Description

Intro

Moving to a new city or country can be stressful for anyone, especially if it’s your first time. The travel itself is taxing enough, and once you arrive at your new home, you encounter a different kind of stress altogether – cultural differences, language barrier, and above all, having only little or no connections.

One of the ways you can overcome this is by finding the right community of people – your tribe – who can help you understand the new culture, learn the native language, and just have someone to connect with on a heart to heart level.

In this episode, Fana talks about how we can get ourselves quickly acquainted with our new home city/country and how we can spark new friendships in a new place.

Since we are in the midst of COVID-19, Fana also shares some ways on how we can stay connected during the pandemic and how to keep long-distance friendships alive even after years.

Guest Bio

Fana Gibson is a Finance Transformation Change and Comms Lead at the OLX Group. She was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean and currently resides in Berlin, Germany. Fana has an impressive travel history, living in countries such as The US, Rwanda, The UK, and France. She likes exploring new places and has a love for cupcakes.

Key Takeaways

• How to be comfortable with moving to new places and experiencing new cultures [00:38]
• What makes Berlin such a great city [20:11]
• How to find the right community when you move to a different city [22:41]
• Different kinds of friendships [24:47]
• Building good relationships even if you don’t speak the native language [03:45]
• Different ways to learn a new language [06:59]
• Ways to socialize during the COVID-19 pandemic [09:02]
• How to make long-distance friendships last [10:38]
• Most important factor in a friendship (for Fana) [13:27]

Quotes

“It's hard to really grow and develop in a new place if you're constantly looking back and comparing.” (Fana)

“I think as long as you find a common connection with someone, it's easier to build those deeper connections.” (Fana)

“So you only really can build a friendship if you're able to find a common connection not just on your end but with the other person as well.” (Fana)

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Find episode transcript here --> https://www.navigatingculture.co/the-homesickness-cure-podcast-how-to-make-friends-in-a-new-place