Join the Club

　　IT can be daunting for any newbie expat when settling intolife in a new city， especially one as big as Beijing. After movinginto your new digs and exploring the surroundings， it thendawns on you that it’s time to meet new people and makesome friends - after all， networking is a vital part of gettingyour name about and building some guanxi， or connections.

　　Work colleagues are always great to spend time with，but there comes a time， especially at the weekend， whenyou want to cleanse your mind of work-related issues.

　　Socializing with people outside of your working environmentallows for conversations on different topics andfresh debates. With such a diverse mixture of people livingin international cities， it’s a great idea to get yourself outthere and meet new people who have interesting stories totell： friendships blossom， name cards exchange， and guanxigrows.

　　As a keen sportsman， I decided to join a popular expatfootball team called Forbidden City FC - a decision I havenot regretted one bit. From the first day I arrived， all thelads were welcoming and made me feel right at home.

　　The club has around 30+ players made up of all differentnationalities and ages. There is a strong team ethic andlots of great banter to get stuck into. This， for me， was theperfect way to meet a large group of expats and Chinesepeople. Everyone in the squad was a newbie at onestage， so they are all well aware of what it’s like to bea new member joining a long-established community.

　　The club trains weekly on Wednesday eveningsand usually has a game at the weekend. Along withthe sporting aspect， the club also fosters in many socialevents throughout the season - even an annualtrip to Bangkok for an international tournament ison the calendar. Spread throughout the two leaguesare 24 teams， with each team having a sponsor whoprovides kit， resources and money for travel： thesesponsors are usually a local restaurant， bar or shopwithin the city.

　　Typically in the smaller cities of China， thesetypes of clubs and opportunities are rare and hard tofind - but that’s not to say they’re not available. Thecity I previously lived in， Shaoxing， a tiny water townjust south of Shanghai， had only a small number offootball teams， predominantly made up of locals. Igot introduced to the club through a friend， and ina squad of more than 20， only a small handful wereWesterners. The whole squad was extremely welcomingand more than happy for me to join in. Needlessto say it made for an unforgettable experience and we finishedthe season as champions！

　　It doesn’t just have to be a football team， either. Beijing is renowned for its large expat scene and friendly social attitude.

　　Teams and clubs stretch from football to kungfu， whiskytasting clubs to marathon running - it truly does cater for thetastes of every man， woman and their dog. It’s really easy toget in contact with them too. Popular websites such as TimeOut Beijing， The Beijinger and City Weekend were all usefulplaces to find information in Beijing - all the other major citieshave their versions of these websites as well.

　　Being away from home can be tough at times - especiallyduring celebratory occasions such as Christmas and birthdays.Becoming part of a team， part of a new family and community，really does set your mind at ease and allows for the transitionof moving to a new town， city， country or continent a muchmore seamless and enjoyable experience. Worries and apprehensionsof being lonely soon disappear， the regret of notmaking an effort to be social quickly evaporates， and you feelproud of yourself for getting out there and making an effort.

　　So， instead of waiting for people to come and ask you yourname - make the first move and make some new friends. Ithelps to make life in a new city much easier and more enjoyable.