Out with Friends (a.k.a. expat family)

One of my favorite things to do is organizing groups to meet for drinks and socializing. Over the past 7 months, meeting with friends at a bar on a Friday or Saturday night has led to some of the most interesting conversations, and it has been a good way to bond with the other expats who usually come out for drinks. We've gone dancing together, had Thanksgiving dinner, and consumed copious amounts of inebriating substances. Sometimes we share in the occasional miseries of living abroad in China, while sometimes we have in-depth conversations about politics and business. Most fascinating, however, has been to witness the networking effect. One friend will bring another friend, who brings another friend to the next meet up, and the effect continues to compound. The relationships between expats, moreover, seem to be catalyzed by our shared expat status. Of the many shared experiences and emotions we expats have, one of the most common threads is the sense of uncertainty and unpredictability about our futures, in terms of careers, relationships, homes, etc. All in all, these meet-ups over the previous months have been truly fulfilling to me and I am glad that "the group" continues to grow in size and in the strength of friendships.