Questions · New in town

New in town? Questions that turn neighbors into friends

You know where the grocery store is, but not who to call on a Saturday. These questions are for the first months in a new city: asking locals about the area, getting past small talk with new acquaintances and noticing how far you’ve come.

  • 16 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Getting to know№ 04

When you try a place to eat, what makes it feel worth visiting again?

Kapag may tinry kang kainan, ano yung nagpapaisip sa'yo na worth balikan ito?

Tap to flipkumustahan
A note

It could be taste, comfort, price, people, or memory. Places become favorites for different reasons.

Puwedeng lasa, comfort, presyo, tao, o memory. Iba-iba yung dahilan kung bakit may places tayong binabalikan.

Tap to returnkumustahan

The questions

16 questions for when you’re new in town

Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.

Ask the locals

6 questions

Easy questions for neighbors, coworkers and the barista.

  1. When you try a place to eat, what makes it feel worth visiting again?

    Kapag may tinry kang kainan, ano yung nagpapaisip sa'yo na worth balikan ito?

    Back of the card

    It could be taste, comfort, price, people, or memory. Places become favorites for different reasons.

    Puwedeng lasa, comfort, presyo, tao, o memory. Iba-iba yung dahilan kung bakit may places tayong binabalikan.

  2. Choose a nearby place you would like to explore with a friend.

    Pumili ng malapit na lugar na gusto mong puntahan kasama ang friend.

    Back of the card

    Imagine finding an unexpected favorite corner there.

    Isipin na may makikita kang sulok doon na magiging paborito mo.

  3. If someone funded one helpful idea for your neighborhood, what would you build or improve?

    Kung may sasagot sa gastos, ano ang gagawin o aayusin mo para makatulong sa lugar ninyo?

    Back of the card

    Picture its first day in use. What would you be happy to see people doing?

    Isipin ang unang araw na ginagamit na ito. Ano ang ikatutuwa mong ginagawa ng mga tao?

  4. Which small outside task do you secretly like doing, like buying something, picking something up, or dropping something off?

    Anong maliit na task sa labas ang secretly gusto mong gawin, like bumili, kumuha, o maghatid ng something?

    Back of the card

    A small task outside can feel strangely satisfying. It gives the day a tiny mission with a clear finish line.

    May small task sa labas na strangely satisfying. Parang may tiny mission yung araw, tapos malinaw kung kailan tapos.

  5. Which ordinary errand would you rather do with a friend?

    Anong simpleng lakad ang mas gusto mong gawin kasama ang friend?

    Back of the card

    The errand is done. Would you head home or extend the time together?

    Tapos na ang lakad. Uuwi na ba kayo o magtatagal pa nang magkasama?

  6. When a hangout plan goes wrong, what do you usually do first?

    Kapag pumalpak ang plano ng gala, ano ang una mong ginagawa?

    Back of the card

    You could tell this as the opening scene of a comedy.

    Puwede mong ikuwento ito na parang unang eksena ng comedy.

From acquaintance to friend

5 questions

For the second or third time you meet someone.

  1. What small things make a room feel welcoming to you?

    Anong maliliit na bagay ang nagpaparamdam sa'yo na welcome ka sa isang room?

    Back of the card

    Welcome can come from tone, space, food, faces, or small signals that say you do not have to prove yourself.

    Puwedeng galing sa tono, space, pagkain, mukha ng tao, o maliliit na sign na hindi mo kailangang patunayan ang sarili mo.

  2. Recall a moment when talking to a new friend started to feel easy.

    Kailan ka nagsimulang maging komportable sa pakikipagkuwentuhan sa bago mong friend?

    Back of the card

    Remember the first thing you no longer felt shy about saying.

    Balikan ang unang bagay na hindi ka na nahiyang sabihin.

  3. Tell us about a friend who made you feel like you belonged.

    Ikuwento yung friend na nagparamdam sa'yo na belong ka.

    Back of the card

    Inclusion can happen through one seat saved, one question asked, or one person making room on purpose.

    Minsan isang upuang tinabi, isang tanong, o isang taong sinadyang magtabi ng space ang nagpaparamdam na kasama ka.

  4. What simple invitation could brighten a friend's ordinary day?

    Anong simpleng yaya ang puwedeng magpasaya sa normal na araw ng friend?

    Back of the card

    Keep the invitation short enough to send as one message.

    Puwedeng maikli lang ang yaya, kasya sa isang message.

  5. Which simple hangout with a friend would you happily repeat?

    Anong simpleng bonding kasama ang friend ang gusto mong ulitin?

    Back of the card

    Same place, same activity, different weather. Would you still choose it?

    Parehong lugar at gagawin, pero iba ang panahon. Pipiliin mo pa rin ba ito?

A few months in

5 questions

For you, or a friend who also moved.

  1. What helped you feel welcome in a new place?

    Ano ang nakatulong para maramdaman mong welcome ka sa isang bagong lugar?

    Back of the card

    Would you do something similar for someone new? You can also leave it as a good memory.

    Gagawin mo rin ba iyon para sa bagong dating? Puwede ring magandang alaala na lang muna ito.

  2. Where do you need a little more courage this week?

    Saan mo kailangan ng konting dagdag courage this week?

    Back of the card

    Courage does not always look big. Sometimes it is one honest message, one boundary, or one careful next step.

    Hindi laging malaki ang courage. Minsan isang honest message, isang boundary, o isang maingat na next step lang.

  3. When did you realize a habit you already had was helping you?

    Kailan mo na-realize na nakakatulong pala yung habit na meron ka na?

    Back of the card

    Helpful habits are not always dramatic. Sometimes you only notice them when life feels a little easier because they are there.

    Hindi laging dramatic ang helpful habits. Minsan mo lang sila napapansin kapag mas gumagaan ang life dahil nandiyan sila.

  4. What are you looking forward to over the next few weeks?

    Ano ang inaabangan mo sa susunod na mga linggo?

    Back of the card

    Finish if you like: "The part I cannot wait for is..."

    Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Ang pinaka-inaabangan ko ay..."

  5. Which ability did a friend notice in you before you noticed it yourself?

    Anong galing mo ang unang napansin ng friend bago mo ito nakita sa sarili mo?

    Back of the card

    You could borrow their words to describe your ability once.

    Puwede mong gamitin ang sinabi nila para ilarawan ang galing mo.

How to use them

Before you ask

When you’re new in town, the easiest conversation starters are questions about the place itself: where locals eat, which errands they don’t mind, what they’d improve about the neighborhood. People love being the expert on where they live.

Moving somewhere new has a lonely middle stretch. The logistics are done, the boxes are gone and you still don’t have anyone to call. Making friends as a newcomer mostly means turning repeated small talk into something more, and that needs a second kind of question: what makes a room feel welcoming to them, or the friend who made them feel they belonged.

Ask the first group anywhere: the hallway, the dog park, the first week at a new job. Save the second for people you’ve met two or three times. And on a quiet evening, ask yourself the last group. Noticing what has helped you feel welcome makes it easier to keep going.

Good for

  • Meeting neighbors after a move
  • The first weeks at a new job in a new city
  • Newcomer meetups and community groups
  • Couples or families who just relocated
  • Anyone rebuilding a social life from scratch

Tips

  1. Ask locals for recommendations; it’s the easiest opener there is.
  2. Say yes to small invitations, and make one yourself each week.
  3. Go to the same places at the same times. Familiar faces become friends.
  4. Follow up on what someone told you last time.
  5. Be patient with yourself. A new city takes months, not weeks.

Decks for this

New in town

Frequently asked questions

How do you start conversations when you’re new in town?

Ask locals about the area: where they like to eat, places worth exploring, what they would improve. People enjoy being the expert, and it gives you good tips too.

How do I make friends after moving to a new city?

Show up at the same places regularly, say yes to small invitations, make your own, and move past small talk with questions about what people enjoy and who made them feel welcome.

What can I ask new neighbors?

Light, local questions: a place to eat they’d go back to, a nearby spot worth exploring, an errand they secretly enjoy. Save more personal questions for later.

Bring a better question to the table.

Free on iPhone and Android. 420 cards free, no account, works offline.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play