New InterNations Local Communities, that is.

As promised, here comes a brief introduction to a few more new Local Communities that will be officially online this week! Read on to find out information about the cities they are in, how large the Communities are and who their Ambassadors are. Who knows, perhaps you may be interested in becoming a Local Scout or even an Ambassador if one of the new Local Communities is yours…

Bergen, Norway

Originally a hanseatic city, Bergen is quite lovely to live in. With roughly 260,000 inhabitants, Bergen has a small-town feel without it being too small. Bergen is surrounded by the breathtaking “seven mountains” (de syv fjell), and its temperate oceanic climate offers its population a less daunting winter than other parts of Norway.

Due to it being located on a bay, with many beautiful old buildings and remnants of historical edifices, Bergen attracts both tourists and immigrants. With its Institute of Marine Research (the second largest in Europe) and many maritime businesses, it also draws in a large number of workers. Culturally speaking, Bergen is popular for the Bergen International Festival, its contemporary art scene, and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra founded in 1795, one of the world’s oldest orchestral institutions.

The Swiss-born InterNations Bergen Ambassador Michael Knüsel lived in Oslo for 3 years before going back to his native country and then returning again to Norway, this time to Bergen, in 2010. He is quite excited to have become the InterNations Ambassador as he deems there are tons of things to do and plan to do in Bergen with the InterNations Bergen Community of around 120 members.

Izmir, Turkey

Formerly known as Smyrna, this large metropolis located in western Anatolia is home to almost 4 million people. Beautifully located right on the Aegean Sea, it is not only an attraction to many tourists looking for white beaches, but also to many Turkish and international businesspeople employed in industry, trade and transportation. After all Izmir used to be an international port city, and still completes one-fifth of all of Turkey’s exports.

The InterNations Izmir Community is excited to get together with its almost 100 members and explore what the city has to offer! Izmir Ambassador, Nadejda Apostolov from Moldova, is looking forward to showing all Izmir expats around.

Marbella, Spain

Located in Andalusia, Marbella is home to approximately 136,000 people. The city is one of the most beloved Spanish tourist attractions on the Costa del Sol and is known for attracting the rich and famous. With its tropical beaches and beautiful seaside, it is no surprise that it is so favored among visitors. Mainly thriving off the tourist industry, Marbella is also a landing spot for luxury cruise ships. It may be known to many from having been featured in several Hollywood films, such as for example, Syriana.

With 210 members and growing, the InterNations Marbella Expat Community is quite content to boast this many active InterNations members! Ambassador Natasha Seume from Norway has been living in Marbella since 2010, and is pleased to be able to show other expats in Marbella around and meet more international folks.

Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands as well as the largest port in Europe. Due to the rivers it is located at or around, Rotterdam is often called “the Gateway to Europe”. With well over 600,000 inhabitants, it attracts a large number of people for work, studies, as well as its proximity to Den Haag. Amongst the Dutch, Rotterdam is deemed the no-nonsense business city and frequently competes for attention with Amsterdam.

Aside from its booming industry and economy, Rotterdam also boasts of a very interesting cityscape. Many architects have tried different styles on the city, making it a mixture of art nouveau, historic, contemporary and avant garde architecture. It also houses some of the tallest buildings in Holland.

Petar Pandilov from Macedonia is thrilled to take charge of the relatively large Rotterdam Expat Community of over 500 global minds! Having lived in the Netherlands since 2008, he is looking forward to showing people around Rotterdam.

Tune in again this week to hear about the rest of the new InterNations Local Communities!

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

As promised in our Blog on Tuesday, InterNations is pleased to introduce the remaining newly implemented Communities! Below you will find information about the city the Community is in and a bit about their respective Ambassadors.

Bodrum, Turkey

Originally a small fisherman’s town, Bodrum became popularized by a select few Turkish intellectuals around the 1950s. Today it is a favorite destination for tourists and was able to profit from the real-estate boom that took place over the years. Bodrum quickly became the site of considerable foreign and domestic real-estate investment, especially for Turkish and Western European investors. It is no wonder that Bodrum has been such a hit, with its whitewashed houses, blooming oleander bushes and subtropical temperatures, who wouldn’t want to move here?!

Along with InterNations Ankara Community and the Istanbul Community, the InterNations Bodrum Community, is very excited to have earned an official place in the long list of InterNations Communities. With almost 200 members, the Bodrum Community is off to a good start.
Bodrum’s InterNations Ambassador, Susan Marechal from England, is quite a jet set person! Having lived in numerous different European countries, she is the perfect fit for bringing InterNations expats together in Bodrum.

Calgary, Canada

Calgary is the largest city in the Canadian Province of Alberta, with around 1.3 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area. Initially an oil mining town, Calgary is well known for its rugged Western style. As it originally profited from the energy sector, which slumped in the 1980s, Calgary had to reconfigure its economy. This proved successful and Calgary has been profiting greatly from the tourist sector, the high-tech manufacturing industry, as well as being aided by the boom in oil prices of the former decade.

The InterNations Calgary Expat Community is proud to have 244 members from 44 different nationalities, and is quite happy to have become its own official Community! Calgary boasts an international flair with a high volume of multicultural events; concerts, film festivals, fine arts exhibits, ethnic food festivals, etc. are the norm here! Plus, who wouldn’t want to live in a city ranked the world’s cleanest in 2007 and placed first as eco-city in 2010?!
The two InterNations Calgary Ambassadors, Yuan Gloria Shang and Kimberly Rafuse, are extremely pleased to be able to get to bring the globally-minded Calgarians and expats together. Yuan, who loves networking and travelling, is from China and moved to Calgary in 2006 for work. Kimberly is a Canadian native, originally from Ottawa, who moved to Calgary in 2010.

Denver, United States of America

Nestled in a valley in front of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is the capital and most densely populated city of Colorado. Known to most Americans as the “the Mile-High City”, because it is exactly one mile above sea level, Denver attracts many tourists annually. Despite its being so populated, Denver residents not only enjoy the breathtaking scenery surrounding their city, but the many parks and green spaces that the Denver city council has incorporated into the cityscape fit in beautifully with its reputation as being a very active and outdoorsy city!
Thanks to its geographical location, Denver has attracted many telecommunications companies, mining and energy companies, as well as being home to many fast food chains now spread out across America, such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Quiznos Subs.

Making the InterNations Denver Community official, was a welcome step forward for 333 InterNations members stemming from 50 diverse nationalities. Already having had some quite successful Events, such as at the swanky Wine Loft or the tasty Washington Park Grill, the Denver Community is looking forward to mingle with global minds as an official InterNations Community!
The InterNations Ambassadors also bring quite an international flair with them: Scott Bernard from Ohio lived in Germany and Singapore before moving to Denver, and Martina Reimer from Germany, lived in France and Belgium, before calling Denver her new home in 2009.

Manchester, United Kingdom

Manchester is known for being the world’s first industrialized city, the site of the world’s first railway station, and of course, the famous premier league soccer teams, Manchester United and Manchester City. Having begun as the leading center for manufacturing, Manchester’s economy is now largely service-based. It is still however ranked the second-best place to do business in the UK.
Apart from its economy, Manchester offers some beautiful and very cross-the-board architectural styles, from Victorian to contemporary. It is also surrounded by six nature reserves, which offer its residents a good escape from the hectic and often smoggy city life.

With 250 members from 49 nationalities, it is high time that the InterNations Manchester Community becomes official! The Ambassador for the Manchester Community, British-born Bilal Bham, who has Indian roots, is pleased to be able to let the official international mingling begin! Having lived abroad in Germany, Poland and France, Bilal is well aware of what it is like to be an expat. Therefore he can let his experience help him make the transition for the Manchester expat members a more pleasant and less turbulent one.

Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

Literally meaning “the top of the tent”, Ras al-Khaimah is located at the north end of the Arabian Gulf coast, and is one of the seven United Arab Emirates. This once small fishermen and pirates’ nest rapidly expanded into a larger city. Artfully blending ancient traditions and modern life, Ras al-Khaimah offers a peaceful sanctuary to its residents and visitors.

Economically speaking, Ras al-Khaimah, since it never produced much oil, is the UAEs largest cement producer and also had the first pharmaceutical industry in the Gulf region.
Due to the rather unusual climate for this region, Ras al-Khaimah has, as many Emirates, succeeded in drawing a high degree of tourism to its banks. With abundant vegetation, as well as the lagoons alongside the emirate, Ras al-Khaimah offers a diverse habitat of flora and fauna.

The InterNations Ras al-Khaimah Community has been active as a Local Group for quite some time before officially becoming a Community. InterNations Ambassador Celine Mambode, originating from Mauritius, has been living in Ras al-Khaimah since 2008. As head of HR for the Swiss Federal Institute in Ras al-Khaimah, she is happy to extend her human resourcing skills onto expats in Ras al-Khaimah. And with 87 members from 36 different nationalities, she has her hands full!

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Istanbul Ambassador Gundula Strittmatter‘s choice of venue for the latest meeting at the Bosporos met with general approval among her numerous guests from almost ten different nations: The famous Grand Hotel de Londres is one of the oldest hotels in Istanbul, and during its long history, it has hosted many well-known expatriates and global minds, from Ernest Hemingway to the award- winning Turkish-German film director Fatih Akin.

Last night, however, it was up to the local InterNations members to fill the elegant lobby with lively interaction and animated discussions, even waking the sleeping parrots in their cages behind the closed curtains — much to everyone’s amusement. While quite a few of the usual regulars had already departed for home, several other participants were newcomers in town, and they were particularly glad about the opportunity for some socializing in the festive season.

(The rest of the event photos can be found in this gallery.)

Our Istanbul Ambassador Gundula Strittmatter was very happy to receive the biggest turnout of guests so far at her latest InterNations Get-Together in the Turkish metropolis. Apart from a huge Spanish-speaking group of members at the meeting, there were also participants from Morocco, Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Iran, Germany, Brazil, Canada, and the United States enjoying the beautiful setting at Cezayir restaurant. During this gathering on Tuesday night, the crowd was avidly discussing plans for future activities, ranging from sports over cultural gatherings to excursions and short trips together. If you, too, should have a suggestion for the local life of our Istanbul expats, please just get in touch with Gundula.

(If you would like to see more pictures, please go to Gundula’s gallery here.)

At the fifth InterNations Get-Together in Istanbul, Ambassador Gundula Strittmatter was delighted to note that this event had the biggest turnout so far. Members from about a dozen countries (for example, Poland, Iran, Macedonia, Ukraine, Montenegro, France, Italy, Canada, Turkey, Germany, USA, and Britain) came to the comfy Wongo Lounge in Beyoglu to enjoy the splendid view of the skyline, cocktails and complimentary fingerfood. In the spirit of bridging the differences between people and cultures, InterNations Istanbul is most certainly heading in the right direction.

(You can see all of Gundula’s snapshots here.)

Our Ambassador Gundula Strittmatter’s suggestion to organize an event at the Istanbul Modern Museum, Turkey’s first private gallery for contemporary art, combining a visit to an exhibition with casual socializing afterwards, met with general approval in her community.

A huge turnout of members from Iran, Sweden, Turkey, Germany, Canada, the USA, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Russia, Italy, and Spain used the opportunity to stroll leisurely through the exhibition rooms and have dinner together later on. Among the businesspeople, bankers, journalists, and NGO employees present at the meeting, there were also quite a few newcomers to the city, who were really glad about the opportunity to meet other expats as well as locals and to get to know their new contacts a little better on a beautiful terrace with a wonderful view of the Bosporus.