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ExpatWomen Confession:
Dear EW Girlfriend,
Hi, we are living in a very small village in Finland. We have been here for 7 months now and I’m still having a hard time meeting people. I know there are foreigners living here, but there seem to be no expat-type clubs or associations (out of the capital city) that get us together. I’ve joined some online forums, but that’s not quite the same as meeting someone for a coffee! What can I do?
YL
ExpatWomen Girlfriend:
Dear YL
Have you thought about starting your own club? Sometimes expat life calls for improvisation and resourcefulness. This is a perfect example. You feel your community is lacking in clubs for the foreign population – why not set one up yourself? You can bet if you are feeling it, then there are others in your community that are too! Having done this a couple of times in various countries, I find it a lot of fun, a great way to get to know people and get out there in your community, a valuable project that you can get stuck into (especially if you are unable to work), something you can put on your CV and the product is beneficial to all.
So, where to start?
Sit down and think about what type of people you would like to meet? Other professional women? Mothers and toddlers? A certain nationality? Any foreigner in your community?. And don't forget, there are probably nationals that have lived abroad that would like to join your group which could also add a great dimension to the group), to mingle with foreigners that they can talk about their own expat experiences with and, because, well, you might just be forming an interesting group of people that English-speaking Finnish women might like to join!
Then decide what type of organisation you want to have/what will it do/provide? Professional focus with monthly speakers relating to professional work related issues? Sharing general information in a casual environment? Purely social/networking? Will each meeting have a structured agenda? Meet each month? 6 times a year? Every Wednesday evening?
What will you call the group? International Women’s Club? Professional Women’s Group? Friends of Finland? (Maybe worth checking here if there are other associations elsewhere that have the same aim as you do – you could liaise with them)
Where will you have these meetings? Find a hotel/meeting room and arrange to meet there the same time each month? At someone’s house? A coffee shop? Same bar each Tuesday?
Go online and set up an email address (gmail, yahoo, hotmail etc are good internet-based web hosts and convenient if you have 2-3 others who will help you check mails). See if you can find a host that you can sign up with your organisation name.
Add the email addresses of anyone and everyone you have met in your host country who you feel maybe interested or know of someone who could be interested. I did this in one country and started off with 7 people on my mail list – within 3 months I had 134 names! People are waiting for active people like you to do the work and get things moving. ‘Build it and they will come.’
PR/Marketing. You may want to approach various local business/organisations (Chambers, Consulates, Schools, gyms, dominant company) and tell them about your new organisation. You may also find someone in your group who is a web expert – ask if they would mind developing a basic website for your group.
Support/Board members. Give it a few months to see how people react and if you feel it’s successful you may want to get a few other people involved to help you run the club. NOTE: The idea of ‘success’ is subjective according to what you want to get out of your group – I don’t think success is measured in the number of attendees, for example). Eventually, you may want/need to register your organisation with the necessary authorities (you probably don’t need to if you don’t take money from members). You may choose to make it more official and charge an annual membership fee, vote in a board, develop a constitution, support charities, have a monthly newsletter….and so it goes.
This is one of the perks of starting your own club – you are in the driving seat and can take it as far as you have the inclination, energy and willingness to do so. Give it a go – you have nothing to lose and even if it doesn’t take off, the chances are you will meet a few people, more people will know who you are, and you never know where that may take you! Good luck and do let us know how you get on.
ExpatWomen Girlfriend
October 2007
Our ExpatWomen Girlfriend is originally from New Zealand. She has been living abroad as an expatriate since 1996. She has an educational background in Human Resources and Cross Cultural Psychology and has worked with expatriate support issues at the private, corporate and non-profit level. In 2004, she saw a need and established an English speaking hotline in her expat location, offering free mental health support to the growing expatriate population. The hotline provides confidential and anonymous support and information via trained telephone volunteers and is funded through corporate sponsorship. Our ExpatWomen Girlfriend has always been an active member in the various expatriate communities she has lived in, providing cross-cultural awareness training and informal counseling sessions with a particular focus on the 'trailing spouse' and family.
Disclaimer: This column is intended to be of general interest to ExpatWomen.com visitors. Its suggestions and/or inferences are generalizations and do not address the needs of individuals, nor should they be relied upon in any shape or form. Please seek professional advice/counseling/therapy If you genuinely need assistance to talk through issues in your life right now. |
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