For expat moms

Expat motherhood removes the invisible scaffolding: the cousin who takes the baby for an hour, the friend from school who already knows your history, the neighbour who notices you have not been out.

You rebuild all of it at once, in a second language, while raising a small child. That is why loneliness abroad is not a personality problem. It is arithmetic.

The three losses nobody prepares you for

Expat mothers describe the same sequence: the practical loss, the social loss, then the identity loss. The first two are visible. The third is the one that lasts.

• Practical: no family, no backup, no margin
• Social: friendships that require effort you no longer have
• Identity: a professional and social self that did not survive the move

Why online expat groups are not enough

Large expat groups are excellent for finding a paediatrician and useless for finding a friend. They are public, they turn over constantly, and nobody notices when you stop showing up.

How Alma Circle works

You answer one questionnaire about where you live, the age of your children and the season you are in. We compose a circle of five mothers who live close to each other and are going through something comparable.

Your circle starts in a private WhatsApp group, agrees on a moment together, and meets in a real place. Then it keeps meeting, because the same five women stay together.

• One questionnaire, no swiping and no public profile
• Five mothers, matched on proximity, life stage and season
• A private group first, a real gathering second
• One questionnaire, then we set the day, the hour and the place

Why a circle of five instead of an app

Apps optimise for the number of matches. Friendship needs the opposite: fewer people, seen more often, living closer. A fixed circle of five removes the part that exhausts mothers, which is having to restart every conversation and organise every meeting alone.

Nothing here is public. There is no feed, no profile grid and no swiping.

I have only just arrived. Is it too early to join?

No. Joining early means your circle is ready around the moment the arrival rush calms down and the quiet sets in.

Which language will my circle be in?

Circles are composed by language preference. Most expat circles run in English, and we compose native-language circles wherever density allows.

What exactly is an Alma circle?

A circle of five mothers who live near each other, matched on the age of their children and the season they are going through. The circle starts in a private group chat and then meets in person, and the same five women keep meeting.

How much does it cost?

You answer the questionnaire, we compose your circle and set the day, the hour and the place. Food and drinks at a gathering are not included.

How long does it take to get matched?

It depends on how many mothers have joined near you. A circle needs at least four mothers in the same area and life stage, so density decides the timing rather than a fixed delay.

Do I have to bring my child?

Gatherings are for the mothers by default. Circles of mothers with babies under one often choose to come with their baby, and the circle decides.