Hi people, this is a guest post by a friend/ ex-pat mother on how having kids affects your relationships with people in a new place. Do visit her blog tiny expats for more interesting reads.

I always said that studies help a lot to find friends in a new country, be it a university, language course or hobby workshops. You communicate with these people on a regular basis, but unlike at an office, where co-workers might not feel like mixing their professional and private lives, fellow students find it much easier to socialise with each other. I came to London, when I was 17, and most of my best friends I have to date I met through studies. When we moved to Germany, we found our alumni living in the same city – how lucky was that? They helped us a lot with getting to know our new temporary home.