Expanish Volunteer Blog
Volunteer in Buenos Aires; How to Make Friends on The Road
The majority of us will agree that one of the most important aspects of living abroad is the people that you meet. Often, you get to know people from different countries, traveling for different reasons, who have different interests, but you still find a connection based on the fact that you are both foreigners in a foreign country. Often, traveler’s are more social and more open when abroad than they are in their own country as they know they only are given certain chances to meet new people who will help them shape their experience, and vice versa.
Turning a travel experience into a volunteer experience brings even more dimensions into the mix as the people you meet while volunteering are not only foreigners like you but have also come abroad for the same reason, volunteering in the same cause, and going through the same experiences. These will be key people in your volunteer experience in Argentina.
3 Simple step to Make Friends on the Road!
Be Nice – but I mean, really nice
Everyone likes nice people because they are nice to talk to. So when you are scouting out new friends, be nice to them, be genuinely interested in them, and use that skill called ‘listening’. Ask about their travel plans, their experiences, their interests, and anything else that you can also later expand on in order to make a connection. Again, if you are volunteering in Buenos Aires, you will most likely find volunteers that have a lot of the same interests and goals as you!
Be Yourself
The best way to make friends is to be yourself and attract people that are naturally attract to you. Don’t hide yourself away or try to go along with what someone else is saying because you are too nervous to express your ideas/opinions. If you are honest with who you are and show that to your new potential friends, you will find friends that are perfectly suited to you.
Positioning
Put yourself in the right places to meet the right types of friends. Don’t narrow your search down to only the hours when you are volunteering in Buenos Aires, but extend it to all times. Invite other volunteers to go to a local bar and watch live music, spend a Saturday at the park, etc. Invite others to bring their friends, this way, everyone gets to meet new people in the right situations. If you love wine tasting, invite some of your fellow volunteers to a wine tasting seminar and try to meet some new people there, at least you’ll know that you all love to try new wine!
Come Volunteer in Buenos Aires this 2010 with Expanish! Start your travels today!
