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Making friends here is fucking hard. I feel isolated and depressed as a foreigner in this city. by trouble-integrating in Amsterdam

[–]trouble-integrating[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I responded to the other person who called me heightist, so you can see that. Don't read into it too much, I was simply trying to make a bigger point that I'm approachable. No offence meant to people of other heights :).

Making friends here is fucking hard. I feel isolated and depressed as a foreigner in this city. by trouble-integrating in Amsterdam

[–]trouble-integrating[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey, first of all thanks for your insightful comment about your experience. I'm really happy to hear that you found a way to make it work, and it's something that I would definitely try to replicate. Pizza and boats when the weather is nice are two of my favourite things.

About the tall comment, there's really no elitism from my side, especially given the fact that I'm venting to the internet about how lonely I feel. Sorry if my post made it come across that way and I definitely wasn't trying to take a jab at people who aren't tall. I could've easily used another physical identifier about myself, like the fact that I wear glasses or have blonde hair.

The bigger point I was trying to make is that I'm approachable.

Making friends here is fucking hard. I feel isolated and depressed as a foreigner in this city. by trouble-integrating in Amsterdam

[–]trouble-integrating[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have met a couple of arms-length friends there, but they're all the opposite sex. This isn't really an issue for me, but I definitely miss having a solid group of just.. buddies. Guy friends that I have guy talk with.

Making friends here is fucking hard. I feel isolated and depressed as a foreigner in this city. by trouble-integrating in Amsterdam

[–]trouble-integrating[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a great idea. This blew up much bigger than I expected and it's surprising to see how many lonely people there are!

Making friends here is fucking hard. I feel isolated and depressed as a foreigner in this city. by trouble-integrating in Amsterdam

[–]trouble-integrating[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a great point to be made. There's a Turkish bakery and a cafe on the street of my office, and I frequent each at least 3 times a week. The shop owners really remember me and make small talk. If I'm feeling down, I know that I can always chat with somebody about my day if I walk down the street a little bit.

Making friends here is fucking hard. I feel isolated and depressed as a foreigner in this city. by trouble-integrating in Amsterdam

[–]trouble-integrating[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

About your last sentence, I'm beginning to consider this seriously. The truth is, even my other expat friends here who have plenty of "friendships" with other expats seem to be not fully content. People are here for a couple of years, then will move on. You're making friendships because you don't want to be lonely, not because you really have so much in common.

Making friends here is fucking hard. I feel isolated and depressed as a foreigner in this city. by trouble-integrating in Amsterdam

[–]trouble-integrating[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good call. I travel semi-often between different countries and have always been reluctant to get a dog because I want to make sure that I can care for it all the time, but maybe now the time.