Exploring a traditional Chinese Garden with work friends in Shanghai, China
by Dara Wissinger​

This can be anything. What sparks your interest? What excites you? Odds are whoever else signed up for the same club may have the same feelings about the topic. Which is a great starting point for a beautiful friendship – shared interests. Moving to a new country is also an excellent opportunity to join a club that you would never have joined at home. Park Run has locations all over the world and in Singapore with equator level heat all the time this seemed impossible to take a jog outside. Now living in Germany, we sometimes have the opposite problem, but these runs seem more appealing to me now with the changing weather. What I wouldn’t consider in one country now seems much more appealing in another country.

When we first moved to Germany I Googled (truly your best friend in finding opportunities and organizations in your city) ‘American club/organization’. Lo and behold there was a great American organization less than a 25-minute metro ride from our home. As soon as we settled into our apartment, I took an afternoon to go and introduce myself. We have been here over two years now and I have had countless opportunities to be a great asset to the local American community in our area and the best perk is making great friends along the way!

Here in Germany, they have local English Stammtisch events or events for people to practice and converse in English. There are also game nights held at local cafes and trivia nights at local bars. Trivia night bonds (or divides) friendships in the most fun way possible. Not only do you gain new knowledge overall but lasting memories together. We recently attended a local craft fair with friends, and it was an excellent way to spend the morning and pick up some unique presents for family back home. Attending local events not only is a great way to meet new friends but to also immerse yourself in the local community and culture.

What better way to be involved with the community you have now moved to than to give back to it?! When we moved to Singapore, I immediately Googled local charities and was pleased to see Make A Wish was looking for volunteers to grant wishes. Make A Wish is an excellent global organization which grants wishes of children who are unwell. Wish granters form a team and check in with a child and their family for a duration of time as they plan and execute their wish. Their wish could be to meet a princess at Disneyland, or a room makeover and we do our best to fulfill that wish with as much magic as possible.

I became a wish granter within a few months of moving to the island. I was lucky enough to grant several wishes during our time in Singapore and the memories I was able to help create for those children and their families will last with me forever. Not just with me but with my fellow wish granters as well you became friends along the way. We as wish granters became quick friends due to the shared passion of granting wishes as well as the frequent time we spent together doing so. In my time abroad I have volunteered at animal shelters, food kitchens, cultural centers and at local libraries. This is one of the best ways to delve into new friendships while doing good!

Religion and spirituality are something that many people deeply connect with. Even if you want to attend a class or service simply to learn more about that aspect of life, go do it! You may meet a friend that better explains your interest. We have attended several religiously affiliated services and events in the cities we have lived in, and this is a great way to build friendships from a foundation you already share. These organizations usually lead to other clubs, groups or community opportunities as well.

I don’t usually befriend colleagues too quickly as sometimes it is a challenge to maintain professionalism in the workplace. I am so happy I break my own rules sometimes. I met my best friend at a work meeting. We both went out on a limb to teach at a winter break camp for a few weeks and met over coffee with our new boss to discuss the upcoming job. She took a huge chance on me and invited me to hangout with her and her friends after the meeting. I took a chance on her and said yes. We both got in a cab and headed across the city to her friend’s house, and they were the nicest set of ladies I have ever met. If we hadn’t taken a chance on our random work colleague, we would never have been going on 5 years of friendship this year!

When I moved to Germany, I never thought I would say I attended a hieroglyphs class yet that is exactly what I did. I saw advertised in my community that the local natural history museum was offering an introductory to hieroglyphs class in English and I jumped at the opportunity. The course was once a week for 6 weeks, which meant commitment but not long term. I have always been fascinated by Egyptian culture and history and this class sounded like the perfect fit to learn more about it! While I didn’t make lifelong friends from this course, I greased the wheels of my friendship machine and took the chance to do something new and meet new people with a common interest.

Since I don’t speak German, I am now taking German classes. Which has also been a fruitful way to forge friendships. Learning a new language is insanely hard and commiserating new friends and helping each other through the process does wonders on making new friends. Often when you move to a new country there is a language barrier. If time allows, it does help you to at least take an introductory course to better understand the basics of the language and the new culture to continue making friends in your new home.

This is maybe the most challenging part. While it is important to maintain boundaries and say no to what is not healthy for you spiritually, physically and mentally, it is also important to be open to saying yes. This involves saying yes even when we are nervous or may not passionately want to say yes. When my now best friend invited me to hang out with a bunch of strangers in a part of town I had never been to, I was quite nervous. Thankfully, with our recent move at the time I had told myself to be open to new adventures and to say yes to opportunities. I am so happy I did take a leap of faith and see her invitation as an opportunity because now I have a best friend, I couldn’t imagine life without.

Friends from across the globe going bowling in Singapore
by Dara Wissinger​

Friendships come and go and the older we get the more we recognize this to be true. We also learn how important it is to hold on to the friendships which are important to you. As an expat this is particularly hard. Friendships take effort, time, and energy. With expat life many people are so transient and may not want to invest in deeper friendships or be too busy with travel and soaking up the experience. Sometimes this is sad but it’s okay. With the above tips and tricks, I hope this helps you to forge those lasting beautiful friendships as well as the fleeting expat version of some. The more you utilize these tips the better you are at finding and making some of the best friends of your life.