A friend who has written a handbook for expat partners (aka trailing spouses) writes about ways of making friends when you are new to a country.
If you read on, you'll notice that DR1 gets a mention, so no prizes for guessing who she is referring to there.
So you’re a fresh expat in town -where do you meet new friends? |Moving somewhere new is a daunting prospect, whatever your age and situation. But what is really hard is when you move somewhere new and you don?t have a role. When you?re not going to school, or university. Or when you don?t have a sparkly new job to turn up to the day after you arrive.
As an expat partner, I have accompanied my husband on two different postings. Before that, I moved as a single, childless woman several times ? but all of those times I had a role. I wasn?t the spare part. I had a way to meet people.
So where exactly do you make friends when you?re not going to work? Of course this is difficult whether you are moving to a new city within your own country or to the other side of the world. But relocating overseas does give you a particular sense of vulnerability that having a few buddies around you can at least partially alleviate.
I polled a number of friends ? some had been expats, some hadn?t ? and they came up with a list of great ideas. So here, in order of the number of times they were mentioned, are my top tips for finding new friends in your new location:
If you read on, you'll notice that DR1 gets a mention, so no prizes for guessing who she is referring to there.