Just the other day, I was in a bookstore and found a book named How to make friends with foreigners. As a Canadian living in China for a year, I was curious to see what kind of advice a Chinese writer was giving on this matter.
One piece of advice really caught my attention and, I must say, made me feel quite angry. In the writer's opinion，foreigners are an "Opportunity（机会）"to improve your spoken English; whenever you see a foreigner, American or English, you should practice speaking English with him or her. If the foreigner doesn't want to answer your questions, then he or she is an impolite person who you needn't spend time with anyway. I think this advice is not only incorrect, but also may harm the relationship between Chinese and foreigners in China.
Like most other "Lao Wai" living in China , I know how lonely one can sometimes fee1 living in a culture different from our own familiar（熟悉的） ways. However，I simply accept as part of being here. So far my time in China has been rewarding. I have improved my Chinese language skills, learned about one of the fastest developing countries in the world today and made some very close Chinese friends.
However, I have also met many Chinese people who consider me only as an "Opportunity"to improve their spoken English. I have had people following me from town to my flat to trouble me to teach them English. I have had complete strangers throwing articles or speeches in my face, insisting that I help them with the English translation. I have had people asking me non-stop questions for half an hour at the weekly English Corner...
Friendship for a lot of foreigners is about spending time with someone whose company（陪伴） they really enjoy. So ifthere is any advice to give on making and keeping friendships with foreigners, I would say that it is this: Treat foreigners as people, not opportunities. Expect to make friendships step by step, over a period of time, not in a hurry. If your only reason for becoming friends with a foreigner is to improve your English, then you will probably find that you don't have a foreign friend for long.
