ABSTRACT
Working and living abroad is for many a dream come true. It is an opportunity to meet other cultures, develop intercultural competence and get international experience that may help in one’s career. It is also a great way to expand one’s horizon and develop a global mindset. Of course, it is not without its challenges, such as having to re-establish one’s life abroad, and dealing with other norms and values that might impact on the way in which people live and conduct business. This book is about people who move abroad for their work, and the challenge of building a new social network, especially with locals of the host country. Many expats see this as a challenge; the most common concern for expats and their families before they move abroad is re-establishing social life (41%) and missing friends and family (34%). 1 The key aspect is to manage these challenges well. As Professor Colleen Ward wrote in the seminal book on the Psychology of Culture Shock: 2
The challenge is to understand and manage contact between culturally diverse people and groups in order to reduce the stresses and difficulties that are a normal aspect of such encounters, as well as to enhance the positive effects that cross-cultural encounters can bestow on the participants.
