Making New Friends Overseas
Moving overseas requires a lot of preparation.
There are many concerns like finding a new home, financial expectations and cultivating new friendships.
When you finally decide to move overseas, you will need the services of International Movers.
The experts at IntlMOVE can help you with the shipping of your household goods and personal effects.
Coordinating the shipping of your household goods and customs clearance is all part of the door-to-door service you will receive from IntlMOVE.
The detail oriented staff at IntlMOVE will help make your transition into you new country a worry-free process.
After arriving safely and getting settled in your new home, you can begin developing a network of friends that will enrich your experience in your adopted country.Making new friends may seem difficult at first, but keeping an open mind is key to meeting new people.
If you don’t speak the country’s language, take your time to learn the native tongue.
This will open many doors for you to join special interest groups and to engage in meaningful conversations when you do have the opportunity to meet new people.
You may be nervous speaking the local language at first, but practice makes perfect and soon enough you will have basic conversational skills.
Bring business cards with you at all times so you don’t miss out on making new friendships!
Here are some tips to help make the process of meeting new friends more productive:
- Attend local events
Your new job may have many functions and events that you should attend.
You might meet someone outside of your department that has similar interests.
Locate your local embassy and attend their social functions to meet other people from your home country and you will also meet locals at these events. - Join a playgroup
If you have children, join a local playgroup.
Not only does this give your children an opportunity to make friends, but you will find parents with children that are similar ages. - Volunteer
Find a cause that you are passionate about and volunteer your time.
Meeting people while volunteering is a great way to find other individuals who already have something in common with you because they share a passion for a cause that is near and dear to your heart. - Join a gym
Fitness facilities offer classes to stay in shape.
After a couple classes, you will start to recognize the faces of regular attendees which will give you the opportunity to strike up a conversation. - Join a church, mosque or temple
If you are affiliated with a religion, start attending services at your chosen place of worship.
Volunteer and attend activities put on by the religious organization to meet other people who share common interests. - Visit local restaurants and bars
Stop by a local restaurant or bar after work or on the weekend and strike up conversations with other patrons.
This relaxed atmosphere will allow you to have natural discussions and will give you an opportunity to meet locals. - Meet your neighbors
Invite your neighbors over for coffee or dinner to get better acquainted with the people who live in your neighborhood.
If your neighbors are native to your new adopted country, research the local customs to find out what is customary to serve as food and drink in social settings. - Find other foreigners
Although limiting your friendships to other expats will limit your cultural experience, you may want to connect with other expats so you feel less isolated in your new home.
There are many websites geared towards individuals who relocate overseas, so find forums on your city to find out where other foreigners go to eat, have drinks and other social interactions. - Make a Connection
If you find an individual or a group of people who you feel connected to, ask them to meet for coffee, lunch or another activity.
Oftentimes people are genuinely interested in making new friends, but are too shy to take the first step in developing a friendship.
Be proactive and outgoing and soon enough you will attract like-minded people to expand your social network.
Maintaining friendships with people in your home country is very important, but developing new friendships in your new country is imperative to a successful relocation.
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t make deep connections with people right away.
Building friendships will take time, but the experiences are often very rewarding.
I have found that people in Sydney are quite welcoming. It was really easy to make friends at work and by just getting out of the house. It helped that I didn’t have to learn a new language.
I met a great group of friends at work who introduced me to other locals… just be open. If you are a friendly person by nature, you will attract friends easily enough. Follow through though… one mistake people make is waiting for people to call them. When you are meeting new friends, try to make an effort in inviting other people out as well.
When trying to “fit in”, it is always a good idea to know some of the local lingo. I found the following website really interesting http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html. It helped me become familiar with some terminology not used here in the USA. However, as a word of caution, I refrained from using most of the slang until I heard a word or term used by someone else. I certainly did not want to be the guy using the Australian equivalent of “Groovy”, “Far Out” or some other outdated slang.