For an expatriate, having just arrived in an unfamiliar country, one of the primary aims is to develop new social ties. Getting introduced to local employees and other international assignees in the organization, meeting native citizens and engaging with local expat communities within your private time are main sources for creating new friendships abroad.
Many people find that integrating into an expat community is quite easy and very rewarding at the same time. Being foreigners together, living through similar experiences and facing similar problems all create a common bond. Expat communities are usually very helpful and engage people into many shared activities and events, which enhance friendships. Joining a group of your fellow countrymen can ease feelings of homesickness, while the familiarity with language and culture will raise your comfort levels.
However, there are also drawbacks with these social circles. Being part of a purely international community may distort views towards the host country, slow down integration into the local culture and lead to the development of an ‘us versus them’ mindset.
Actively trying to make friends with native people in the host country could be worthwhile. On the one hand you may have to overcome potential barriers to getting to know locals, such as foreign language, unfamiliar customs, locals’ settled lifestyles and their already existing social networks. On the other hand, these investments may allow you to be better integrated into the new culture and get the most out of your stay in a different country.
Decision: Building relationships and making new friends is an inevitable part of building your positive expatriate experience. Having friendship ties with other expatriates or local people have both their pros and cons. Entering expat enclaves makes you feel understood, alike and is comfortable. Integrating into the local community is culturally more rewarding but requires an effort to overcome differences. So, what would you do, stretch for the difference or find comfort in being alike?
Nice article. It’s interesting how with the hype of social media, people are willing to connect offline as well as online.
While there will always a need to offline socialization, for people that find it difficult social media is way, but not the solution.
Especially when someone is abroad is vital to make friends and to interact with people. That’s one of the greatest advantages of being abroad.
Fully agrees. Adapting to the local environment completely is not an easy task. Lots of cultural barriers are in the way. but it is definitely worth it in order to make our expatiate life the paradise it shall be.
You are right!
Adapting to a new local environment is not an easy task.
I am actively trying to make friends, but the difference of cultures and idiosyncrasies sometimes is huge.
In relation to this topic, let me draw your attention to some statistical data as well. One of the largest global surveys of expats’ lives, the Expat Explorer survey, also investigates expat friendships. Their 2010 survey results indicate that in reality expats do gravitate more towards fellow expats than towards host country nationals. Nearly three in five expats (58%) agreed that they’re more likely to go out with expat friends rather than local friends. Moreover, the study also found that in some countries the tendency is even higher. Namely, expats in Qatar (85%) and the UAE (84%) are most likely to only integrate with fellow expats, followed by Bahrain (81%), Hong Kong (79%) and Saudi Arabia (73%). In comparison, nearly half of the expats in Canada (45%) tend to socialize with locals not any less than with other expats.
The survey also looked at the ease of making local friends in different countries. It found that Europe appears to be the most difficult place to do so. More specifically, the Netherlands proved to be the hardest of all with only 36% of expats based there finding it easy to make friends when relocating, alongside 40% in Germany, 42% in the UK and Switzerland, and 44% in Belgium. Bermuda was seen as the easiest country in making local friends.
Relevant links:
http://www.expatexplorer.hsbc.com/#/finding/11/expats-gravitate-to-fellow-expats
http://www.expatexplorer.hsbc.com/#/finding/10/european-expats-find-it-hardest-to-make-friends
Thank you for the relevant links.
Socialization it vital for people’s life, that’s the reason why social networks have become so huge. Sure it is a little more complicated when you are abroad because you have to adapt with another cultures and idiosyncrasies. But definitively if I have to go abroad I really want to go to Bermuda.
Good question, I think a balance between the two would be very healthy. I always recommend foreigners I know that they get involved in the local community, but a feeling of familiarity can help a lot when you are on a strange land.
I think getting used to your new home and the way people behave is way more important. With today’s technology, it is easy to stay in touch with family and friends back home.
Being friendly is not a major offense.Its a positive traits anyways,but be careful in choosing real friend.
Accept the customs of the new country will make us much more pleasant experience and fun, encouragement to learn to focus and take us both to keep my mind busy helping to overshadow almost 100% of nostalgia, I have experience in Israel as a strong encourage you to learn this culture and time respatarla who lived there, it filled me with such happiness and made me feel rapidament at home, contrary to the United States where expatriate too relates to me and it creates more difficulty adapting to the host country and grows the longing to return.
Those guidelines additionally worked to become a good way to recognize that other people online have the identical fervor like mine to grasp great deal more around this condition.
I am a regular visitor to your website and have always liked the kind of work that you do. I genuinely get new ideas and thoughts that help me a lot in my personal work as well.
I am a regular visitor to your website and have always liked the kind of work that you do. I genuinely get new ideas and thoughts that help me a lot in my personal work as well.