<p>Hey guys.</p>
<p>As some of you know I'm an OOS first year student.</p>
<p>And I'm having a ridiculously hard time making friends.</p>
<p>I feel like a social recluse right now. Nothing wrong with that though.</p>
<p>I talk to plenty of people in my dorm. Always exchange a few words whenever I see them so its not like I'm unapproachable.</p>
<p>I have so many acquaintances. I don't go a single day without 10 or 15 people from classes or whatever saying hi and exchanging a quick smile.</p>
<p>But friends people to go to games or eat with or chill with are a whole different story. In that regards I'm alone. I went to the game alone today. Saw some people I know. Sat with them but I always feel like an outside.So I just avoid social situations. I eat alone.</p>
<p>What do I do? I feel part of it is because I am self concious about my body image and that tends to make me more nervous. </p>
<p>I want friends and eventually a gf.</p>
<p>Also I don't really mind being alone as much as other people do. Its fun to not worry about what you're saying or how you're dressed and self reflect.</p>
<p>For the first few days, especially at Orientation, I was like, I don't want this to turn out to be like high school." Part of it I think is that it's a big school by default, and I've only made "better acquaintances" (on the track to being friends, I hope?) in the smaller classes and lectures. (e.g. one French class, a linguistics discussion, and thank goodness that Chem 181 has only around 90 students.) </p>
<p>The IRC also makes it a bit easier -- yay for residential colleges! </p>
<p>It is my first weekend after classes. It's hard I suppose if you sleep in and miss the group gatherings that go out (like I did today).</p>
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Sat with them but I always feel like an outside.So I just avoid social situations. I eat alone.
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</p>
<p>This is familiar to me, but it's much better than say it was, in high school. I'm fairly optimistic, but I'm looking at "strategies" to speed up the process of course.</p>
<p>One of my worries is that early immigration in childhood plus genetically-disposed personality (my father, even before he left, was not one of the people I loved the most in the world) makes tend to be a recluse by nature. I've been having a fairly good time actually -- but of course then I see people having a great time where all I see all my fellow first-years are already so comfortable or even close to each other and I get jealous. </p>
<p>I was interrogated by a fellow floormate today on why he hasn't seen me at parties hahahaha, but it concerns a tangent that I shall reserve for a new thread.</p>