The thought of making new friends abroad is pretty intimidating and nerve-racking. You’re in a new country, you may not speak the same language, you have so much admin and appointments to attend, and it seems like making friends might be impossible.
However, the thought of forming new friendships in your 20s is so much more stressful than the act of doing so. Personally, before coming to Meddeas, the majority of my friends were my friends from primary school or academy, with a couple of strays coming from university or work. Truthfully, the point is that I haven’t had to form any new friendships since I was 19, so I didn’t really know where to start when I decided to move abroad for the first time. New Language Assistants may be in the same position, so here’s some advice on how to find your people abroad.
The first group to immerse yourself in is the other Language Assistants! Meddeas’ social media groups are great because you can post where you have been placed, and other Language Assistants will likely comment or message you saying that they have been placed there too. I posted once on Facebook, and then made a group chat of all the people in my small city who commented – and suddenly there were 6 of us who wanted to meet up and make friends!
Other Language Assistants are a great place to start when making friends for a few reasons.
- They are in the same position as you and likely know not many people
there. - You already have a common thing to talk about: teaching!
- They likely speak English or another language.
I’m grateful to Meddeas for my internship, the experience, and the life abroad, but I will forever be grateful to them because they introduced me to one of my now best friends, who is a fellow Meddeas Language Assistant.
Another group that I have leaned on is my fellow teachers in school. I’ve been lucky because most of the younger teachers in their 20s and 30s speak good English, and they have kindly invited me to their gatherings. At first, it can feel a bit intimidating to make friends with the teachers outside of the English department, as it’s hard to tell who speaks English. My advice is to just keep speaking to those who do speak English and don’t be afraid to try to connect with them outside of school!
Author: Kendra C.