How To Make New Friends As An Expat

Loneliness sets in when you travel abroad, leaving your friends and relatives behind. It happens to almost all of us. In an unfamiliar land with strangers everywhere, you might be in dire need of a companion or a friend, someone whom you can talk to and trust blindly. But it’s never easy to find a friend when you relocate abroad. You may assume that you know the whole process of making friends and perhaps, that comes easily to you; remember that finding friends in a new place among unknown people is way different from making friends in school. Why don’t you go through these tips below? You might just find a new way to befriend new people while you are living abroad.

Be Wise When Choosing Your Roommates

Always choose to live with people who can share responsibilities with you

Your roommates will be the closest people abroad, and they’ll be like your second family. It is ideal to live with people whom you feel like you can easily get along with. More importantly, it’s important to choose roommates who are willing to cooperate in maintaining the apartment, especially the chores. And as time goes by, you find good friends in your roommates.

Try To Be A ‘Yes’ Person

If someone invites you to an activity or event that you are a  bit apprehensive about, like maybe a game of volleyball, a party, or anything else, just say yes. This ‘yes’ is for friendship. Your body might ache badly, you might feel exhausted, too, but heck! It will be total fun!

Join Language Classes To Cross The Language Barrier

By joining a language class, you can meet new people as well as learn the language of the land

Language, of course, is a great way of meeting and getting to know new people. It might have crossed your mind in the past that you would never be able to snatch up Spanish, French, or German friends in your lifetime. Well, a university provides the perfect setting to make new friends and enrolling in language classes is a big leap towards what you have always wished for!

Break The Ice At Work

Sometimes, at work, you strike up a conversation with your colleagues, and in due course, you guys become good friends. Maybe they weren’t the kind you shake a leg all night but eating out often with a group is something that you surely can look forward to. Weekend trips and hanging out in a while can definitely be on the cards.

Do Change Your View

Befriending locals is definitely great! But if you two don’t match up to your expectation, don’t get disheartened. Often, you will notice that you have a better friend in a French, Spanish, or a German than your country mate. And sometimes, you feel like having an exclusive bunch of friends whom you would love to hang out with. So finding a friend in your fellow country

Be open to friendships and change your outlook

mate or looking for a big group of friends turns futile many a times. Changing your outlook becomes a necessity then. It’s always important to befriend someone, whatever country they may be from.

Be A Little Brave And Outspoken

Even if you don’t have company and if you haven’t been able to grab some friends yet, don’t be afraid. Do it alone. Yeah, it’s often nerve-wracking doing things which you haven’t done before. Muster up the courage, take a deep breath, and dive in!

Following Up Is A Must

There is a difference between an acquaintance and a friend. You know that, right? The person you drank coffee with the last time can be an acquaintance, but won’t turn into your friend overnight if you don’t follow up. A coffee chat should eventually lead to a movie, some good times at the beach, catching a soccer match, and likewise.

Can you find good friends abroad?

The aforementioned tips might come handy in situations when you feel a bit lost. When you move abroad, you must first get comfortable with yourself. Then, be ready to give a bit of a push to your own self because the man at the ticket counter will let out a big sigh, seeing you alone for the 9th consecutive time (they would have come to know you by now). Everyone realizes the importance of friendship, and making new friends abroad implies that you have rock-solid support in times of a rough weather. So, act wisely.