Making friends with Canadians

Jamie gave me to good idea of writing on this topic because I really do have a few things to say.

First of all, it is hard for our LEAP students to make Canadian friends because you take all your classes with other foreigners. I know that the friendships you make with your classmates are special and some of them will last for the rest of your life. I love to see how you tease each other through your comments on everyone's blog. I think one of the great joys of life is in the friends we make.

What might be some of the reasons you are shy to make friends with Canadians? Perhaps you think they don't want to make friends with foreigners. In some cases you would be right. Some don't. Too bad for them. They are missing out on the terrific friend you could be to them. Don't worry about that. Many people on campus and in your neighborhoods or dorms would love to get to know you. Be friendly and say yes when people invite you do do something - even something simple like going out for coffee.

Perhaps you think your English is not good enough. Oh.... bullshit! All of you have English far better than you realize. Anyway, what people value in friends is not their perfect English. It is the quality contents of their personality. If you know yourself to be a good person... then get out there and make friends.

Do you think that you don't have time? What nonsense. A good Canadian friend will help you learn English so fast that your head will spin. They might also be kind enough to advise you on your assignments.

When you finish LEAP 4 and go into your faculties, your classes will all be with a wide variety of students. Many of them will also feel shy. If you insist on sticking together with a group of friends from your first language and speaking that language together in the hearing of the others, the Canadians will think you don't want to have anything to do with them and they will leave you alone. In that case, you can't blame them for not making friends with you!

Now, this is just my personal opinion but I think that going out of your "comfort zone" once in awhile is a good thing. When I first went to China, I made friends with a lady named Xiao Shuang (morning frost). My classmates and teachers were amazed at the amount of vocabulary I was able to learn in a short time but it was because I spent a lot of time with my friend and her family and friends. None of them, except my friend, spoke English so I had to speak Chinese all the time. The other day I had an e-mail from her. She and her family now live in Miami and we are planning a visit together. She wrote, "I really want to see you, old friend." I would like to think that 25 years from now you, too, will have an "old friend" in Canada. It is my wish for all of you.