Those who move to the U.S. tend to come with a huge dream of becoming bilingual and show their enthusiasm to make friends with Americans. However, in the same way that bilingual doesn't happen to you only by living in the U.S., they figure out that making friends with Americans is not that simple for ESL people.
As for me, having lived here for about 10 months, I made some American friends to play tennis with, or to contact with. Yet I still feel a fair distance with them and I don't feel completely at ease among them.
On the other hand, while I was in Japan, I made friends with an American guy over the Internet. Our first meeting in person was about 4 years ago. My partner and I traveled in California, and he put us up at his place for a night. Since then, we've been keeping in touch on and off, and this weekend, he came over my house with his fiancee and stayed here for three nights. We had a fun time all together.
I didn't expect our friendship would turn out this closer until we moved to San Diego.
As it's known well, using chatting program and talking to strangers over the Internet has its pros and cons. Whereas it is easy to get acquainted with people from all over the world, who is difficult to come across in real life, it often causes issues which might be eventually developed into crimes. At any rate, you have to be discreet and it’s all up to you.
In retrospect, I was just lucky since this guy was a truly nice and sincere person whom I sometimes respect for his mercifulness.
But ironically, despite my current condition surrounded by Americans, I haven't found any new friends who I feel close and still trying to find a way. This is not only me, but almost all ESL people must be struggling with this situation.
3 comments:
Dear Rico!
It is true that making friends is a kind of dream to us. ^^
Having a truely good friend in our lives is not easy even between the same race.
We have to jump into their real world to see and talk with them through volunteering or jobs. Take part in the communities activities such as the church meeting. Some links are need. We know it is really hard to find them. What are the links?
Though it takes time and our hearts, we try to do as much as we could, don't we?
Good luck! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
It's true judy ...
We need to be tough and a little bit assertive to fit in!
I started attending a yoga class at a community center and an English tutoring at a church in order to expand the possibility and to be more gregarious myself :)
BTW, what's the weather like now over there? Is it still snowing? Here, the rainy season came. It's gloomy all day long and sometimes pouring :(
Yes...it has snowed for the past three days. Throughout the night, snows seemed to fall. Snowing and snowing. People say that this year have much more snowing than usual.
Every morning, I hear someone clear away the snow from his/her car.
San Diego has some particular weather period like gloomy June or....what is the other one? I forgot.
However, It is Feburary. What is speacial? Changeable Weather!
Anyway, it is good to hear you are getting aggressive.
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