Moving to a new place all alone

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canadian_inabox
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 5:29 am

Moving to a new place all alone

Post by canadian_inabox »

Hey everyone so I just arrived last week for the induction period of my new job in Pereira, Colombia, first time in this country and really don't know anyone that well, my Spanish is in need of lots work. So far I have been impressed from what I have heard from the school after a nightmare of a year teaching in Bahrain. I have met some of the new teachers all in all a good experience, my question is to the international teaching vets how do you develop a social circle and break out of your shyness to get out? I have a great living apartment which I am living alone in, I have been invited to a dinner with one of the administrators family last weekend and the school director has been so gracious in showing me around town a couple of days. The rest of the staff will be coming in next week, perhaps my social circle will expand there, any advice?
curiousme
Posts: 100
Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2014 6:43 pm

Re: Moving to a new place all alone

Post by curiousme »

Just be open to invitations - you won't be the only one who's come alone. I'm sure your social skills are not so horrible as to scare off all potential friends so just be yourself.
Also, consider getting out and about and joining some clubs - hobbies, fitness or whatever - and meet some locals. Will do wonders for your language skills and enrich your whole experience.
One more thing - there may be an expats network already established where you are. Google online to see if there are any such social groups with events such as 'The Expat Mingle'.
Good luck!
MedellinHeel
Posts: 169
Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:59 am

Re: Moving to a new place all alone

Post by MedellinHeel »

As the other person said, get out of the apartment explore the city, talk to people.

Piece of cake.

And really you need to get your Spanish up to par ASAP. Look up the top 1,000 most used words (frequency words) Learn the first 250 first, then go to the next 250, then try to round out your study with the top 800.
Mac1030
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Dec 22, 2013 1:33 am

Re: Moving to a new place all alone

Post by Mac1030 »

You're nervous because you've just arrived and that's natural. But other staff are yet to arrive and you'll find once they are around things usually get rolling pretty fast. As you can already see there people who have already extended a warm welcome to you, which is great!. Accept the invitations that are coming your way and pursue your interests within the community. Other staff (both the foreign and local admin) are usually happy to help you ease into your new post. If there are other international schools you can tap into that or other expat groups. Don't lock yourself up at home, get out there!

I agree with MedellinHeel regarding improving your Spanish skills. Making an effort to learn a language, even if you struggle at first, goes a long way with making local contacts. Some great advice right there and with the internet you have so many free resources. You're in the ideal setting to learn because you can practice on a daily basis outside of school. Jump in. You might feel shy about making mistakes but people appreciate it when foreigners speak their language. It shows respect, flexibility and a desire to connect. People warm up to that. Having local friends is wonderful because you get great insights into the culture and they have the inside scoop on everything.

Learning new languages has opened a lot of doors for me throughout my life when it came to making friends or getting interviews. I once had an interview that started in English but when the recruiter saw I had Spanish on my resume, the conversation switched and resulted in a job offer. Though I didn't end up taking the job, a few days after I turned them down the recruiter told me she was impressed by how good my Spanish was and to get in touch if I was ever considering SA in the future. And Spanish was a fourth language, which I learned late! Friends have gotten lots of interviews because of their language skills.

Don't be frustrated if it is slow going at first. After all, you didn't learn your first language in year. You learned gradually- imitating, experimenting, making mistakes, and going through the formal stuff at school. What's cool about learning as an adult is the sustained focus you bring to learning a language. If you want it enough, it will happen. MedellinHeel's suggestions are good for starting off. Visual dictionaries are great and there are a ton of online resources available to you. If your school offers free lessons take them and if they don't you can try a language school or private tutoring. Spanish is a fun language.

I'm learning a new language at the moment for my new job. I've thrown myself into it. I'm thrilled that I can now read the newspaper in my target language and have the functional stuff down to get around, shop, and express opinions. Sure, I still find the pronunciation challenging at times but my local friends have been encouraging. They even let me record them saying the words or phrases I find tricky, as well help improve my grammar. I've also met more people through them. The tricks that have worked for me are the visual dictionaries I mentioned earlier, getting a good reference book for grammar and common words/phrases (as recommended by MH), and the physical act of typing or writing new things learned. It just makes things stick. Reading articles on topics that interest you or listening to shows with subtitles help you build your vocabulary and improve listening skills.

If all you just want are the basics then pick up a little book for Spanish for tourists.

All the best!
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