Dear Hera,
I’m not from New Zealand, but I’ve been here for almost three years. In that time I’ve met plenty of fun and charming Kiwis but haven’t really made that many local friends. Often, I’ll meet a Kiwi and it feels like we’re connecting, there’ll be shared laughter and interests, but afterwards it becomes impossible to hang out again – their schedule is full or my messages go unanswered. Either everyone is extremely busy or I am doing something very wrong.
The strangest part is it’s a small place, so I always see these people again, sometimes months later, and it’ll be exactly like the first time, good vibes and lots of promises to catch up soon. I’m confused. I’ve lived in a few countries and this hasn’t happened before. A Ukrainian friend told me that “New Zealand is the friendliest unfriendly country in the world”. I think/hope they’re wrong, but is there some kind of New Zealand rite to friendship that I’m not adhering to? How do you make friends here without joining a D&D group?
Thanks,
Nellie No Friends
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