Moving and Friends 101

The last picture has been hung on the wall, the kids are getting settled into school, you’ve made it to the beach a time or two and you can find your way home without getting too lost, but it still doesn’t quite feel like you “belong” in Okinawa yet. You’re missing that personal connection. You need your “people”, the ones that you call when you wanna shop-till-you-drop, cry to when you are lonely and who remembers your birthday. But all of these friends are in a time zone that just doesn’t jive all that well with you mid-day crisis. This creates a need for what Meredith referred to as a new round of friend dating.

One of my closest friends loves to say, “The military gives me the opportunity to have a dozen best friends from all over the world.” The idea is so nice; the practice of working hard at new friendships to make them meaningful move after move is sometimes daunting. For some (like my friend) it comes naturally, for others (like me) it takes a bit more effort. So where do you look for friends? Maybe you don’t think you know the rules to friend dating. Never fear! We’re here to walk you through. We’ll start with a couple of Making Friends 101 basics.

1.    Meet the neighbors.

2.    Pursue your interests.

3.    Make a welcome place for others.

4.    Newcomers club.

5.    Throw a party.

6.    Join a local community center.

7.    Take a class.

This new “To Mingle” Category will be highlighting all of the above (and more) providing information and suggestions on how you can meet others and start feeling like you belong. And in the meantime, tell us what you think should be included in our “making Friends 101” basics.

Comments

[Larissa]

Looking forward to this new category and mingling with you all!!!!!

[Staci]

I would love a category for those of us who are stateside- living in the burbs where everyone is all locked up nice and tity on Facebook. I think it's harder when you get home. Everyone is already rooted. Kids play in their backyards (not in the streets out front). And so I search.....

[Laura]

I love the idea of this thread and am hopeful that I will learn something helpful before our move in 9 weeks! Here is to me stepping out of my "comfort" zone and tryin to be more outgoing!

[JaNae]

Staci- I couldn't say it better than you did when you said many of us get "locked up nice and tidy on facebook". While online social networking is an awesome resource, we've gotta remember to get out and actually hang out with other people too. The posts in our "Mingle" category will be Okinawa related but its all stuff that can be applied to making friends no matter where we live! Thanks for the feedback.