How to Meet Locals While Studying Abroad

It might seem like I’ve been spending all of my time lately traveling. And I have been traveling a lot! But also part of study abroad is to experience the local culture. I was worried when I came to Vienna that I would end up only hanging out with other American students. That’s what everyone warned me not to do. It turned out to not be a huge problem. Here’s what has helped me get out of my comfort zone and make some new friends from new cultures.

The most important thing to remember is not to be afraid to fly solo. You will have to do some things alone. It will be okay. I promise along the way you’ll meet amazing people. But a huge group of friends is hard to approach, and being a part of a huge group is easy to get comfortable with. As just one person it is easier to meet people in classes, at events, and wherever you happen to be. Getting out of your comfort zone is what it’s all about. The risks might seem big, but the rewards are bigger.

So, once you’ve decided to take the leap and try something new, what do you do? Where can you go to meet people? Classes can be a great way to interact with locals, but there are lots of other options as well.

·      Take a look at the services offered by your host university. WU has a buddy program that pairs incoming international students with regular WU students who can help show them around. I was paired with a fabulous buddy. She has been really helpful, giving me advice about what to do around Vienna. We try to meet every other week or so to at least grab coffee and chat.

There is also a program at WU that matches students with conversation partners. The partners then practice their language skills. Again, I was lucky and have a great partner. We meet once a week to practice talking in English and German. Sometimes we meet on campus and have serious sessions. But other times we go somewhere in the city to hang out or grab ice cream.

Try to see if your new university offers anything like a buddy program or a language exchange. The structured setting can be helpful if you want to meet people, but you are naturally shy.

If you’re still searching for ways to meet people, the best way I’ve found is going to events. That way you are guaranteed to have something in common with everyone you meet, since you all decided to go to the same event. But finding out what is going on in a new city can be a bit tricky. Luckily, there are several options for places to look.

·      Search Facebook events. Chances are, wherever you are studying abroad, there is a lot going on. Here in Vienna there are a ton of events every day. I use Facebook’s events feature to browse what is going on. The ability to see what all my friends are interested in going to is great. Plus, the search feature lets me look up events that I’m interested in. What are your hobbies? Look for events related to that in your area.

For example. I like to go swing dancing, so I just typed “swing dance Vienna” into the search bar. I found a cool movie premiere/dance event to go to. While I was there I met some nice people who told me about other dance events in the city.

·      Look around the web. Meetup.com is another place online to look for events. People and organizations post about things that are happening, so people can meet up. Through the site I found a regular board game night at a local game store. I go every week now, and have made some great friends there.

Of course, there are non-internet ways to find out about what’s going on as well. Posters around town often tell about the best events. It comes down to finding something that sounds fun to you, and just going for it. So be bold, get out there, talk to people, and have a great time!