Making friends in a foreign city can take time. Kevin Loo collects anecdotes from foreigners and Czechs to find out what it’s like to find genuine friendship during life abroad.
Making real, genuine friendships is challenging enough in ordinary circumstances. Without the anchoring of childhood, school or family circles, those who move to another country have to venture even further from their comfort zones to find friends. This makes the process as challenging as it is rewarding (when it works out). I collected stories from my social circles, locals and foreigners alike, to uncover the highs and lows of making friends during life abroad.
For many, the first port of call these days is through online platforms. Social media algorithms are more powerful than ever, making the search for people with similar interests as easy as a tap of your phone screen. It may be as simple as finding someone who matches your aesthetic, or someone who goes to the same concerts as you. A like-minded community is never far in today’s perpetually online world.
Of course, this will never match the reality of physical presence, which is why digital friendship is often a gateway to organising a meet-up over coffee or beer, or coordinating which secret techno pop-up event to go to on the weekend.
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Author: Kevin Loo