World's friendliest countries by David Sutton, Forbes.com Thursday, December 11, 2008provided by The country that once welcomed the tired, poor, huddled masses is now asking for a little reciprocation. And Canada, Germany and Australia are heeding the call. They top a list of the countries most welcoming to expats. There, relocators have a relatively easy time befriending locals, joining a local community group and learning the local language. Go to Forbes.com to view the slideshow Canada is the most welcoming; almost 95 per cent of respondents to HSBC Bank International's Expat Exploreer Survey, released today, said they have made friends with locals. In Germany, 92 per cent were so lucky and in Australia 91 per cent befriended those living there. The United Arab Emirates was found to be the most difficult for expats; only 54 per cent of those surveyed said they'd made friends with locals. Behind the numbersThe study surveyed 2,155 expats in 48 countries, spanning four continents, between February and April 2008. Respondents rated their country in four categories: ability to befriend locals, number that joined a community group, number that learned the language and percentage that bought property. "We conducted this survey to better understand expatriate needs and get insight into the emotions of expats. The banking business is all about trust, especially with the recent credit crisis," says Martin Spurling, CEO of HSBC Bank International and Head of HSBC Global Offshore. "We want them to build a relationship with their wealth manager regardless of where they travel." For Americans, traveling abroad to start over is becoming increasingly common. America used to have it all: good jobs, booming economy, skyrocketing stock market and plentiful housing. What a difference a year can make. The boom has gone bust and people are now heading for the exits en masse—with an eye abroad. It's no wonder they likely find Canada so welcoming. It has an accessible language, diverse culture and low levels of government corruption, says Patricia Linderman, editor of Tales from a Small Planet, an online newsletter for expats. It also has other expats. This is important, Linderman says, since even the most gracious locals already have busy, established lives and can be unwilling to put in the effort to befriend someone they know could leave within several years. "I'm not suggesting that it's good to live in an 'expat ghetto'. It's immensely rewarding to live among local people and make friends with them," she says. Linderman says other expats are important because they share similar needs like making friends and adjusting to life in a new country. They also understand the frustrations daily life brings. "A significant expat community," she says, "also means that there will be at least one truly international school, expat support groups and amenities like English-language bookstores." Team work Joining a recreational sports team or community group can help speed integration. Almost half of respondents reported taking this action, with Germany leading the pack at 65 per cent. Churches, organizations and schools provide good places to forge friendships with people who possess common interests and beliefs. "When I was an expat in Hong Kong, I became a member of the local football club and found it was a fantastic way of meeting like-minded people," says Paul Fay, head of marketing and communication at HSBC Bank International, of his expat experience in Hong Kong. "Particularly in Asia joining these clubs works to your advantage." Australia scored high in friendliness but ranked last when it came to joining a group. That's because expats in Australia tend to be younger, with 51 per cent in the 18-34 age group, and may not need organized groups to facilitate meeting new people. Groupthink is less of an issue in Germany, since meeting people there is relatively easy. "I'm not surprised that Germany is a popular choice whether you are going for a short-term cultural experience or a long-term job assignment," says Robin Pascoe of expatexpert.com, a Web site for families living and working abroad. "Germany has fantastic international schools for the kids of expats." Germany is also considered middle-of-the-road culturally, according to Neil Payne, who works for Kwintessential, a translation services company in the U.K. Anyone you stop on the street can talk to you in English, he says. What's more, "working conditions are also very well respected and there is a nice delineation for work life and social life, which we don't have in England." China, India and United Arab Emirates scored low overall because cultural differences from the West made integration difficult. This doesn't surprise Payne. "Our experience is that people do struggle and find it hard to adapt," he says. "It's the psychological difference: so far removed from what Western expats are used to." Still, says Fay, don't eliminate a country simply because of a language barrier. "Cantonese and Mandarin can be very challenging for Western expatriates," he says, "though for those who are resilient and do invest, it can be an incredible experience." Go to Forbes.com to view the slideshow In Depth: World's Friendliest Countries http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/article/forbes/932/worlds-friendliest-countries
^ Honestly, I perfer Harper than anyone else... Harper wanted to pass laws such as disallow people to go on strike for the dumbest reason... and decrease the amount of salary of each member in the house of party (or some shit like that) but the other politcal party started bitching like faggot.. and like wtf, the TA's been on strike for a month... You know how many VISA students got screwed over? and he just got elected, it wasn't like he was chosen by accident, so since he is the PM, just let him do his shit...
What? You're kidding right? In a country that would kidnap your children if you blink or rip you off at the drop of a hat? I'm not talking about the showcase cities like Beijing or Shanghai, but real China, where 99.9% of the people still live in poverty and burn coal just to stay warm. A friend recently returned to ShenZhen (just outside of HK) for a visit and she refused to take her young children along because it's still "...too dangerous" (in her words). In many ways, China remains very third world and will probably stay that way at least for the next 100 years. >.<
lol what are you talking about, china is sure friendly, look at how nice they are to those tibetan people :3 Uk people are too snobbish damn you and your haughty accents. Canada ftw, a) we arent pretentious, b) all we do is sit around drinking beer and shoveling snow so we're pretty mellow and c) we're polite eh.
the first thing i noticed when i travel outta canada is no1 ever freakin says sorry or has sympathy, im so used to hearing that on the streets or saying it myself when i bump into people and usually the other side is as sorry as i am or something but i freakin get checked alot in the crowded asian streets and people act like they really don't give a damn if they run you over. Its like "get outta the way punk! this our way of life!"
1. Ouch... And with the world economy as is, it's only going to get more repressive. -nono 2. Yeah, those accents are haughty, but they do sound cool in a stuffy sort of way, especially in James Bond movies, LOL... :laugh: 3. Ouch... The summation of all which can then be politely read as tragically unsophisticated, or in a word simple. -huh
well.... ang u havent been to australia... ppl are very polite there like when u wanna pass someone or when someone bumps into u its always sorry... or while driving n ppl let u merge in u wave to thank someone.... when u go shopping ppl call u love, mate or darl'.... when u go clubbin n u wait in line at the restroom girls talk to u n ask u if u wanna come n have a drink etc....n thats in sydney... when u drive away from sydney to e.g. central coasts ppl are nicer... ppl talk to eachother in queue's n if the sales arent busy they start a whole convo with u i think thats good.... it def. doesnt happen in NL as for china... im sure there are nicer ppl in like smaller towns where ppl are very hospital... at least its what ive been told....u just gotta be careful that u dont get conned haha
