Most expats move around a lot and are modern day nomads of sorts. They tend to be people who love to travel, experience new cultures and meet new people. Stating the obvious it's not hard to meet Koreans when you live in Korea, but what do you do when you're interested in broadening your circle while you're here either working or on a sabbatical? In a country with nearly 2 million foreigners, how do you meet them?
Try joining a local Chamber of Commerce if you're interested in meeting other expats living in Korea and making new friends. There are a number of them representing different nations and many host regular meetings, networking events, celebrations, and charity galas that are open to the public. This means even if you're not of a specific nationality, you can join and attend events to meet people from all over the world congregated in one place.
Some of the more well know chambers represent Australia (Austcham Korea), New Zealand (Kiwi Chamber), Britain (BCCK), India (ICCK), America (Amcham), Canada (Cancham), Europe (ECCK), Finland (Fincham), Germany (KGCCI), Sweden (SCCK), Spain (ESCCK), France (FKCCI) and Italy (ITCCK). Many of these chambers work with their respective embassies and focus on supporting international businesses and trade. They represent the heart of the expat community and foreigners who have made a home in Korea for many years.
A lot of people attend chamber events to form business networks and to mingle with others to advocate on behalf of the business community. Often times you'll find high level executives attending and their counterparts as they share similar interests.
Whether your main concerns are in business or not, these professional organizations are a great way to meet new people who may share something common with you as an expat. That feeling of meeting someone who can relate to your foreigner struggles and curiosities of Korea can be the beginning of many interesting conversations.
Chamber networking events are a blast and often times have open bars with unlimited drinks and the finest international cuisines. It's a great opportunity to be treated by the best chefs who are talented in making authentic flavors from all over the world. Some chambers also host special celebrations and glamours evening galas where you can get all dressed-up and participate in charity auctions. So not only are you able to have a fabulous time, but you can contribute to great things like supporting local orphanages, helping the elderly and making an impact on supporting important social issues.
At Wonderful, we like the idea of globalization and are dedicated to supporting foreigners in Korea. Stay tuned - subscribe to our blog and follow our events calendar for upcoming chamber events. As your virtual personal assistant, we can even help you register for events to help you save time so you can enjoy more of your social calendar.
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