Making Friends When Abroad

One aspect of moving that can be very stressful is the worry about whether or not you are going to make friends after you arrive. Long term international residents who have made many moves know where they can and will make friends following their arrival at a new destination, but those expats early in their international careers can find that meeting people is not as easy as it is at home.

Government employees and those who work for companies employing large numbers of expats usually have a ready made social scene to slot into to. However, trying to break out of the accepted social scene and make friends in other sections of the expat community, or with local people, is not always easy.

There are also many people who are the only expat, or one of very few, that an employer has in a country, and these expats have to build up their own social life and find their own way into whatever section of the community they want to be part of.

Establishing a social circle away from the colleagues and business contacts of the employed spouse can also make the posting much more enjoyable for their partner, because socialising within a ranking order of spouses can be less than fun.

So where do you go to find friends? In your home country you almost certainly have friends you have known for years and have not really had to worry about how you make new friends. Also, having grown up somewhere you know the standard places where you meet people.

Away from your home country you're going to have to look a bit harder to find the places you can meet people, but find them you will.

Embassies: Most embassy consular sections will offer advice to their nationals about where to meet other expats. Some embassies also have social clubs that are open to non-employees and non-nationals.

Sports Clubs: Join a squash, tennis or badminton league. Join a gym. Do Aerobics. The fun atmosphere of a sports club is a great place to meet expats and locals.

Hotels & Bars: Depending on the local social customs, certain hotels and bars become known as expat haunts and are often named to remind expats of home: British and Irish pubs are common, as are Sports Bars where expats meet to watch major world sports events live on satellite TV.

Special Interest Clubs: Whether your interests lie in acting, archaeology, bird watching, or scuba diving, there could well be a club or society near you that has the same interest; if not, form one. Options to look for are:

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