[Moving to a new school] Finding new chinese friends

[sanook666]

well i'm thai and i've been studying english since i was young so i can speak english

I''ve recently moved to Shanghai to study my highschool here

the highschool i'll be studying is called 'No.2 High School of East China Normal University'

the website is here(not sure if its official) http://www.hseid.com/hsefz/international/english/

the problem i'm scared about is that i won't be able to find new friends.

i will be studying at the international section but not in english so most of the students in my class will be fluent in chinese.

I got some basics in mandarin but i can't really speak so i don't know how to find new friends there.

If anyone have some suggestion on how to make new friends there please let me know (note that my chinese is not good)

Thank you

[ma3zi1]

Don't worry too much, there will be plenty of people who want to be your friend!

Just remember to smile, it's easy to understand a smile.

[sanook666]

do you think i should start talking to them first? or what?

smile is the only thing i could think of

[doraemon]

Just try and initiate any type of conversation with them which will require them to talk a lot. Something like "Why did you choose to come here?" or "Why do you like Chinese?" etc. But just don't make it too random and unexpected or it may seem weird. And if you're studying in the International Section, chances are that someone is bound to be an English speaker. It's best to just go with the flow, don't force anything, but I'm sure everything will turn out fine. Many of those students will most likely turn around and talk to you as well.

[sanook666]

one week passed now i got some friends

thanks for all the tips

[ma3zi1]

See, nothing to worry about ;)

[Susan Kohler]

Hi! My name is Susan，and I come from Australia. I've recently come to Shanghai to study Mandarin in a University and also has trouble meeting people. I feel quite alone on the weekends. Is there any interesting activity I can participate where I can meet people and make friends?