You Don’t Need Perfect Korean to Make Your First Friend Here 🌍

The awkward part of language exchange is often the first message.

You want to say something more interesting than “Hi.” Then you spend so long thinking about it that you say nothing at all. Very relatable. 😅

Let’s make this thread easier. Tell us one thing you could happily talk about for ten minutes. A drama you are watching, a song you keep replaying, a food from home, a very specific hobby — anything.

Then add the language you are learning and a language you can help with. That is enough. You do not need a polished introduction or a list of achievements.

For example: “I’m learning Korean, I can help with English, and I will absolutely talk too much about cafés.”

A conversation can start there. Ask which kind of café they like. Ask what their favorite order is. You are practising a language while having an actual reason to use it.

If you are nervous about corrections, say so: “Can we just chat first?” or “Please correct one sentence at a time.” A kind partner will understand the difference between helping and turning every message into homework.

Keep the first conversation here on Campusmate; there is no need to post your private contact details.

I’ll start the topic: fun little things about Korea that visitors notice before locals even think about them. What would you bring to the conversation?