How to make friends in a foreign country

1) Smile at people: a smiling foreigner looks a lot more approachable than a stony one.  And there's nothing like receiving a big warm smile in response to your timid one.  Though I don't always get a smile in return, it sure feels good when I do!  NOTE: only smile at appropriate people.  For example, here in India I only smile at females and children.  It could be taken the wrong way with men.   2)Ask questions: a question-answer conversation is universal and gives you a reason to approach a stranger.  Asking for directions can be confusing if you don't get someone who speaks your language very well, but questions places or stores are great ways to interact with people.   The other day we had to talk to at least five people about a specific cultural/social topic and then write a short summary of our findings.  I chose to ask people about Shah Rukh Khan's new movie "My Name is Khan" and see what people thought of the political group, the Shiv Sena's, protest of it (they are protesting it because they didn't like Shah Rukh Khan's statement that Pakistani players should be allowed to play on Indian cricket teams).  Because I had an an assignment to do, I was able to give my homework as an excuse to start up a conversation with some girls on the Fergusson college campus.   3) Frequent public spaces: the more people see you the more comfortable they will be about eventually approaching you.  They'll realize that you're more than just a tourist and are an at least temporary part of the community.  (Small interruption: my host mom just called me out of my room to show me the crecent moon and a lizard just scuttled across the floor in the hallway.)   I proved the effectiveness of this one today.  Earlier this week I discovered that the Fergusson library has a giant second floor dedicated completely to studying.  The boys study at tables on one side and the girls study at desks on the other.  I had been there once before but this time decided to stay for as long as I could and by myself (one foreigner is less intimidating than two).  A girl walked by my table so I looked up and we smiled at each other.  Then she said hi and came over to ask where I was from.  Apparently she studied in Germany for a few years and will study in New York next year so we exchanged numbers.  Yay!  (^_^)   Every day I walk home on the jogging path and the past few days now, the family who cleans the park has asked me what time it is.  They don't speak English and I don't speak Marathi, but thanks to hand gestures and the digital clock on my cell phone, we seem to get along.  I also always wave goodbye to their little kids.  And today they had an adorable puppy!! Instead of going straight home today after school I decided to sit on one of the benches and do my reading for class.  It's much nicer to read in natural lighting and the benches are fairly comfortable.  It's also fun to watch all the people walk past.  Around 6 pm there started to be a tone of walkers, talkers, bicyclists, and people of all ages in the park and on the jogging path.  I would smile at the women whose eyes I met.  After a while an older woman who had walked by me earlier sat down next to me and we started talking.  She told me in her a little better than broken English how she had been to NYC, Niagra Falls, California, and a bunch of other places on the East and West coasts.  We talked for a bit before I had to go home but I told her it was a pleasure and I hoped we would meet again.  Note to self: go read on the jogging path more often! So yeah, this week I realized that the only way for me to meet people was to get out there and meet them.  I had been feeling that my walk on the jogging path was my link to the real world and the social community but I finally figured out that if that's the case that there's no reason to just go from point A to point B!  Might as well enjoy the in-between and meet some people in the process!