Making English-Speaking Friends Was Harder Than I Expected🌸

Before moving to Australia, I thought making international friends would happen naturally. In reality, it was much harder than I expected.

Making Japanese friends was easy, but I wanted friends who spoke English because that was one of the main reasons I had come to Australia. The problem was that I had no idea where to meet them. Walking up to strangers on the street felt awkward, and I didn’t know how people actually made friends.

So I got creative. I became friends with a Japanese student who spoke English fluently and joined barbecues organized by their friends. Even though I wasn’t religious, I started attending church every Sunday because it was a great place to meet people. I also used dating apps, not for dating, but to meet people for coffee during the day and practice speaking English.

Looking back, I was probably trying very hard. But little by little, I made more friends and became more comfortable speaking English.

One thing I learned is that friends rarely appear on their own when you’re living abroad. Sometimes, you have to step out of your comfort zone and create those opportunities yourself.