Be the first weirdo

As veteran expats, we're all pretty good at being the first weirdo. I met my best friend in Canada by sliding into her DMs after noticing her posting in 2 Facebook groups I was part of. My Canadian pole instructor, I befriended by seeing my street in her instagram story, and asking her if she lives nearby. She thought I was a stalker, but a pandemic coffee walk later, we were tight. We've made friends in Malta by literally calling hi to them across the street, with no context or excuse. The kids didn't waste time at their new school - they harnessed the attention they received as interesting foreigners, and milked it for popularity. 

It's not always easy and we do sometimes feel like outsiders still. Locals, in any country, including Australia, can seem cliquey. I gravitate towards the other foreigner parents at school pick-up, and maybe the locals think WE are cliquey. But to be honest, I feel that expats understand each other's joys, frustrations and sense of humour better than someone without an outsider's perspective. That's why there are so many Facebook and Whatsapp groups here for expats looking for other expats to socialise with. We've all thrown our cool facades to the wind, and gladly out-weirdo each other.