Hello Droplets of Mizu,

I hope you are doing well.

Well I wanted to share some observations I have on how I made friends in the past, compare the different ways I have made friends. Hopefully other people will comment and share how they did things different, and you might even get to discuss this with some of your friends and see what they think.

This topic is very close to my heart, because my best friend and I were walking down Southbank in the CBD of Melbourne in summer, and as I was mentioning some friends I had made, he was intrigued on how I met these people, and thus the conversation topic arises.

1) Making a friends with the new guy
When I was a young one in Primary School, I found it very difficult to make any friends. This is about my first best friend ever, who I lost contact with, and reconnected years later on Facebook.

He was the new kid in Grade 1, and everyone didn’t like him for some reason, I was unsure, and somehow, we became really good friends, even when he had changed schools, when I saw him again at a local event, I ended up staying over at his place for that weekend, and he continued to invite me to his birthday parties.

This is one friend I cherish, as him and his family are wonderful people, and I am so happy to know them 🙂

2) Making friends with adults as a child
Wow, I know this sounds kind of strange right? It is actually quite sad that the first thing that comes to mind is “Paedophile” or anything nasty, in society today, however, this is one of my favourite stories.

Apparently, I told this friend of mine, that I didn’t like them. Afterwards, I approached them again, and we became great friends. This friend worked for my parents, and during school holidays, I would help her with rinsing the dishes. Her and her husband are one of our dear family friends, and every time I see them, we would exchange stories  and discuss our thoughts.

I love hearing her stories and how times have change in her eyes, and also listening to advice that she has given me over the years.

3) The Stranger on the street
Okay, keeping it real, I don’t really have a great example of this, but this is one I’m sure has happened to somebody.

You see someone smile and you and you smile back at the, or you sit next to a stranger at the train station one cold night, and he offers you a cigarette because it’s cold. I know, you might not keep in touch with them, but I am guessing  in the olden days this was one way people connect, before technology became so easily accessible.

As we all know, we would much prefer to talk to friends we already know via the internet, text or phone calls. I’m pretty sure though some people will have taken the same train to work and back home, seen the same people, talked to the person, and eventually became their friends.

Maybe if you haven’t tried it before, you should put down your phone and try have a conversation with someone on the train, you might become friends 🙂

4) Online Friends

As I have mentioned in my first post, I am an avid gamer. I love playing with new friends on games, and getting to know them. Well, over the last three or more years, I have been able to make friends with people all around the world, and talk to them whether it be on chat services like Ventrilo or Team Speak; more developed services like Skype which allow for video chat and even taking it to the next level with applications on mobile phones such as Facebook, What’s App, Snap Chat, etc.

Let’s just say, although I may not be able to see them in person, being comfortable playing games with someone for hours, and getting to know their personality as a person, allowed me to expand my circle, which actually saved me socially, as I became reclusive, when most of my friends were busy dealing with their own busy schedules.

I am grateful that some of these people keep in contact with me 🙂 They are my great friends also, and hopefully I can meet them all one day. 🙂

4a?) Online friends -> Meeting them in person
I stepped out of my comfort zone, and found out that some of my online friends were also from Melbourne. I have actually done this twice, and I although there is a little bit of an icebreaker at the start, I have become great friends with these people.

We go to events together, watch movies, just like you would with your high school friends, and I think this is one of the most different ways of making friends.

Has anybody made friends this way? Are you intrigued? I guess the main thing is stepping out of your bubble and trying something new. Obviously if you don’t feel safe and if you’re underage, I wouldn’t suggest this, but if you’re an adult, you should expand your circle. I believe getting to know other people from all aspects of life, helps us become a better version of ourselves 🙂