Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make friends?
 

I moved to the states back in 2008 to study abroad, and along my journey met my husband, so now i permanently reside in the USA southeast of Houston. I have met people in my years being here, but not really anyone i have made strong friendships with like i had in my country of birth.

<<<snip>>> I am only 25 and would like to meet some people my own age.

<<<snip>>>I have also just finished university, so i am hoping a search for a career will open me up to meet other people.

I am hoping that some people do end up coming to the meetup event, although i feel it is always pretty hit or miss with meeting complete strangers incase you have nothing in common, but on the flip side you could meet some people and make some great friendships. I guess the whole meeting complete strangers is just very new to me, and i am a little nervous.

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

Hi and welcome to BE.

It's certainly tough. Have you tried posting in the Meet-Ups section?

Remember, just because you have a nationality in common, doesn't mean you have anything else!

Many 25-year-olds are dealing with kids and jobs, so they're making friends through mother & baby groups, work or, here in the South at least, church! Those that aren't are more than likely single and making friend through dating groups. Hard to think of where else people would meet, unless you want to be friends with the checkout clerk in the grocery store (NTTAWWT).

Do you have any specific hobbies? Maybe you could find a group that meets up for that. For me, riding a motorcycle led me to my now best friend. He's a professor at a college and used to work at the one where my wife works. He now has his doctorate and we meet up regularly (he's American, but I don't hold that against him!! ;))

Good luck in your search.

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

:welcome:

I have found lots of good friends here. I joined a moms group, expat group and various kids events. I tried to pretty much say yes to everything I was invited to, even things I wasn't sure that I would like. From that I found people I liked, even though I met people I didn't gel with as much too. The meetup group is a great idea, but yes, it will take time. There is already a huge expats group that meets in Houston so you may want to hook up with that one as well. I know they meet for coffee every Wednesday.

Do things you enjoy and you will meet people, gym, hobbies, whatever. I had to force myself to be more outgoing, but it worked.

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

When my husband moved to DC and then ATL from NYC he was very active on yelp and started going to lots of their events and elite events. He met lots of people mid 20's to 30's. He also went to board game meetups as that cuts a bit of the small talk/weirdness down as you can play and chat.

Also try your local little british shop - if you have one, sometimes they have ex-pat community boards.

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

See, that's where I fail! I'm very introverted so the most outside contact I get is going grocery shopping or doing the school run. I've spoken to one of the mums at my son's school once but it was nothing more than small talk. I've checked meetup but there doesn't seem to be much in my area (can't drive so obviously severely limited location-wise).

Really starting to go a bit stir crazy now!

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

Most of the regulars here from Houston live in Cypress or Katy, so I'm not sure you'll get anyone along to the meetup. To answer your questions, yes, I've found it hard to make good friends. That's partly because I'm busy with work and three step-children, though, plus my (USC) wife didn't have much of a network of friends for me to fit into. I think things may improve once you start work, as there will be many others in similar situations, and many of them will be from other parts of the US, meaning you may find it easier to get along with them.

I have met up with people I've met online before, though I've never done it in the US. It's usually been fun but hasn't led to any new friendships. Just make sure you remember the basic rules - meet somewhere public, and don't give out your address. Good luck.

Guidalf - what on earth does "NTTAWWT" mean?

BunnyGirl - you really, really need to learn to drive if you possibly can. It is not possible to live a normal life in Texas without your own car, with the possible exception of central Austin. As an introvert it will really help, introducing variety and interest into your life, without that having to always be with other people. I came to the US having failed my UK driving test once at the age of 19, and never driven since. Since passing my (very easy) Texas test in April 2013, I've driven approaching 30,000 miles, though most of that is commuting.

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

NTTAWWT = Not That There's Anything Wrong With That.

Rene

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

My apologies.

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

MA would suffice. No need to be otiose (or, NNTBO.)

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

I know, we're going to look into it in the new year (have an eye problem which means I'm not allowed to drive in the UK but looks like I may be able to with restrictions in Texas).

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

The fact that I am not allowed to drive for medical reasons in the UK but am allowed to drive here in GA is just one of the reasons I really don't feel comfortable getting behind the wheel. Crap drivers combined with people who shouldn't be allowed to drive is a terrifying prospect

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

No problem. :)

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

Fair enough. Good luck to both of you. Are there at least some things you can walk to?

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

Yes I did and I only survived by meeting expats.

Getting a job will help you and the meet up is worth a try. Good luck.

Re: Any British Expats here in the Houston area? Have you found it hard to make frien
 

Working definitely helps however my friendships have not been strong here. I have been to a couple of after work drinks but that's it. We all live far from each other and its a chore to drive to each other after a week of commuting. My neighbors are friendly enough but we don't go to each other's houses, we catch up at the mailbox type of thing.