Making New Friends in the UK

It’s only my third day living in London and I’m already making plenty of new friends.  I am living in central London in a residence hall called Nido Spitalfields which houses over 1000 students and interns from over 30 different countries around the world.    They gave me plenty of suggestions of places to eat and visit.

The program I am attending is with 30 other Americans, but I am hungry to branch out and make friends with people from other cultures and countries.  I came to London with many goals including becoming friends with some local Londoners. My confidence in my ability was shaky initially because of how different American culture and conversation is compared to Britain’s, but to my pleasant surprise, making new friends in London has begun easily.  Yesterday, once home, I was taking the lift to my floor to try to catch up on my jet lag, when I ran into two local Londoners riding the lift.  After we made swift introductions, the conversation quickly became effortless.

 

Trying to make new friends can be challenging, the very thought of it made me nervous, mostly because of the cultural differences between the US and UK.  It can be intimidating being a foreigner in a new place, especially if you don’t already know anyone in the area.  But, I’ve quickly realised that it is best to just go for it and I have put myself out in the open, rather than hiding behind my room door.  This is what I decided to do when I stepped into the lift last night, and instantly found that you can always find people to relate to and speak with.

I still have a lot to discover about London and its people.  The new friends that I made told me that it is important to make friends and acquaintances and spend time with those that are from places other than just America.  I believe that it is essential to start interacting with locals early in your time abroad--otherwise you might miss out on many wonderful opportunities.  After all, the best advice comes from the locals!

Contributed by Jared O’Neill, Summer Intern at FOCUS

For more information on FOCUS, please visit www.focus-info.org

For more information on Nido Spitalfields, please visit www.nidostudentliving.com