This article was co-authored by Ashley Pritchard, MA. Ashley Pritchard is an Academic and School Counselor at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Ashley has over 3 years of high school, college, and career counseling experience. She has an MA in School Counseling with a specialization in Mental Health from Caldwell University and is certified as an Independent Education Consultant through the University of California, Irvine.
There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Why limit your friends to those that live in your neighborhood? If you've ever been curious about different cultures and places, you might have a desire to make friends from all around the world. If you're not sure where to look, you can use the internet to connect with people that aren't from your country or become involved with your school's international programs and clubs. If you take the right approach and use all the resources at your disposal, making friends from all over the world is easy.
Steps
Making Friends Online
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1Sign up to a penpal website. InterPals, Conversation Exchange, and Penpaland are websites that you can use to start talking with someone from a different country. Visit one of the sites and sign up for a profile. Choose a country and start a conversation with the person. Talk about your life and how it is in your country. Ask them what their hobbies or interests are.[1]
- When you create a profile you'll be asked to fill out a page that displays basic details about yourself, like your interests, the country you're from, and your birth date.
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2Find friends through social media. You can become friends with people that live all over the world through social media. Use hashtags that are popular in other countries to find new friends. For instance, if you were looking to meet people from Korea, you could type #Korea to find friends. Once you find people that are interested in the same things, send them a direct message and start talking to them.[2]
- Popular social media platforms that are used internationally include Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, and Badoo.[3]
- When you talk to someone online, do research about their social customs and try to be as polite as possible.
- Say something like “Hey, my name’s Jessica. I wanted to learn more about the Netherlands and wanted to talk to people from the country. Would you be interested in chatting with me?”
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3Use meetup websites to find friends. You can find groups or make a post to make friends with people from other countries. Visit websites like Meetup, Gumtree, and Craigslist and look for groups or posts created by people from other countries. Contact your new friend though direct message and start talking to them.[4]
- You can say something like, "Hey I'm interested in Indian culture and was wondering if you were having a meetup anytime soon. I'd like to join you even though I'm not from India myself."
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4Download dating apps. You can download dating apps like Coffee Meets Bagel, Tinder, and OkCupid and set the profile to “Looking for friends only” option.[5] Then, search different profiles on the app and look for people that are from other countries. This is a popular way that people from other countries look for friends when in a new place.
Making Friends in Person
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1Live with international roommates. When searching for a place to live, you can search for international roommates. Look for roommates that speak a non-native language. There’s a higher chance that they will be from another country. If you already have a place to stay, consider finding a roommate from another country so that they can come live with you.
- You can write an ad that’s something like “One full bedroom available for rent. Looking for an international student that speaks French or German.”
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2Meet friends when you travel. Websites like Couchsurfing encourage new people to meet each other from all around the world. If you are traveling, staying with locals will help you make friends in the area. Go to popular local restaurants, bars, and museums to meet up with people from that country. Talk to them about their unique culture and life over a drink or food.[6]
- If you are staying with locals, make sure to read previous reviews and have a backup plan if your original lodging plans don't work.[7]
- Stay alert and aware of your belongings and steer clear of anything that seems like a scam when you travel to a different country.[8]
- Don't show off your valuables when you travel.
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3Learn another language. Even a basic understanding of another language can help you build bonds with people that speak another language. Concentrate on learning the languages that you can speak to new friends and learn how to speak it proficiently. You’ll be able to have conversations with new friends in a language they feel most comfortable speaking.[9]
- For example, if you’re staying in Spain for a month, you should learn how to speak Spanish.
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4Be open and kind to people that you meet. Being a nice person and willing to learn about new experiences will help you make friends wherever you go. Don't judge someone because their experience is different. Instead, try to find commonalities and relate to the person. Ask them questions about their lives and things that you're interested in. Don't come off as condescending or rude.[10]
Making Friends in School
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1Sign up for a study abroad project. A study abroad project will give you the opportunity to study in a different country. Use this time to make close friends with your roommates or classmates that you meet as well as locals in the area.[11] Try to take advantage of the unique aspects of the region by eating local food and going to local restaurants and stores.[12]
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2Join international groups. Go to the school’s office and ask someone if there are any international groups that have open registration. If you attend a college or university, there’s a good chance there are international groups who have members from all around the world. Choose a group and see if you can register for it.
- You don’t have to be from the country and get involved in their activities.
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3Get involved with your school’s international exchange program. Many colleges will have ways for you to get involved with the school’s exchange program. Look on your school’s website and see if there are ways for you to be an ambassador and friend to international students who come to your school. There may also be other volunteer opportunities that you can partake in.[13]
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4Partake in international events. If your school puts on special international events you should buy tickets and attend the events. Try to meet people while you’re there and get their contact information so you can become better friends with them.
References
- ↑ http://www.fluentu.com/blog/foreign-language-penpal/?nabe=4857995676876800:0
- ↑ http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/40-most-popular-social-networking-sites-world
- ↑ http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/40-most-popular-social-networking-sites-world
- ↑ https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-make-foreign-friends-on-the-Internet
- ↑ https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-dating-apps/
- ↑ http://www.wanderlustingk.com/blog/couchsurfing-how-to-make-local-friends-without-staying-over
- ↑ http://www.couchsurfing.com/about/safety/
- ↑ https://www.back-packer.org/30-tips-and-ways-to-stay-safe-while-traveling-the-world-and-south-america/
- ↑ http://www.omniglot.com/language/why.htm
- ↑ http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/09/the-trait-that-leads-to-having-more-diverse-friends.html
- ↑ Ashley Pritchard, MA. School Counselor. Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.
- ↑ https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/how-to-make-lifelong-friends-on-study-abroad
- ↑ http://studyabroad.uark.edu/about-us/get-involved.php
About This Article
To make friends all over the world, sign up to a penpal website, like InterPals or Penpaland, to exchange emails with people from different countries and learn more about their cultures. Alternatively, find friends on Facebook by typing a hashtag, followed by a country you want to find people in. Once you find someone who interests you, add them as a friend and send them a friendly message to introduce yourself. For example, write something like, “Hi, my name’s Jess. I want to learn more about the Netherlands and thought I’d message a local. Would you be interested in talking?” If you’re in a different country and want to meet locals, search a meetup website, like Meetup, Gumtree, or Craiglist, for posts about meetups. For more tips, including how to behave when you meet new people in other countries, read on!
