Finding Camaraderie in a New Country

After taking a crazy opportunity to move for a new job, then traveling for over 36 hours from New Zealand to Germany, Alex Kuch arrived safely in the frigid Frankfurt winter. A new adventure awaited him.

Kuch had been a member for five years with the Hibiscus Coast Club in Auckland, New Zealand. At 2 years old Kuch was adopted in Romania by a German family, and after living in Germany for nine years, he immigrated to New Zealand.

Alex has used his personal story and adoption experience to share his message through various platforms, including an adoption nonprofit, I’m Adopted as well as through a TEDx Talk.

While he was quite familiar with Germany, he still faced a number of challenges during the move. First, Alex says it was hard to deal with the constantly changing health guidelines in Germany because of COVID-19.

But then he realized he should focus on what he can control instead and enjoy the transition process. The move had happened very suddenly; however, his new colleagues went above and beyond to help him find a place to live in Heilbronn, where he works.

It was also very helpful that Alex had lived in Germany as a child and still have some relatives there. When he arrived, he spent three days with his family in a town called Dagersheim. What also made his arrival in the country easier is that he is fluent in German.

Alex’s advice for anyone moving to another country is to take the time to look for and reach out to Toastmasters clubs well in advance, so when you arrive in a new place you will already have a community to connect with straight away.

For Kuch, this was very helpful to his well-being, as being in a lockdown in a new environment can be quite challenging. After connecting with the Rhetorik-Club Heilbronn Toastmasters—a club he found by doing an online search— he was invited to take part in Christmas festivities.

Being a member of Toastmasters International has been an enormous help, made Alex’s job transition a lot smoother, and provided me with the chance to connect with like-minded people. If anyone has an opportunity, even under the circumstances of a pandemic, take the plunge, enjoy the adventure, and use Toastmasters to support yourself in the process.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nzalexkuch

Tags: adoption, alex kuch, germany