Comments on: What it was like moving to Goa knowing no one

By: Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 12:51:24 +0000

In reply to Adit Rashmi. It might be :)

By: Adit Rashmi

Adit Rashmi — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 13:13:44 +0000

Brilliant! Never been an expat because of the fear of isolation in an unknown world. Born Indian, perhaps the family dependence is ingrained… lol! Lovely write up

By: Harsh

Harsh — Thu, 19 May 2016 03:03:02 +0000

Hey Rachel,

Well written with loads of travel experiences, WOW. I was mostly smiling while reading few of the tips which I could relate to.

Goa is my fav travel destination in December (being an avid EDM lover). Also love the culture and social mix there.

I am currently based in JODHPUR now for work. Do give me a shout if you are here, love to catch up with likeminded people.

Cheerio,
Harsh

By: Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones — Tue, 17 May 2016 16:53:19 +0000

In reply to Victoria@ The British Berliner. Hi Victoria! Wow 16 years!! That's incredible. Thanks so much for sharing your story :) Yes the local friends are always a blast as well, especially in India as you can go to families' houses during festivals!

By: Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones — Tue, 17 May 2016 16:50:34 +0000

In reply to jipp. thank you - I'm glad you can relate!

By: Victoria@ The British Berliner

Victoria@ The British Berliner — Tue, 17 May 2016 13:32:01 +0000

Such a good post Rachel!
I’ve been an expat in Berlin for 16 years now (yikes!) but I still remember the first day that I came! I practically knew no-one except my German boyfriend who then introduced me to an Irish-French girl who he saw sitting alone at a bar! Anyway, we became good friends. We still are, even though she moved back to France and I stayed in Germany and got married, etc!

In fact, we went to visit her a few years ago, and her brother now lives in Hong Kong, but we all still connect! It’s true that in touristy cities, lots of people come and go, but there’s also still a few of us around however, it’s important to make friends with the locals too. They’re not too bad. Quite different, but awfully nce people too!

By: jipp

jipp — Tue, 17 May 2016 11:30:29 +0000

“Remember that if a friendship has faded because of distance, it probably would have anyways. Try not to stress about losing touch and try to be in the moment with new friends you’ve made along the way. I find that my closest friends and I still talk a lot and even the ones I don’t are like sisters to me that when I do come home and see them nothing has changed. As you grow older, you lose touch with people anyways- even if you don’t move away so you don’t have to feel guilty for that.” totally agree with this :-)

By: Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones — Sun, 15 May 2016 10:28:15 +0000

In reply to Elen. That's great that you have that. Really cool! I think in Goa it's mostly expats who moved here so the cliquiness is here for sure, I try to make sure I don't become that way!

By: Elen

Elen — Sat, 14 May 2016 09:51:30 +0000

I found the same thing in Kathmandu about people being transient–although here it tends to be development/UN workers more than just tourists. But with that comes everyone’s willingness to make new friends. I’ve found it much easier to make friends here than back home, because people don’t tend to be ‘stuck’ in a circle or clique. People are coming and going every year or 6 months, which kind of sucks when you meet people you really like, but it also means that everyone’s always on the lookout for new friends!

By: Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:51:33 +0000

In reply to Betsy. Hey Betsy, I also find more people here are older than me! Then there is a young young crowd, like 19 years old. Funny how that is!

By: Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:50:51 +0000

In reply to Kate.

Hi Kate, I’m glad you can relate. I imagine a lot of expats have these similar feelings. I’m glad you met some friends there – at least you must have some amazing food to go out to dinner with new people! mmm

By: Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:50:02 +0000

In reply to Sou. Haha Delhi is my nemesis but good to know you are there! I don't know many people in Delhi :)

By: Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:49:07 +0000

In reply to Nikita. Many make their own clothes or furniture, or anything really to sell. You can also work as a waiter or bartender

By: Betsy

Betsy — Thu, 12 May 2016 10:17:47 +0000

Rachel!

So funny that you just posted this. On Saturday I will have been in Udaipur for a month. I know a few people here, both foreign and local, but I still feel like I need a wider social circle. It is also interesting because back home most of my friends are a few years younger than me. Everyone I know here is older than me. Weird.

Thanks for the encouragement!

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 12 May 2016 10:00:26 +0000

I’m a Canadian living in Madrid and this post totally hit home. So many of the people I meet are only here temporarily, so it’s taken a little (long) while to establish a friend group. While it’s different than what I’m used to at home, it’s not bad or horrible, just different and part of the journey. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, feelings and experiences!

Kate | http://www.petiteadventures.org

By: Sou

Sou — Thu, 12 May 2016 05:58:29 +0000

Hello girl,

I loved your blog and especially this article!

I moved to Delhi few months ago and can totally relate, even if it’s a bigger mess haha.

If you are planning on visiting Delhi, give me a shout!

Cheers,
Sou

By: Nikita

Nikita — Wed, 11 May 2016 17:38:08 +0000

So funny you posted this today. I am really itching to move to India, but since ESL teaching isn’t very needed there I don’t know how I would support myself. I am thinking of saving up and just going anf hope something blooms organically but that seems kind of dumb too. Haha. What do most expats in India do for a living?