad, I lived away from home but I was only a half hour drive away and I had a lot of friends still in the area. When I moved to London, I knew absolutely nobody. It was intimidating at first because I knew the responsibility of telling people about my allergy rested solely with me. That’s not to say I always let my friends spread the word about my allergy, but I guess I still have some insecurities about sharing my allergy to new people and having a friend or two around offers me support. Nevertheless, I found that a lot of the orientations revolved around food so I saw my chance and I took it.
There’s plenty of opportunity to chat about an allergy when there’s allergen-safe food at an event because you can casually bring up that you were a little nervous to try this “new” food. I did this and people typically asked why and I would explain that I’m allergic to peanuts and tree nuts and that most events end up using foods that they can’t guarantee are safe. From my experience, announcing an allergy in this way dulls the surprise of the person you are talking to and they begin to share a general sense of curiosity. This will often lead into a conversation about experiences with an allergy or stories they have of friends with allergies and it’s an easy way for me to break the ice while also spreading awareness. Now that’s killing two birds with one stone!
Tags: Dylan B., Getting Friends on Board, University/College