Difficulty meeting friends in Kelowna?

[Urbane]

I make it a rule to ignore Albertans when they move here. People from the coast will get the time of day from me but that's where it ends.

I used to have a bumper sticker that said "welcome to Kelowna. Now F' off.

I bet you have a lot of friends.

[mott.hoople]

I make it a rule to ignore Albertans when they move here. People from the coast will get the time of day from me but that's where it ends.

I used to have a bumper sticker that said "welcome to Kelowna. Now F' off.

I bet you have a lot of friends.

None that would admit to knowing him though....

[fluffy]

None that would admit to knowing him though....

Funny you should mention that, I've known BoB for some time now. We have the same probation officer.

[BoB76]

None that would admit to knowing him though....

Funny you should mention that, I've known BoB for some time now. We have the same probation officer.

I was the top just so nobody gets confused.

[Skali]

I have to chime in here with an endorsement of the G2G as a way to meet people.

I've lived here for 3 years and the first year was pretty much friend-free.

Then -- with great trepidation -- I went to my first G2G. I was kinda concerned because the internet is often portrayed as as a dark, scary place populated solely by creeps looking to defraud you or compromise your virtue (some are, but hey, who among us hasn't wanted to have their virtue compromised at one time or other?!)

Anyway, a funny thing happened. I met a bunch of people. Yes, some of them were a little creepy (I'm sure they felt the same way about me) but some of them were extremely nice with lots of common interests. That made our on-line chats more interesting and more honest. And pretty soon without really even realizing it, I had made friends. Good friends.

Now, people will often ask me where I met so-and-so, and when I say "online" I admit that it feels a little, well, seamy. But I'm okay with that; I think meeting friends online is just the current version of meeting people at a community dance or church social.

BTW, there's a Kelowna Newcomers Club that provides social networking opportunities for folks who have lived here for less than 2 years (IIRC). You can google it for more info.

[uwho]

I too find it difficult to meet people here in kelowna.
( I am sure i will offend people with this statement; however its my opinion) Kelowna feels very snobby, majority of the time....people seem focused on either making the most money, best boat or complaining about smoke, homelessness and even differences between rutland and downtown:(

I have been here almost 3 years, and have had a hell of a time making friends.
Outside of work, i have not met anyone to chit chat, girl talk, coffee talk, walk talk, etc...

I have tried to talk with other moms'dad at DD school,,but even there they are "cliquie", I have tried even at DD afterschool activities, my own neighborhood.....to no avail.

Casual conversation is about as far as it goes . it feels as if people are afraid to make new freinds.

I have moved from the coast and deep freindships are cherished from there, but here, I can't seem to to get sincerity.with peopke.it is frustrating and like you mentioned loney.

I have no solution either, trying to find a slolution is not always easy, but there has to be some!

[gardengirl]

You're describing it just fine. There is a lot of social climbing here. It's all about what you drive, what school your kids go to, what your telephone exchange is.

Like I said before:
Club or Sport
Gym
Church

If you are not a "joiner" you will have a hard time.
You could try signing up for a class. Look at the college brochures, photography, cooking, fitness class, anything that interests you.

[Captain Awesome]

You can also try hanging out outside of 7-11 downtown.
That's one way to meet people...

[FunkyBunch]

he said friends... not random people who loiter downtown

[Captain Awesome]

he said friends... not random people who loiter downtown

Hey, random people make best friends. If they don't stab you with a needle on the first day.

[Lady tehMa]

I met my best friend at a church "marriage study". I usually don't fit in, but it turns out either did she. We both do stained glass, we're taking kickboxing together, we love sci-fi/fantasy and anime. And our husbands are gamer geeks. What are the odds?

You never know who you will meet at those things; we're not all "cookie cutter" people.

[sparkey]

Unfortunatly, Kelowna, like many other cities, are very hard to make friends. I have lived here for over 20 years and the word Clique always comes to mind when describing the town I love. I believe that the transition over to the technical side of meeting people has cause some to forget the simple ways of life. Like making eye contact when saying hello to a stranger.....chatting with and older (or younger) at a bus stop or line up at a store. Those simple things are slipping through our fingers and being replaced by internet....dating lines....text messaging etc. They all have a place but when we put those ahead of interacting with others in person we miss so much. meet and greets are a great place to start.Everyone has something to share....some information that could be helpful when trying to settle in.....You may not find alot of life long friends, but these friends will give you a great start. So try it.....Say hello to people you pass....let them know that you are approachable.. There are so many wonderful people here. But they maybe just a bit shy like yourself.

[gardengirl]

Unfortunatly, Kelowna, like many other cities, are very hard to make friends. I have lived here for over 20 years and the word Clique always comes to mind when describing the town I love. I believe that the transition over to the technical side of meeting people has cause some to forget the simple ways of life.

Like making eye contact when saying hello to a stranger.....chatting with and older (or younger) at a bus stop or line up at a store.

Those simple things are slipping through our fingers and being replaced by internet....dating lines....text messaging etc. They all have a place but when we put those ahead of interacting with others in person we miss so much. meet and greets are a great place to start.Everyone has something to share....some information that could be helpful when trying to settle in.....You may not find alot of life long friends, but these friends will give you a great start. So try it.....Say hello to people you pass....let them know that you are approachable.. There are so many wonderful people here. But they maybe just a bit shy like yourself.

Funny you say it like that. I moved here in 1990 and did exactly what you said. I talked to people in line at the grocery store, the bank, etc. They all looked at me like I was an axe murderer or something. They looked over their shoulders to see if I was talking to someone behind them.
It was weird even back then.

[ferri]

i don't have trouble with people in line, it's the clerks in stores that amuse me. when we are nice to them and crack jokes they always looked so stunned!
which reminds me. we were in a grocery store a month or so ago waiting line and i noticed on of the checkers trying very hard to hold back tears. i finally went over to her and asked her if someone had chewed her out for something. she managed to say yes, (she almost had ME crying!) so i informed her that her was her job to make sure the shelves were stocked and that they didn't run out of sale items etc. i finally got a little laugh out of her.lol

[eclarke]

Wow! Its not just me! I finally decided to take a course. But it isn't working out so well. The photography course I signed up for has been Postponed due to lack of interest. If anyone is interested in signing up its at the Okanagan college and it runs April 18th to June 13th (saturdays, except the holiday weekend there is no class) 09:30 to 12:00.

I wouldn't mind a GTG at some point. I need to make some friends...