Heart warming story on making new friendships abroad...

Anyone struggling to make new friends or contacts should read this heart warming story from the Irish Times Abroad.

I'm sure something similar would work in Australia - 'invite' and they will come!

"Ever had 40 strangers turn up at your door for lunch? That’s what happened to us 12 years ago when my husband and I hosted our first soup event for neighbours we didn’t know. Now we know 100 by name.

Back in 2004, we had just bought our first house in Victoria, on Canada’s west coast, and didn’t know a soul on the street. I was curious as to whether we could create a community, having grown up in a small village in Donegal (Ireland) where everyone knew each other. We both liked to cook, so my husband and I decided to make a home-made soup and invite in the neighbours.

We created an invitation and delivered them personally to 50 houses on our street. We hoped that taking time to introduce ourselves would encourage people to come.The day before, we tidied the house, pushed back the furniture to make space and made three large saucepans of soup.On the day, we lit the fire, put on Christmas music and taped a welcome sign to the front door. The fire crackled and the air smelled steamy sweet from the yam and pineapple soup. Start time was noon. We had everything ready. Would anyone come?

We were relieved when the doorbell rang for the first time.

We welcomed the first visitors with a bowl of soup and a name tag. As the door bell rang again and again with new arrivals, the house gradually filled. Small groups stood in the kitchen chatting, while others sat in the livingroom by the fire, bowls perched on their laps. No one seemed in a rush to leave. By the time the last person had left, 40 people had come and our first soup event was a success.

Twelve years have passed and a lot has changed. Now I know 100 of my neighbours by name and our soup get-together has become an annual event. In the summer we added other events. One year it was a barbecue, another year a gardeners’ party, a musicians’ party or an ice-cream social to celebrateCanada Day. I also started a monthly women’s group to bring women together over a cup of tea.

As relationships developed, they brought benefits. We have borrowed and loaned everything from an egg to a truck. Baked goods are exchanged and house keys entrusted. In the summertime, trays of figs, plums and peaches from neighbours’ gardens mysteriously appear on our back deck. They are a harvest of community. Building a community reminds me of knitting. Each positive interaction helps to grow and deepen connections. Whether it’s a smile, remembering someone’s name, offering a listening ear, making a cake, or delivering a sympathy card, the results are a tighter-knit and safer neighbourhood.

Three years ago, I won an award for community building, after being nominated by my neighbours. During the awards, I used my acceptance speech to acknowledge my Irish community roots and encouraged the audience to reach out to their own neighbours.

The reason I gave was this: if Victoria had a crisis, such as an earthquake and the power was out, it is not our Facebook friends we would turn to but our neighbours. The best time to get to know them is now, when things are going well.

Donegal may be a long way from western Canada, but friendliness is a currency accepted everywhere. My neighbours are no longer strangers, and when they come to the door each winter for soup, we welcome them now as friends."

Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/bowls-of-soup-introduced-me-to-100-canadian-neighbours-1.2934533

When I lived in Canada people would do the same on Halloween just leave their doors open and welcome in strangers with a buffet, drinks and treats for the kids. To be honest in this day I would have concerns about inviting strangers in to my home. Maybe I've just watched too many horror films. I do think something is needed. I know the Pomsinoz/Moneycorp meet ups in Perth each year have been fantastic for people making friends. Maybe we need to do a few more around the states.

When I lived in Canada people would do the same on Halloween just leave their doors open and welcome in strangers with a buffet, drinks and treats for the kids. To be honest in this day I would have concerns about inviting strangers in to my home. Maybe I've just watched too many horror films. I do think something is needed. I know the Pomsinoz/Moneycorp meet ups in Perth each year have been fantastic for people making friends. Maybe we need to do a few more around the states.

I think you've watched too many horror films

If there's a Melbourne meet down the line I'd pop along (post Nov '17)

B

When I lived in Canada people would do the same on Halloween just leave their doors open and welcome in strangers with a buffet, drinks and treats for the kids. To be honest in this day I would have concerns about inviting strangers in to my home. Maybe I've just watched too many horror films. I do think something is needed. I know the Pomsinoz/Moneycorp meet ups in Perth each year have been fantastic for people making friends. Maybe we need to do a few more around the states.

Halloween is the same where we live and when we moved to Perth we introduced it to our neighbourhood there. We put flyers in everyone in our streets door, explaining the origins of Halloween and the rituals (it's Scottish not American!) and invited them to put the

flyer in their window if they wanted to take part. Some did and some didn't, of those that didn't some talk to us & said why, no-one was nasty and we had children in our house to play traditional games. The children all had a fantastic time & although we didn't make friends with any of our neighbours we were definitely friendly and when my husband was assaulted on our doorstep it certainly helped.

Not long after we moved into our current neighbourhood in the U.K. a neighbourhood watch scheme was set up and a Facebook group. A couple of people posted non-crime related posts on it and the admins objected, weird to me but anyhoo my OH set up a community group for our neighbourhood and off the back of that organised a community BBQ at the local cricket club. We're not close

friends with anyone as a result but we have a sense of community and help each other out (usually with missing bins, cats, found bikes, scooters, nerf guns, wrongly delivered post and recommended tradesmen but all the same it feels like a very nice place to live.

I do see community and neighbourliness as very different from friendship. One can lead to the other (&

I've experienced that) but I think it's remarkably lucky if that happens.

Some of the best friends one can make in life are next door neighbours.

One couple close to us buy the morning paper, the other couple buy the evening paper and they swap them daily. Been doing it over 40 years!

B