A quick shout out to Girl Scouts of America for teaching me the phrase, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold.”
Once I graduated high school I started to move all over, starting with several moves across my home state of Kansas and followed by living in Texas, Illinois, Louisiana, and Arizona. Each of these moves were related to work in some manner so I would have new colleagues to befriend. I’ve also had a wide variety of interests and hobbies, so I would not be shy in looking up groups to join or events to attend where I would put myself out there to meet new people.
Am I lonely? Am I scared that I don’t know anyone where I’m going?
Nope! Because I’m proactive and don’t forget about my network. Friends and family have been connecting me with people in many of the places, so once I get somewhere, I usually have at least one person to meet up with. And if I don’t, I join local Facebook groups for the community and find the best happy hours, or commit to attending a game night or event for other expats. Also, I'm a member of Rotary International which has over 1.3 million members world wide among 33K clubs. I have reached out local Rotary clubs and connect with members, attend club meetings and ask if there's opportunity for me to volunteer while I'm in town. Rotarian's are super welcoming and I've made immediate "new family" once I meet up with local members.
Since I’m typically not shy, I enjoy meeting new people and have no problem striking up conversation. I tend to make acquaintances and friends quickly, and in turn, I get invited to a number of wonderful functions. Once I establish my local social groups, I have had to turn down several functions because I do need to work at times, or I just want to enjoy some alone down time.
I also value my friendships from pre-lifestyle change. Texting and video chats are two ways I stay in frequent communications with my friends and family. Plus, I have been fortunate to have friends and family visit me in Mexico, and as I plan future travels, friends are curious about future destinations and mentioning they may like to plan a vacation and meet me somewhere.
I’ve always been a social bug. It’s no different for me in one country over another.
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