Global Journey Diary vol.8 - Honoka Sakurai

Hi guys,

It’s Honoka, who was studying abroad in Western Australia until the end of November.

While Japan is getting hotter as summer approaches, it seems to be getting cooler in Australia, which is in the southern hemisphere.

Also, this time of year seems to be like a parade of assignments. My friend in Australia was lamenting, "There are too many assignments, I feel like I'm studying too much and going crazy."
Indeed, last year at this time I remember I was also working so hard on assignments.

Now, I managed to make some wonderful friends in Australia, with whom I still occasionally keep in touch.  But actually, the thing I was most worried about before going to the country was whether I could make friends over there.

That was because I'm shy and often find myself being the listener when I’m with friends. So I had doubts like,
"I can't even use English well, how can I make friends in Australia...? No way..."
I was so anxious about making friends.

Nevertheless, even I was able to make wonderful friends who often used to hang out, study together, and now still keep in touch.

This time, I’d like to introduce the way I made friends while I was in Australia!

All of these people are good friends of mine in Australia

Step 1. Don't miss the chance, just start a conversation

The first step already requires courage - "starting a conversation." But without this, no relationship can begin, so despite being shy, I tried my best with the mindset of "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Actually there are plenty of opportunities to talk to people for the first time.

The person sitting next to you in class, the one you teamed up with for group work, the person in the neighboring room in the same dorm, the person who happened to be nearby at an event you attended, or even that person you always see at the café.

If you're willing, opportunities to talk to new people are everywhere. You can even force yourself to create them.

I even joined gatherings of people interested in Japan or volunteered to enter new communities as well.

Also I had a friend from Africa who asked me for a red pen while I was studying at the library, and we kept in touch for a while.

So, there are plenty of opportunities for conversation with new people. Not missing those chances and seizing them without pretending not to notice is the necessary first step to making friends while studying abroad.

Photo taken in the first event held at my dormatory

Step 2. Exchange contact information

You squeezed out the courage to start a conversation. A round of applause for that brave action!

You talked to them despite the anxiety of not being able to speak the language well, all because you wanted to make friends. This is a crucial and significant step in making friends.

Now that you know each other's faces and names and have talked about each other's countries of origin or majors, you thought, "I'd like to talk to this person a bit more."

So, what do you do next?

To continue the conversation, you need more opportunities to talk. To create those opportunities, you need to meet that person again. So, you need to contact them later and say, "Hey, why don’t we hang out sometime?"

In other words, once you get along, the next step is to get that person's contact information. Try asking, "Do you have Instagram?" or "Can I have your phone number?"

They'll answer you happily!

One of my friend from Zimbabwe & we took the same classes in the both semesters

Step 3. Ask to hang out or study

You mustered up the courage to start a conversation and exchanged contact information. Next, make plans to meet that person again.

It's okay to ask them that when you first talk to them, or you can use the contact information you exchanged to ask them after you guys say goodbye to each other. Anyway make plans to see that person again.

It's nice to have lunch together before or after class, or studying together would be also cool. If there's somewhere you want to go, you can even use your status as an exchange student to invite them, saying, "I'm an exchange student and really don't know around here, so can you guide me?"

I like cafes, so I would often invite friends on days off, saying, "I'm interested in this café, want to go together?" I personally think going to a café is a great opportunity to have a good conversation face to face while enjoying delicious food.

With my bestie, who was born in India and grows up in Australia

Step 4. Meet regularly

You had a chance to have a good conversation once, and now you're satisfied! But be careful, don't leave it at that.

If you just hang out with them once and then do nothing afterwards, without contacting each other, you might lose touch with that person.

So, after you've hung out together once, be sure to contact them regularly or make plans to see them again. If you do that, you'll surely become even closer with the person.

Conclusion

How was it?

Like this, regardless of whether they were international students or local ones, I was able to become friends with various people.

I don’t believe I had that high English skills or communication abilities at that time, so when I first went to Australia, I sometimes wondered, "How did I used to make friends?" But by following these steps, I was able to become friends with anyone.

People who are good at making friends might be surprised and say, "You were thinking about such things?" haha. But I'd be happy if this could be helpful to shy people or those who are anxious about making friends like me!

Well then, see you guys again in the next blog!

With girls who used to live in the same dorm