WORKSHOP

Making Friends as an Adult
(in a Foreign Land)

Playful and emotional insights into creating genuine social ties

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            Making friends as an adult can be awkward and intimidating — even more so in a foreign country where language, social codes, and emotional availability may feel unfamiliar. This workshop offers a warm and humorous space to reflect on loneliness, self-consciousness, and the longing for genuine connection. Participants are invited to reimagine adult friendship not as a “mature” performance of small talk, but as a space for vulnerability, presence, and mutual curiosity.

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           Through relational games and embodied exercises, we explore how shame or fear of rejection often get in the way of connection. We work with fun yet deep methods — like speed-vulnerability rounds, improv-style social scenarios, and social mapping — to tap into both emotional honesty and creative play. Participants leave with a greater sense of emotional confidence, new tools for initiating and maintaining friendships, and (often) a few new connections already sparked in the room.

Topics:

• Friendship beyond language fluency

• Cultural expectations about openness and connection

• Shame, self-consciousness, and fear of rejection

• Rebuilding support networks as an adult

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Methodology:

• “Speed Vulnerability”: Rotating pair questions like “What do you miss most from home?”

• Relational Mapping: Sketching and reflecting on current social ties

• Small Group Theatre: Role-plays on social scenarios

• Closing Ritual: Circle of gratitude or optional sharing