It is a truth universally acknowledged that many expats find it difficult to break out of the so called ‘expat-bubble’. Expats themselves highlight European countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland as very difficult to make local friends. Also, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Japan are often found in the top five. It is very natural and easy to connect with other expats, but contact with locals can have many benefits. You can learn a lot about the culture of the host country you live in and feel more settled there. Because it is not always easy to connect with locals, it is very important to push yourself out of your comfort zone and also reach out to locals, so that you get a balanced social network with both expats and locals!
How to Make Intercultural Connections and Friends
On the 5th of February 2024 my book was published! This book gathers much of my own and other research to help expats and those who support them to create intercultural connections and friendships both within and outside the workplace. The book is meant for practitioners – for expats themselves, and HR managers and others in organisations and communities where expats settle.
Breaking out of the Expat Bubble focuses on the social side of living abroad, showing how internationals can make friends in the new host country. The book makes a lot of interesting academic research accessible and offers many good recommendations which are directly usable for institutions and companies, for example about how to set up a buddy system. The writing is both professional and personal which makes it a pleasure to read this book. I would certainly recommend this book to all who would like to make a difference in the life of internationals. It is crucial that we nurture diverse social networks for internationals, making sure they stay connected, engaged and strong. Signe Biering, executive coach.
-> Click here to buy the book – you save 20% on the book with the code EFLY04 (valid until 31st of March 2025)
-> Listen to the upcoming cultureXchange podcast, where I was a guest and talked about my book!
-> Read the Danish article I wrote about why it is important that organisations help their employees break out of the expat bubble.
-> Keep an eye on my blog, where I post about my book as well:
- Breaking out of the expat bubble
- How do expats make new friends?
- Living in an expatriate compound (guest blog Reto Wegmann)
- How to make friends in South Korea (guest blog by Sven Horak and Jong Gyu Park)