Call it your tribe, possy, clan, village. We all need a community. We all need people on whom we can lean who are in the same situation as us.
There are many faces to a new community. Many roles in which different members can play. There are two general types of people you need: the ones who have been here a while and the ones who are as new as you are.
The experienced ones. You need people to data-dump on you. The ones who have been there a while and can give you the inside scoop on everything from parks to restaurants. These are the people to lean on to show you the ropes, so you can maybe avoid making some of the same mistakes. These people are valuable to a newbie. But they have their own tribe, their own circle of friends.
Then there are the people who are newbies. And to me, these are the most important people in your new community. These are the people who are figuring it all out every day just like you are. They are people with similar routines, who are exploring and testing out their new environment too. Who you can text and say I’m having a really sh.... day, wanna grab some coffee or tea. These become the people you grow with and shape a good portion of your expat experience.
