I arrived in California in September 2008. In other words, when the plane touched down, Lehman Brothers came down. Welcome to America and “The Financial Crisis”. Coming from South Africa, we were seeking ‘the American dream’, but landed with a bump and things got off to a rough start for us.
My husband started his post doc at Stanford and I chased my own dreams. I quickly realised that in times of shortage and undersupply people rely even more heavily on their networks. Having just arrived in a new country, my networks were not in existence. Rather than focusing on finding a job, which were so hard to come by, I focused on meeting people. This can potentially be quite a challenge and quite overwhelming, but here are a few selected tips.
Firstly, start at a place close to you and that would probably be your spouse’s workplace. Ask people there for advice and listen carefully. That is how I found the Bechtel International Center at Stanford, a fabulous place, which offers advice, activities and programmes for spouses. I met wonderful people there and also had my first volunteer job.
Secondly, join clubs such as sport clubs or other clubs of your interest. I joined an aerobics class at Stanford and Toastmasters club in Palo Alto. The sporty activity provides you with energy and the Toastmasters club provides you with a platform to meet people and articulate your wishes and thoughts. For readers who don’t know the concept of Toastmasters, it is a club which provides you with the tools to improve your public speaking and leadership skills. These are useful tools to have when you live in a very outspoken well-articulated society.
Thirdly, you can join a language class and start to learn a new language. I considerably improved my Spanish while chasing around. Palo Alto Adult School offers great inexpensive courses. Through Craigslist you can always find a tandem – trading one language with another. Also look at the Stanford Continuing Education Programme.
Fourthly, find like-minded people and associations. I was so very lucky to find GABA, where I was able to meet lots of people and attend networking events. The other European organisations are also interesting and they organise numerous events. San Francisco has the Swissnex Organisation, the French American Chamber of Commerce, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and many more. Check them out and join them. Another great organisation to join is the World Affairs Council in San Francisco, which offers great networking opportunities. You can also become a volunteer and help out at the events.
Find new hobbies and join discussion groups. The website www.meetup.com is very developed in the Bay Area. You can find hiking groups, cooking groups, discussion groups and so much more. I joined a meditation group in Palo Alto and thoroughly enjoy the experience.
Lastly, I decided to start a blog. I realised that there is a lot of information out there when you working, but not enough when you are a spouse trying to build your life. The blog is called www.stanfordwives.com and addresses people who accompany their spouses to California, whether it is to work or study. The blog gives tips and tricks for spouses living in the Bay Area. Personalised experiences give information, which cannot be found on official websites. Through the blog I have met many people, even before they arrive in the Bay Area. Twitter and Facebook are also great tools.
I subsequently found a job and many friends along the way. My ‘near nightmare’ turned into a dream.
Please tell us how you created your network in California. Feel free to add on.
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