Andreas Tips and Tricks
Tips and Tricks - for successful integration
- Be open and positive
- Learn the language
- Get out among people. Expand your circle of friends and acquaintances.
- Join a club (Verein). If you have a hobby, sport or cultural activity you love – there is a club for it in your town or in the area.
- Meet people in your partner’s, or employer’s extended family or friends.Pretend you are looking for a job or an apartment in the want ads. Draw a circle on a list of possible contacts and get in touch with them.
- It's so important to meet and build relationships with the locals, your neighbors for example. I’m not recommending inviting just anyone - they should fit to you. I don’t open my door to someone simply because they are Swiss or Brazilian.
- Just relax. Imagine you are on a positive adventure.
- Use your strengths.
- Use that “I’ll show them” attitude.
- Reflect - Ask yourself questions:
- What can you do for yourself to make your life more beautiful?"
- I went to an international book store in Zürich once in the month. That was pre-internet. I could spend hours reading books in Portuguese and simply enjoy being in the city. It lifted my spirits.
- Where would you like to visit?
- What would you like to experience here?
- What can you do for yourself to make your life more beautiful?"
- If you don’t like something - ask yourself some questions:
- How can I change it - I can’t expect others to change to fit me and my expectations
- Can I change it? If not...
- Can I accept it
What not t
o do!- Do not give up
- Stop telling yourself everything is bad - there are some things going well:
- Be thankful for them, make a list if you have to
- Makes the best of what you have at the moment
- Do not complain – it doesn’t help anyway