Being New in Town

I moved a lot as a child, and it wasn’t until I made one close friend that I would feel settled or comfortable in my new home city. Fortunately for me, I met Joanna after only being in Shanghai a week. And this time, as luck would have it, I also met Joanna’s husband, Ian and their two fabulous kids. Our families have been constant friends since that meeting almost a year ago at Coffee Bean in Cloud Nine Mall. We can credit Shanghai Expat for organizing the expat coffee that led us to each other.

We helped each other navigate the city and we explored it together. We were each other’s emergency contacts at school and Joanna was my go to girl (you need one in every town) when I was happy, sad, frustrated, or just needed a good chat.

I know that many people feel isolated and lonely upon arriving in Shanghai. These feelings are normal even after being here awhile and they come and go depending on your circumstances. It can be absolutely overwhelming and the language barrier can be a huge and frightening roadblock as you start to explore Shanghai and China. That’s why I am so grateful for the groups like Shanghai Expat and The Shanghai Community Center for organizing orientations and networking events that help new-to-town foreigners get in the mix.

I have a family and kids, and school was another way for me to meet other families, but those first friends we made last August remained our closest friends over the past year. I honestly could not have had the wonderful year I had without their friendship and support. Going through all these life changes together and having friends to laugh with about the shared trials and successes of this great adventure made such a positive difference.

This blog is a thank you to my dear friends Joanna, Ian, Sophie and William who are heading home to the UK for a visit and leaving us to sweat it out in Shanghai without them. It's also intended to serve as encouragement for the next crew of expats, heading to Shanghai over the next couple months. Get out there, make the effort and it will be worth it.