College life is something that brings the excitement within everyone whether you do it from your home country or from abroad but the challenge is to make friends, particularly when you’re going to study abroad because you will be meeting new and several different people from different countries and you don’t know whether they’re going to talk to you or how they’re going to respond if you’re talking to them and on the top of that living alone without friends and family makes it all the more challenging and boring.
This blog will illustrate some simple ideas which will help you in making friends when you arrive in New Zealand.
Be a Part of Student Club
The best part of universities is that they have many student clubs from sports to weekly activities, make sure that you join them because these clubs allow you to meet new people. Most universities often organize weekly meet-up programs that invite all the students and professors from various cultures aiming to get everybody acquainted through incredible activities. Be a part of such clubs and you will also be able to find more people like you who want to become your friend.
Do Not Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
You read right! The best thing about universities in New Zealand is that you will always see some events occurring in order to connect students. Take advantage of such events, meet people, speak to them, but as the proverb suggests, ‘place your eggs in more than one friendship basket’ which entails not only sticking with university events, but also attempting to make your friendship circles in various parts of New Zealand such as on Facebook, you’ll be able to see upcoming events in New Zealand like community gatherings, festivals, night parties, coffee parties, and the list goes on. Connect yourself with such events as a result you will always have someone to call if you need company.
Stop Being an Introvert
So, you do not like talking to people much? You do not want to go out with friends? Love sitting in your room with your favorite book and laptop for long hours? Well, these are some of the things you can see in any introvert person. I was also the same when I arrived in New Zealand, sitting in my room for long hours not open to talking much; but as soon as things started to develop, I realized it is very important to make friends in this unknown beautiful country and I started participating in various groups, met new people and learned various things.
Thus, if you’re the same, remember that you need to be a bit of extrovert, participate in university work with other students, in study groups, or on a shared project. Besides, do not only stick with fellow international students when you are given some group project assignment, seek to find some local students to collaborate with.
Finally, I ‘d say, be bold and be confident. Universities are all about new experiences and it offers you a chance to meet people from all walks of life. So, get out there and start doing something beyond your comfort zone. You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll make friends for life – once you’ve pushed yourself a bit.
Jyonica @Studentsherald
