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Where to Actually Meet Local People Abroad

Studying abroad surrounded by other international students? Two places work better than networking events: small local charities, and Toastmasters.

November 14, 20245 min read

You have moved abroad to study and everyone around you is Vietnamese, Chinese or Indian. What now?

If you are at a university with a large international intake, living in an area full of international students, this is entirely predictable. Add technology removing most of your need to speak English, and it becomes the default.

So where do you meet local people? Two places that rarely get recommended, both of which I have used and rate.

Volunteering

Look for small, local charities, the equivalent of a village or neighbourhood organisation back home. You will meet far more local people there than at large, well-organised national ones.

Big organisations do attract people from everywhere, of course. But international students like them too, so volunteering there often means running into the same faces you already know.

Toastmasters

This is a public speaking club. Most members work in offices and want to improve their presenting to get further in their careers.

What makes it work is the contrast with networking events, where everyone is slightly guarded because the interaction is transactional. At Toastmasters everyone is in the room for the same reason. And public speaking frightens native speakers with excellent English just as much as it frightens you. That shared vulnerability makes conversation much easier.

The most important thing: be who you already are

Whoever you were at home, be that person here.

If you like golf or tennis, find lessons. If you play an instrument, keep playing. If you paint, find a class. If photography is your thing, then beyond taking pictures for your Vietnamese friends, join a camera club and meet people.

Better still: learn what you can only learn here

Ask yourself what exists here that you could not access at home.

Canoeing and sailing, for instance, are widespread in London and across the UK, with proper courses, training and certification. At home there are very few places to learn either.

So why not use the time while you are here to learn it, do it, and get qualified? That stays with you for life, whichever country you end up in.

Once you are doing things like this, you will find English is only a tool. You still get to be fully yourself, sometimes more so than you were back home.