Connect
Building community and relationships across borders
10 articles
The Online Communities Every Expat Should Join
The expat community that exists online has developed around every conceivable situation, and finding the right communities is the first step toward the support network that makes living abroad sustainable.
How to Find Local Events That Actually Matter
The event calendars that travel websites publish are designed for visitors who want to attend events that are already famous. The events that locals actually attend are rarely listed in these publications.
Building Professional Networks Across Borders
The professional network that you built at home does not transfer automatically across borders. The relationships that took years to develop must be rebuilt in a new context.
The Language Exchange That Changes Everything
The language exchange is the social innovation that emerged from the mutual need of language learners worldwide. Two native speakers of different languages helping each other learn creates a reciprocal relationship.
Finding Your People When Everyone Leaves Eventually
The expat community has a structural characteristic that makes it different from every other community you have been part of: people leave. The friends you make in the first year will mostly be gone by year three.
The Mentors Who Help You Navigate New Cultures
The mentor who has navigated the same transition you are navigating provides guidance that no guidebook can offer. Finding these mentors — and becoming one yourself — is one of the reciprocity dynamics.
How to Start a Side Project With Local Partners
The side project that you start with local partners creates connections that professional networking cannot replicate. The shared risk, the shared work, the shared achievement — these experiences bond people.
The Volunteer Work That Opens Doors Locally
The volunteer work that you do in your host country creates connections that professional and social networks cannot replicate. The shared purpose that volunteerism provides removes the transactional quality.
Creating Your Own Community When It Does Not Exist
The expat community that does not yet exist in your destination is an opportunity that most people overlook. The community you create becomes the infrastructure that subsequent arrivals will inherit.
Staying Connected Home Without Losing Your New Life
The relationship with your home country that you maintain while building a life abroad is one of the most complex negotiations that international living requires.