By Corey Pyke. Corey lives in Xiamen, and has been a teacher in China since 2019.
Moving to a new country by yourself can be an incredibly daunting thing to do, especially if you are by yourself in a country where you don’t speak the same language. Having a strong friendship group is a great way to alleviate the stress of being in a new place. Today, I’ll provide some tips on the best ways to meet people and create that much needed group of friends. Whether you want to make friends with locals, have the support of foreigners, or a mix of both, there are plenty of ways to do it.
At work
The best place to start when meeting people in China, is at work. It is more than likely that there will be at least 3 or 4 other foreign teachers in the department, often with experience and a wealth of advice to provide the new teachers. If you have issues within the school, it’s often helpful to have others to talk to that understand and have been in your position as a new teacher. Your local teaching assistants are great people to get to know too. You will be working together every day, so its important to have a friendly relationship. You can work together to create lessons, and come up with ways to help the kids. They often have a good knowledge of the local area too, so can provide recommendations of things to do. I still talk to teaching assistants from previous jobs from 2 or 3 years ago!
Joining a club
Another great way to meet people, local and foreign, is to join a club. I personally enjoy sport, so look for sports clubs to join when I move to a new city. I have made plenty of friends from joining both badminton and rugby clubs! Most cities have football teams, badminton groups and sometimes even American football teams. If sport isn’t your thing then don’t worry, there are other options too. In most big cities there will be clubs for most things you can think of. I have heard of board game groups, reading groups and nutrition groups to name a few! If you can’t find a group that interests you, start one! You will more than likely find people with similar interests to you.
Cultural events
Another great way to meet people is to do go to cultural events. In my city, every national holiday the big hotels will put on open events to celebrate. For the coming Chinese New Year, there are plenty of dragon dances happening at the big hotels, with parties afterwards. These local events are attended by locals and foreigners alike, and are a great way to meet new people. Some of the international schools put on open events throughout the year too, encouraging a sense of community.
WeChat groups
The final point isn’t necessarily a way to meet people, rather a great way to find things to do, and that is to join local WeChat groups (WeChat is China’s version of WhatsApp and Facebook rolled into one). I am currently in at least 5 WeChat groups specifically about Xiamen, and they are regularly updated with the latest news and events in the city. Here, you can ask questions about the city, or find recommendations for good restaurants. Even if you don’t send messages to the group, it’s always helpful to be kept up to date with what’s going on.
There are plenty of ways to meet new people once in China, and you are always going to be able to find like minded people!
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