[Baron]

I second everything Jessica just wrote! When back home in Melbourne, Australia, hanging out for a coffee with a mate on a lazy sunday down Brunswick/Lygon St. (for the Melbournites) was a regular thing. I've only met one person here (other than my GF) that i can do that with here...even if it is Pacific coffee.

[jlongboard]

hey, if anyone around here surfs...look me up in december after i move there...

[Onyx]

"Friends" are so overrated...

[Christian]

Care to elaborate ? a litte? Onyx

[Onyx]

Joke.

Life is so overrated too...

[Baron]

I know what you mean Onyx...i was promised so much more.

[whynot]

hi there ! im 23 year-old local here, i've lived abroad (sydney and finland) for 2 years. i'd like to look for foreign friends, i kinda miss those time when i was an expatriate myself - it's just great to share experience of being a foreigner . So drop me a line !

[emperorau]

True Friendship is very hard to make in a company. Sometimes it is hard to make true friendship in a meeting like LKF yesterday. Although you will find somebody to chat with, it is difficult to call them true friends.

A true friend should never stab you in the back or would help you if you needed. But I'm not saying in monetary terms though. Like asking to loan 100,000 or even as little as 100. Have you noticed though, a lot of the beautiful girls have best friends that are not as pretty as them. I noticed that with some people. It is a competition of some sort at times.
But true friends can come in different sizes. We shouldn't think that person is poor is not a true friend or not. For example, you are rich then suddenly you have no money. Look at how many of your true friends will help you then or if you get rich all of a sudden, how many will contact you. Like somebody that have not contact you for ages but suddenly contact you.

Sometimes what you consider true friend may not the otherside consider you though.

Sometimes true friends are not the ones that you can see very often or not. I have good friends in HK but not much. Like I don't come back to HK very often but they know I only get Chinese money so when I am back in HK, they will treat me out for supper. Or if I need help, I will ask them to help me print out something or that. But that doesn't mean we always talk to each other though.

So we must classify what kind of friends we have though.

Just like my students. Some students of mine have become good friends too. Not only I treat them as students but also as a friend too. If they travel to my place, I don't mind allow them to stay in my place.

Too many definitions just like the definition of Love

[AnotherAmerican]

It's hard to find 'true friends' in an expat community simply because the lot recycles itself every few years. They come, they go, and that's it. Being an expat often implies that you are there for job-related reasons, and it can be assumed that your location of work is flexible. This means that your "true friend", at any time, may have to pack up and leave by the end of the month.

This doesn't make finding them any harder, though. In fact, it may make it easier in the sense that you see more people in the span of so many years because they keep changing. BUT, it's harder to keep them, and perhaps the lack of longetivity may deter one from even trying to be your true friend. Therefore, I am of the opinion that this is the sole reason why expats like to go to lkf and wanchai every weekend: because if you aren't really going to make any lasting relationships, why not just have fun then?

[lisahk05]

Hanako,

Agreed with you totally!!

I have been in HK 20days only,moving down from BJ. Its even difficult to find a tennis partner in my estate, thought with a tempte to get one by joining beginner -tennis class here.

I have a few friends here, but they donot gether together often and hardly have parties - thats normally how I make new or true friends/So, little chance to make new. Maybe HK ppl are too busy and ....

You sound like very nice person - I used to have a Japanese flatmate when I was in London.

Shall we try to make friends from this mail?

Lisa

Originally Posted by hanako

I have been living in HK for nearly 2 years since my husband was transfaredand here, and am quite satisfied with my life so far.
Since I am quite open-minded & friendly person, I met lots of ppl and made friends with ppl from different countries in HK - met friends' friends, on-line, pal-site, etc. They are all nice and I can call most of them 'friends'.
But when I talk with friends who are also expat, many of them say that it is difficult to find ppl who they can really call 'friends' here. I think it is true though they have millions of 'ppl who they know' here.
Maybe I am greedy, and I have too much time cause my husband is a really busy person (I work as well though), but I want more ppl and look for true friend while I am living here.
I would like to ask you, how did you find friends or do you know a good idea or site which you can find new friends? Do you find it difficult to find true friends here?