You just landed in a new country, thousands of miles away from home. It’s a new environment with different cultures and ways of life altogether.
You most probably don’t even know where the nearby supermarket or pharmacy is located. You can ask the locals for directions all the time, but imagine if you had a particular group of locals to direct you or, better yet, take you there. That’s one of the advantages of making friends abroad.
Make new and lifelong friends when studying abroad to beat homesickness and make your living abroad a fantastic experience. Let’s take a look at 11 ways to make new friends when studying abroad…
Use social media to find international friends
The power of social media is underrated. It’s one of the easiest ways of making friends. Start by joining social media groups for your university or in your new city surroundings. You can interact with the group members, and you will be surprised how many dinner or party invitations you will get in no time. This gives you the room to make friends by attending most of these occasions.
Join a university society, sports team, or club
Join a society in your university, and all you have to do is show up whenever they have upcoming events. You can easily find people with similar interests to you. You may even get an opportunity to show off how good you are at a sport or game. You will get a chance to interact with other students, and while having fun, there is a high possibility of making new friends.
Work on group projects together
Group discussions are a good start to make both local and international friends. Most class sessions require students to form groups to work on projects. It’s from these discussions; you will chat or brainstorm over coffee meetings or night outs with your group members, who might turn out to be your new friends.
Throw a party
Once you have interacted with a few classmates or locals, throwing a party is a great idea to meet many new people. What’s more? Students love to party, and they will come in high numbers. You will have the time to bond with people from all walks of life.
Don’t miss the Fresher’s week
The first week for new students, or orientation, is a great event to meet new students just like you, eager to make new friends. Don’t be afraid to start conversations. Who knows? You could make some friends during the first week of the academic year.
Don’t hold back – get to know your classmates
During class sessions, don’t be shy to sit next to someone new. You can talk about the course or tackle the assignments given, allowing you to chat with other students.
Attend as many events as you can
It doesn’t matter whether you saw an invitation to an event on social media groups or the university’s notice board. Make time and attend as many events as possible to meet and interact with new people.Go out more often
Avoid spending more time in your room, just watching Netflix while eating snacks. Get out of the house, take a walk around the campus, or study at the library. Doing so allows you to meet new people while on the outside.
Live in student accommodation
If possible, don’t live on your own yet. Living at the university’s accommodation allows you to be close to many other students you can interact with to form some incredible bonds.
Study in a coffee shop or bar sometimes
You’re most likely going to bump into people from the university or your neighborhood. Start simple conversations with them, and they can later become meaningful friends.Visit a local place of worship
This is one of the easiest ways of meeting more international students and other people from all walks of life. That’s because religion brings people together. You will get a chance to connect with people of the same spiritual tribe, who will turn to be your friends in the long run. Say no to homesickness by making new friends in the new country where you innocently went to study. A good start is by using some of the above ways to make friends while studying abroad. You will have more friends than you had hoped for to create memorable moments while living abroad.
Kevin Kamau
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