Don’t feel lonely in Lyon. Check out those useful tips…
Once i arrived to Lyon I didn’t know anyone. I could not speak French and it was just about so crazy as it sounds. I felt happy as I knew I made a good decision but at the end of the day you need other people to survive…I need anyway! I am not crazy about going out and doing parties but I like to be surrounded by people who I respect, like and love. Therefore those are my main goals when I search for others to spend time with…and those were my aims on how I wanted to get settled here in Lyon. I didn’t want to force any friendships, have ‘going out’ as a chore…and fortunately my settling here started to come naturally as Lyon is actually a very welcoming place….I have been nicely surprised on how big the community of expats is in France and how helpful ONLYLyon is. And so far I have learned a little bit on how you can you can meet other people, how you can become a part of its community. So there are few tips I would like to share with you and recommend and in this way we can make sure you will never feel lonely here in Lyon. Have a look at those ideas and give me a shout if you can add any others so I am pretty sure I didnt covered all…but My Favourite and The Top Tips to Meet People & Socialize & Improve your French/ English and simply not feel lonely in Lyon are:
- Work/School/University – this is the best way of meeting new people
- Attending events happening in the city – for the info you can check at: MonWeekend and GirlsTakeLyon Weekly Recommendations
- Learning more about France through the tourism organizations, taking part in City Tours oraganized by ONLYLyon.com
- Meet up with others who also want thanks to the MeetUps in Lyon – the groups of expats, Lyonnais, professionalists who organize meetings according to their interests: sport, reading, clubbing, walking etc
- Connecting with expats communities. The biggest one is Internations, which actively organizes events for expats But are others very good ones like: Anglo Info ; Lyon International Meetup Association; Lyon International Families Network; English Speaking Families Group just to name a few
- Taking part in language events:Franglish (French / English language exchange event, once a week in Lyon)Polyglot Club (free international language exchange event, twice a week in Lyon)
- Connecting online: Forums, Facebook Pages, Bloggers, Online Magazines, Informative Resources, Communities, Expats Websites etc
- Connecting professionally and setting up business:Women’s Professional Networking Group – WPNG (also offers job alerts for expats in Lyon)The American Club of LyonFranco-British International Business Association (FIBA)Aderly – support businesses to set up their operations in Lyon, as well as provide premises, recruitment and schooling services.Business Incubators: EMLYON Incubator, Crealys and Novacité.
- Explore more international organizations and the following institutions:British CouncilWall Street InstituteSpeaking AgencyMy French Lifeguard Expat Agency France
- And of course for some brave ones, I can recommend things less planned and organized but meeting people by chance in most common places as: trains, buses, churches, market squares, shopping centres, cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs, parks and markets….because there is always an opportunity and excuse to start a conversation….
So we are lucky here in Lyon aren’t we? Do you like the list above? Of course it is not completed. There are other opportunities and ways of meeting people in Lyon. So if you have any suggestions please do share with us. And in the meantime be sure to make the most out of the opportunities available. What I noticed is happening in Lyon is that more and more Lyonnais become very welcoming to foreigners. They make efforts to meet, chat and show them Lyon…this is how welcoming GirlsTakeLyon are! Enjoy making friends and settling here in Lyon. Get in touch with me and GirlsTakeLyon if you need more tips and ideas!
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