Expat Dinner

I figured, hey, why not? When I saw the posting for an over 30s English speaking expat dinner on the Munich expat website I decided to give it a try as part of my ongoing quest to build up my social network in Munich. Worst case scenario I wouldn't like anyone and would leave with only a nice dinner.

Who I Met:
- 3 Swedes
- 3 English
- 1 French Canadian
- 2 Germans
- 1 Argentinian
- 1 Slovenian
- 1 Dutch
- 1 French

Who I Did Not Meet:
- 1 single American

After the initial jitters of walking up to a table of 35 people, none of whom I've ever met before, it turned out to be quite a bit of fun. Sometimes awkward as we teetered around topics, random and out of context, we steadily improved with each course. The restaurant was nice, The Big Easy, a New Orleans themed restaurant near Rot Kreuz platz.

At times it felt like a night out with my colleagues in Basel - a United Nations happy hour. I had hoped to meet a few Americans since I already spend so much of my time comparing cultural differences and language difficulties with the people I work with. Still, it was pleasant to have a full dinner where I didn't have to check out at some point due extended German conversation and where everyone, regardless of Heimat, was a foreigner in Munich. There was comraderie and comedy in that.

I never get to the heart of the matter, but always feel a little closer in these settings, to understanding what inspires people to move, to move on or to stay. Who survives, who settles, who returns from where they came and who moves on seeking, always seeking, never content. There were love immigrants, work immigrants, restless wanderers - but for all home was an abstract, difficult to define place after their experiences so far.

Posted from Basel