Rio de Janeiro = Random News Friends

One of the things I love the most about living abroad are the friends you make. There´s a different method of friend making when you are outside your own country.  Away from home, I find you are far more open about who to befriend. 

This becomes especially true with fellow foreigners.  We may speak the native language but it´s never quite the same thing as talking to another speaker of your own native language.  To find foreigner friends is one thing.  To find foreigner friends who actually LIVE in Rio de Janeiro is another.

That´s where the openness comes from. The pool is shallow people and we can not be picky. I´m not saying we are friend whores, by any means, but we are far more open to meet up with random other people than we would normally be at home. 

While that may sound desperate for those not in the situation, it´s actually quite the opposite. I currently have a very interesting group of friends. They are starting to inspire me to try new things, heaven forbid.

So I my group consists of a group joiner, fitness fan, yogi, health food expert, dieter, partier, holistic health enthusiast, blogger and many more. 

I also have my English students who fit into the randomness of my social circle. Yes, English teaching is work but once you become a conversation teacher, you start knowing the student.  Think about it. How often do you get to meet up with your bestie and have an hour long conversation without interruption. It´s rare.  I do that with my student weekly, thus, getting to know them very well. 

Basically I´ve found that living in Rio de Janeiro has opened me.  It helps that my husband is Brazilian. That gave me my Brazilian based friends.

Later, I adjusted my man skills to pick up foreigner friends. Oh yes, it takes skills to pick up random foreigners on the street. We are like deers, unless we´ve had contact with others, we scare easily. 

So for those of you who are newbies or are considering a move, don´t worry.  You will find your people.  It may... ok, it will take time and patience.  But it will happen and the journey makes it all the more worthwhile.  Stick to it, create your life here, the friends will come.