Three Ideas for Building Social Connection and Community

Community is essential for our health and well being, but it’s not easy to find. Here are three ways to build community and social connection that worked for me.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthDecember 11, 2024friendshipComment

How People React to Accents in Everyday Life: My Observations

The reactions you get when you have an accent and people know or can assume by context that you are a migrant or immigrant are telling, to say the least.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthOctober 23, 2024language learning, expat, CultureComment

The Röstigraben and the Polentagraben: Switzerland’s Regional Language Differences

Most people do not know that Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansch.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthMay 15, 2024Switzerland, language learning, CultureComment

The Story behind Switzerland’s Specific Pet Laws

From having moved internationally more than once, I can say that every country has its own laws about animals. The Swiss laws around pets, though, are unlike anything I’ve yet encountered.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthApril 17, 2024culture, SwitzerlandComment

The Decline of the Executive Expat: Three Factors that Killed the Golden “Expat Era”

The era of the classic corporate expat—and the traditional expat in general—has declined precipitously in recent years for three primary reasons.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthMarch 20, 2024culture, expat Comment

Life in Lausanne, Switzerland: My Experience

Whether moving to Lausanne makes sense for you will depend on your time horizon, your needs, and your overall situation—so I can’t make recommendations. But I can share my experience!

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthSeptember 20, 2023Switzerland, expat Comments

How to Push Past Fluent to Fluency in a Language

Even if all the tests tell you that you’ve arrived when it comes to fluency, you can still improve. Here are a few tips for continuing to increase your fluency in your target language.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthAugust 23, 2023language learning, culture, French, expatComment

The Moving Target of Language Fluency

I’d just assumed, as I believe do most of us, that a person reaches a given point at which she’s just fluent and—a-ha!—goal reached. You’ve made it.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthApril 26, 2023French, language learning Comments

Moving Cities and Countries: On Being a Restless Soul

Where do you fall on the stay-put to move-often spectrum? What do you feel has shaped you into these place on the spectrum?

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthFebruary 22, 2023culture, introversion, introverts, introvert, expat, stakes Comments

Terms for People Who’ve Moved to another Country

Though you’ve heard the terms, you may not have considered them unless you’ve needed to define yourself (or had someone define you) by one or several.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthNovember 30, 2022culture Comments

Integrating into a New Country: How Long Does it Take?

When asked about timelines for integration, I never had a definitive answer based on my own experiences. So I did a little research. Here’s what I learned.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthJune 29, 2022culture, language learning Comments

Why People Don’t Learn the Local Language

It’s easy to criticize people who don’t learn the local language to fluency—until you gain a bit of perspective.

Migrating, Editor's PicksLeslie FarnsworthApril 27, 2022language learning, expat Comments

Weird Things that Happen to Foreigners (that Shouldn’t)

I’ve discovered that when you live as a foreigner or immigrant, certain things happen regularly that you’d wish would happen differently—for several reasons.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthDecember 29, 2021culture, language learning Comments

Finding New Friends in a New Place

Going out into the world to encounter a bunch of strangers will intimidate anyone. The good news: The risk of meeting new people pays off more often than not.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthSeptember 10, 2021culture, expat, friendship Comments

Games to Try and Games to Avoid for Multicultural Groups

I’ve always loved board games—and only recently realized that many don’t work for cross-cultural groups. Fortunately, great games for multicultural gatherings abound. You just need to know what to avoid and what to seek.

MigratingLeslie FarnsworthJuly 22, 2021friendship, expat, culture Comments