The World’s Friendliest Countries 

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They say you can never go home again–and you may not want to after relocating to Canada, Bermuda or South Africa.

These are the countries where it’s easiest to befriend locals, learn the language, fit into the new culture and integrate into the community, according to respondents to HSBC Bank International’s Expat Explorer survey, the results of which were released late last month.

Canada was most welcoming for the second year in a row; more than half of survey-takers there said they’d made friends with locals. In Bermuda 57% have had the pleasure, and the same for South Africa.

To determine the world's friendliest countries, Forbes looked at the results of HSBC Bank International's Expat Explorer survey in four categories: ability to befriend locals, success in learning the local language, capacity for integrating themselves into the community, and ease in which they fit into the new culture.
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The top 10 are;

1. Canada

Expats based here typically integrate well within local society, according to the HSCB survey, with 45% claiming they go out with local friends as much as fellow expats--the highest score of all 25 countries.

Bermuda

Photo: Thinkstock

2. Bermuda

Those who have relocated to Britain's oldest colony (and beach paradise) report relative ease with local language and cultures.

South Africa

3. South Africa

A culturally diverse nation, this host country proved to be well equipped for welcoming all sorts of foreigners.

The U.S.

Photo: Thinkstock

4. The U.S.

The results of the survey suggest that ease of learning the local language and adapting to the local culture are areas in which the U.S. fares well in as an expat destination--despite low scores in organizing finances and health care.

Australia

Photo: Thinkstock

5. Australia

One of the main advantages of becoming an expat Down Under, according to the survey, is the ease of setting up in the country.

6. Spain

For the overall integration categories, Spain scored the highest--especially when it came to local friends, shopping, food, culture and language--suggesting that once expats in Spain settle in, they feel completely involved in their communities.

7. France

This country got high scores on integration, with expats especially enjoying the local food and culture, making it one of the most friendly, culturally rich and inclusive locations.

8. U.K.

Though it ranked poorly in terms of quality of life (with issues like crowded urban transportation systems dragging it down), the U.K. does well on ease of integration and of befriending locals.

9. Malaysia

Expats found it relatively simple to integrate themselves into this cosmopolitan locale, a blend of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures.

10. Germany

Despite difficulty making friends and learning the language, expats here reported it was a relatively easy place for integrating, with 46% saying they enjoyed the local entertainment and adapted well to the food.

 

German farmer's 24 hour milk filling station a hit

A German dairy farmer has come up with a novel way to drum up new business -- he opened a "milk filling station." 

The "Milchtankstelle" near Cologne in the town of Neunkirchen-Seelscheid dispenses the output of 78 cows from a stainless steel vending machine. Customers can either bring their own empty containers or buy milk bottles to fill up.

"I only had a few customers before I opened the station because they had to come at set milking times, which was a problem," dairy farmer Bruno Stauf told Reuters. "Now they can buy my milk whenever they want."
The milk filling station is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Customers can select the amount of milk they want to purchase at a price of 70 cents per litre. They insert the money, put their container under the nozzle and press a button.

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"We were no longer getting very much for our milk from the local dairy," Stauf said, who like many dairy farmers in Germany has felt the squeeze of downward pressure on prices at discount supermarkets.
"For half a year were only getting 20 cents per litre and when it's like that, you have to do something else," Stauf said.

At 70 cents a litre, the milk from the filling station is more expensive than at some supermarkets, but Stauf, 55, points out the advantages of tapping a machine for fresh milk.
"There's a lot more protein and fat in it because it is not treated like the milk you get in normal supermarkets," he said.
Stauf said he invested 12,000 euros on his "milk filling station" but was confident it would pay off in the long run. His station is about 30 km outside of Cologne, one of Germany's biggest cities.
"Customers say that the milk on sale in supermarkets doesn't taste good any more," he said. "Supermarkets work on improving the shelf life, but people just want fresher milk. People come from as far away as Cologne to buy milk from my station."