US Edition 
Unsociable? British expats 'fail to make local friends'
A quarter of Britons living overseas socialise mainly with fellow expats, and have no friends from their adopted country. We asked eight bloggers around the world for their views
Nearly a third of Britons abroad have no local friends and refuse to venture beyond their British friendship groups, a study has revealed.
Expats living in Africa and the United Arab Emirates are least integrated – almost half describe their social groups as mainly British. Eastern Europe is another spot where foreigners tend to stick to their own – 41 per cent admitted to this.
The information was revealed in a study by an international relocation company, Robinsons, which questioned 1,000 UK expats about their life overseas, including friendship groups and attitudes towards the local culture.
The research showed that when it comes to making friends overseas, more than one in four (27 per cent) of expats would describe their social group as mainly British, while one in 10 admitted their friends were exclusively British. Just 10 per cent mixed predominantly with locals.
The most outgoing expats tend to live in New Zealand and Canada – just 8 per cent of Britons in New Zealand and 9 per cent in Canada said their friends mostly came from their home country. The research also highlighted that more than a third of Britons abroad (37 per cent) have not learnt the local language and more than one in four admitted to being uninterested in the local culture.
This is in contrast to the attitude of expats who have moved to Britain. According to the latest HSBC Expat Explorer survey, the UK is the top location for expats to socialise with locals over fellow expats. A total of 49 per cent said they have mainly local friends, compared with 31 per cent globally.
Cara Fortune, from the Foreign Office’s Know Before You Go team – which helps Britons planning a move overseas – urged insular types to rethink their attitudes.
“Integrating into the community, by learning the local language for example, can help you settle in to your new home,” she said. “Although it is easy to connect with friends and family back in the UK, making friends close by will prove helpful down the line.
"Being friendly with local people gives you an opportunity to learn not just the language, but also the culture, and discover things about your new home country that the average tourist doesn’t get to experience.”
Greg Forsythe, a manager at Immigration New Zealand, pointed out that the attitude of the host country is important too.
"The feedback we receive time and time again from British expats who move to New Zealand is that the country very quickly becomes a home from home and this is in large part due to the people. In fact, a recent study has shown that nine out of 10 new migrants consider the welcome they received from New Zealanders to be warmer than they had anticipated," he said.
Telegraph Expat decided to put the research to the test – this is what eight long-term expats who blog about their adopted countries had to say.
Name:
Frances Woodhams, 41
Location:
Nairobi, Kenya
Blog:
Percentage of friends locally who are expats:
80 per cent
Views:
“We have lived in East Africa for 12 years. I notice that Kenya is quickly becoming more integrated as the middle class grows. My impression is that this is down to economics. It is very common to go to a restaurant, bar, café now and to see English or Europeans socialising with Kenyans on mixed tables.
"My husband and I made a conscious decision to send our kids to a ‘mixed’ primary school where they operate a policy of one third Kenyan, one third Indian Asian and one third European kids. Thanks to the exposure we have, I’ve made some Kenyan friends who are fellow mums at school and I’ve got close to other people who I work with as editor of a local lifestyle magazine (both Asian and Kenyan). I think that I could still do better at integrating but I do speak Kiswahili fairly fluently and am more integrated than some fellow expats I know; however I also have had the advantage of having lived here for so long."
Name:
Glyn Thomas, 54
Location:
Kiev, Ukraine
Blog:
Expat friends:
70 per cent
Views:
"I have lived and worked here for almost eight years. I have adapted to Ukrainian life but am still frustrated by the careless approach to driving and manners. That said, the advantages far outweigh this and I happy to have a wonderful Ukrainian wife, Anya, a toddler, newly born twins and (British) Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
When I first came to Kiev there were lots of expats but gradually the majority left. New ones arrived but the general expat community has shrunk immensely since Euromaidan [the recent demonstrations and unrest] as corporates have chosen to move their investments out. As with most expat communities there are the long-termers (professionals – married – own their own business and homes); career/placement guys and girls (embassies and posts abroad); and finally the drifters (generally teachers, preachers and wife-seekers). Brits exist in all strata and generally tend to keep to their own groups. So, long-termers meet for golf and at business events; embassy staff visit each other and the short-termers tend to clot in groups at key watering holes. As you'd probably expect British expat society therefore has a certain 'class tinge' to it all.
"With regard to the locals, some approach Eastern Europe with trepidation but everyone is generally friendly and will help / speak to a foreigner. Those shot and killed by snipers climbing Institutskaya in February this year were not running up a metaphorical hill to get back to Mother Russia. The country firmly faces West- you will be welcome."
Name:
Annabel Kantaria, 43
Location:
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Expat friends:
95 per cent
Blog:
Views:
"It doesn't surprise me to see that expats in the UAE don't integrate well with the local culture or learn the language. For a start, it's not really necessary in order to get along. There are over 200 nationalities living in the UAE and English is the lingua franca for much everyday business. Unfortunately, it's true that many British expats don't bother to learn Arabic. I think it's perceived as being a difficult language to learn and many Brits are only in the UAE for two- or three-year contracts so they don't think it's worth going to night school to learn a language that they won't need in a couple of years.
"Because Dubai's population is at least 85 per cent expat, it's actually quite difficult to meet Emiratis. Unless you're lucky, you just don't tend to meet them on an everyday basis. I think many expats would jump at the chance to cultivate a local friendship – the question is: how?"
Name
: Charlotte Beauvoisin, 47
Location:
Kampala, Uganda
Blog:
Expat friends:
50 per cent
Views:
"I’ve lived in Uganda since 2009. Here in Kampala, expats and Ugandans mix freely. I live with a British friend, her three Ugandan children and my ‘Ugandan brother’ Simpson. A mixed Muzungu/Ugandan household is not unusual; many expats marry Ugandans.
"Knowing a white person is perceived to be a good thing, a legacy of the European doctors and missionaries of the 19th century. Muzungu [the de facto term for most expats] comes from the Swahili for 'lost', apparently this is how the first white people looked when we touched down in East Africa.
"Kampala has a vibrant social scene. Some people are happy in their expat bubble – but why come to Uganda (or anywhere) and go for the culturally safe options all the time? That said, I understand why some British long-termers keep to themselves; it’s a coping strategy. The constant expat leaving parties can get you down."
Name:
Daniel Rouse, 25
Location:
Toronto, Canada
Blog:
Expat friends:
5 per cent
Views:
"It is no surprise that Canada has been one of the easiest countries for British expats to integrate. First of all, that barrier that Brits struggle with more than any other nation – language – is not an issue. Another major component is that Canadians generally really like the British people and culture, so this makes them a welcoming bunch.
"I have found with expats that they act as a support network for each other. Fellow expats have helped me during my time here, and I try to pass on this favour to those ‘fresh off the boat’. It’s like you’re showing them how good something is and you’re desperate for them to feel the same – like showing a new love interest your favourite film."
Name:
Sarah O’Meara, 36
Location:
Shanghai, China
Blog:
Expat friends:
80 per cent
Views:
"The one thing I've noticed about British expats is that we're good at disappearing into the local woodwork. While you can easily find continental Europeans at their native-style restaurants and consulate-arranged events, we tend to do our own thing. Usually, the best place to seek them out is the local equivalent to a pub. I've not met any Brits who came to China expecting to lead an old-fashioned expat life, where you can bark orders in English at the waiter. Most of the people I've met came out of desire to explore the local culture, and that includes the language. Every party I've ever attended held by a British expat has included local Chinese friends and work colleagues. In fact, it's very weird if they don't."
Name:
Justin Harper, 41
Location:
Singapore
Blog:
Expat friends:
75 per cent
Views:
"I have lived here for four years having relocated with my family from London. But I’m not a stereotypical expat in Asia as my British wife was educated in Singapore and she has many Singaporean ex-school friends who still live here. While I mainly socialise with Brits and Aussies in Singapore, I have some Singaporean friends thanks to my wife’s connections. But I know many Brits who tend to stick among fellow countrymen and women, hanging out at the British Club and other favourite expat haunts.There’s not much of an excuse when it comes to language barriers as the vast majority of Singaporeans speak good English. I think the problem is more of a cultural one as Brits tend to have a drier sense of humour that can sometimes be misinterpreted overseas."
Name:
James Goyder, 33
Location:
Bangkok, Thailand
Blog:
Expat friends:
70 per cent
Views:
“I think to truly integrate into Thai society as a Westerner is virtually impossible because even if you become fluent in the language your appearance is always going to mark you out as a foreigner. However most people don’t come here because they want to immerse themselves in Thai culture, they come here because the cost of living is cheap and the weather is good. Places like Phuket and Pattaya are home to so many different nationalities that it’s easy to hang around in cliques without interacting too much with Thai people and that’s what a lot of expats tend to do, particularly the older ones. Thais are very friendly but to truly understand the country, its people and its language takes years of patient study and research which is something most Westerners won't bother with.”
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