Host Kavya's Journey Finding Community in NYC

Back in January of this year, when the seasonal depression was at its peak, I found myself itching to do something exciting.  Like most post grads I fell victim to the routine of a 9-5,

scheduling weekends with fun plans and then rinse and repeat. At the time I was living at my parent’s house in Central Jersey and found it really hard to make new connections or make spontaneous plans.

I don’t fully remember how I stumbled upon khaa-lo but after seeing the Instagram, it seemed like exactly what I was looking for! As someone who loves to cook and explore food, khaa-lo was the perfect intersection to satisfy my craving for connection and food alike. The first event I attended was a paint and sip, hosted by Vaishnavi. Admittedly, I was pretty nervous to attend alone and meet all new people but I figured the worst that could happen is that I don’t meet anyone I vibe with. The event ended up being super fun and I got to meet so many amazing people. What stood out to me about this experience compared to other social networking experiences was how relaxed and intimate it was. Everyone was so welcoming and it honestly just felt like a chill night hanging out with friends. It was also amazing to hear about everyone’s backgrounds and stories of what brought them to New York.

Although I really enjoyed my first khaa-lo event it took a bit of effort considering I was living in NJ. The city is just a train ride away but I didn’t necessarily want to come in for a Sunday afternoon walk. So when I finally moved to the city in March, I wanted to take advantage of being able to say yes to more. I attended my second event which was coincidentally also a paint and sip. At the same time, I reconnected with Vaishnavi and we chatted about her plans with khaa-lo. She mentioned she was looking for more hosts and I thought it was perfect opportunity for me to try my hand at hosting.

After brainstorming some ideas, I settled on a Central Park picnic while doing paint by numbers. I wanted there to be some sort of activity but keep it pretty mindless so that we can actually engage and make meaningful connections. On the day of, the weather was beautiful and we had an amazing group of girls. A few I had already met at previous khaa-lo events and a few I met for the first time. Regardless, we all got along so well and had such a fun time. It was really rewarding for me as a host to have planned something that brought people together.

Since discovering khaa-lo in January, I've been to 3 events and hosted one and I can't wait to host/attend more!