Making NT Friends

[SRSAutistic]

Kindly please reply to this thread. I know that this post is long, but it is important.

I have a hard time making NT friends. This is my story of trying to make friends in middle school (intermediate school) and high school (secondary school).

In middle school, when I tried to make friends, I was forced to try to pass as NT, which exhausted me at the end of every school day. Everyone knew me, but I knew nobody as I had no friends. I could only socialise with my aide, teachers, and other adults at school. I joined a chess club in 6th grade (Year 7), but I could not make any friends. I also joined Shark Bytes, a video production and publishing club, but I still could not make any friends. All the students were talking about games such as Fortnite and Minecraft. I do not play those games. I was the only one who was interested in learning to solve the Rubik's Cube. No one was interested in solving the Rubik's Cube and my quest of making friends is still ongoing. I could not make any friends in 7th grade (Year 8). I acquired a special talent to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa without a calculator. For example, if you ask me, ‘Convert 23°C to Fahrenheit’, I answer ‘73°F’ in seconds. All my classmates and teachers were amazed when I demonstrated this ability. No one knows how I can do it, and I cannot explain it. In 8th grade (Year 9), I still could not make any friends.

I started high school in August 2019 with the intention of making friends. As soon as I entered high school, I thought ‘High school is only made for NTs’. This thought crossed my mind as I saw that everyone had friends and cliques. I was the only one in the entire school who did not have any friends. I tried to start a Rubik’s Cube and Sudoku club at my school, but I could not find anyone to help. Being autistic, it was hard for me to make friends. Some students started stalking and bullying me for being ‘different’, talking in a monotonous voice, and always ‘talking about that one thing’. My special interests in high school were time zones and electricity (plugs and voltages). I knew everything about them, and I could happily infodump about my special interests to anyone.

In middle school and high school, the only time when I was calm was when I was engaging in my special interests. Fortunately, I got 10 minutes of free time at the end of each class period, except band and PE. Reading about the different types of electrical plugs and voltages soothed me and the special interest was a safe zone.

Now, in September 2022, I will be attending University of California Irvine (UCI) in Computer Engineering. Since I have a special interest in computers and the battery health (performance) of electronic devices, I hope that I will be able to make friends. I really hope that I will not get bullied for having no friends.

For your information, I might be inactive on AF from 22nd September to 11th December. I am starting my first quarter at UCI, and I will have a lot of homework. I know it will be hard, but I will have accommodations to help, and I will eventually finish my computer engineering degree at UCI. The accommodations are similar to my IEP, which I had from preschool to high school. All of my posts will be during the night in Los Angeles time (UTC-7). I will only be able to post messages/threads on weekends. Sometimes, if I have time after finishing my homework, I might be able to post on AF during the weekdays.

I have some questions:

1. How can I make friends when my special interests are significantly different from NT hobbies?

2. I know that we autistics sometimes can make NT friends. All of the suggestions that I read online on other websites include: find people with similar interests, find social groups online, and other 'tips'. I have tried all of these suggestions/tips and they do not work. I have already mentioned my special interests in this post and in other threads. How can I, a high-functioning autistic, make friends in university?

Kindly please reply with your experiences.

 

[Misery]

I know that we autistics sometimes can make NT friends. All of the suggestions that I read include: find people with similar interests, find social groups online, and other 'tips'. I have tried all of these suggestions/tips and they do not work. I have already mentioned my special interests in this post and in other threads. How can I, a high-functioning autistic, make friends in university?

Well, here's a question: Have you tried varying up your approach? No, no no... I mean, have you *REALLY* tried?

It's so, so easy for us to look at a big mountain of boxes of all different shapes and sizes, with who knows what inside, open exactly two of them to get a thing we're after, and then, while leaving the other 5000 alone, we declare "but I already tried opening them".

I guarantee you: You can look further and harder for these people and these groups.

Lemme show you something:

I took that photo just now, these things are all over the place. Did you know, there's an entire giant hobby (and community) around the Rubik's Cube, and all the things that spawned from it? I've been into this for a few years now and the original 3x3 cube is now too easy, which is the case for many who are into this.

Now, did you expect someone with that specific interest to come into this topic and respond to that specific part of your post? Probably not. People are unpredictable, as are their interests. And you never know where someone with a specific set of interests might be hiding.

And sometimes, even if you dont match interests, well, you might find that others are still at least intrigued. Usually if I show someone one of those puzzles they're like "oh wow, you can actually solve that?" and then that can lead to a conversation about who knows what.

But, here's the thing, you gotta learn to be less... "static", in the way that you communicate with people. I'm not sure that's the right word, but it's the word I'm gonna use because I just woke up and havent had my meal yet.

For instance, when posting here (or absolutely anywhere online) you dont need to specifically ask people to respond to your thread. That request serves no actual function. It's a forum: merely posting the thread IS the request. People will respond if they A: are interested, and B: actually have something to say. If they dont, they wont. No amount of extra requests in the post will get them to do it if they otherwise wouldnt.

If you go into IRL conversations doing that, it'd drive people absolutely up the wall. Nobody goes up to someone, asks a question, and then immediately follows it with "please answer that question". Seriously, people would get REALLY irritated with you if you tried that IRL.

And learning stuff like that is important if you want to meet and/or engage with others. Being more freeform and less static/stilted when talking is gonna be a big help.

Also: Context. Dont go into college with the expectation or great need of meeting friends. Keep in mind, always: That's NOT what college is for. You're there to learn and get a degree or whatever, that's the literal point. And others know this too.

It can vary from one college to another, in terms of just how students will act and all, of course. I went to college, both a "business" college and then later some classes at a community one, and nobody at either was social. Why? It wasnt because of anything I did or didnt do... they were just there to perform the specific function that classes in general are meant for. They werent there to make friends. They were there to learn. And heck, they were there to learn AT GREAT EXPENSE. It costed them big money to do it at all. OF COURSE they werent interested in making friends. They were interested in getting their money's worth out of the function college is meant to do.

So, wouldnt it have been pretty silly for me to get all agitated not just at them, but at myself, for not making any friends in a setting where making friends isnt even close to the actual point?

That's part of why people might tell you to go looking for different groups and whatnot... you're not necessarily going to find anyone in a setting that you're already in, and in fact that setting may not naturally be at all conductive to the idea of making friends. And yes, I know: Technically it CAN happen in college. But that's not the point, and you should not at all expect others to be focused on it, nor should you get frustrated if they appear not interested while in such a setting.


Speaking of settings... why not try to make friends with people here? This forum/site? Did ya try that one? And no, occasional posts/questions on the forum here aint gonna cut it. Dont expect friends to gravitate towards you. You're gonna have to put in real effort if you want to meet anyone.

But also... dont get frustrated when it doesnt happen. Making friends isnt easy and it isnt something where there's some magic solution any of us can give. There's no manual, no guide, no list of special tricks.

I think that's about all I wanted to say here. Look, I've been through this one myself. And it aint easy. But it's something tons of people go through, even NTs.

Just dont give up, but also dont obsess over it or expect a place that isnt truly about making friends to be about making friends.

I hope that all made sense. As I said I just got up and aint entirely mentally here yet, so I apologize if some of that was a bit rambly.

 

[Matthias]

I have some questions:

1. How can I make friends when my special interests are significantly different from NT hobbies?

Unless you find someone with the same interests, it's best to keep your special interests to yourself. That may sound harsh but would you want to be friends with someone who constantly talked about birds, pipes, or some other topic that doesn't interest you at all?

2. I know that we autistics sometimes can make NT friends. All of the suggestions that I read include: find people with similar interests, find social groups online, and other 'tips'. I have tried all of these suggestions/tips and they do not work. I have already mentioned my special interests in this post and in other threads. How can I, a high-functioning autistic, make friends in university?

Finding people with similar interests is good advice. If you don't have any shared interests, what are you going to talk about or do together? You could start a study group with classmates since wanting a good grade is something you will have in common with other students.

One interest that nearly everyone has in common is an interest in themselves. If you compliment people, ask them about themselves, and talk about topics that interest them there is a good chance they will like you.

Keep in mind that NTs want friends for the same reason you want friends - because it feels better than being alone. If people don't feel less alone around you because you act differently and don't have anything in common with them, they won't have any reason to be friends with you. This is why athletes tend to become friends with other athletes and why autistic people tend to become friends with other people who have autistic traits. Since computer engineering tends to attract more people with autistic traits, it should be easier to find friends when you go to college. Just don't talk about computers all the time and make sure to take time to get to know people first before talking about your interests. Trying new things to form new interests that many people share will make finding friends easier.

 

[Sherlock77]

When I meet people I don't assess whether they are NT or on the spectrum, that's the last thing I do, I don't even think that way

I just be myself, I'm a little quirky, some might say eccentric, but that is just me, take it or leave it

But I connect on various levels with all sorts of people, I've been involved in the local arts and culture scene for many years, and after 15 years of being involved in the local classic car scene there are people I interact with in the summer months at car meets... I'm sure some of them might be autistic/aspergers, but it's certainly not something I ask

 

[Qoyote]

I'm still figuring this out too, so the rest of you please, please, PLEASE tell me if I'm wrong about anything, but I'm also the only other regular close to your age IIRC (I'm a college junior this year) so I figured I should weigh in.

I just stopped trying to make friends who didn't "seem" like they might be autistic. I was 19, sophomore year and I realized I'd been beating my head against the same wall for seven years. Nothing against neurotypical people but trying to make friends with them has never worked for me and I don't think it ever will. Our personality types are not going to be compatible. So why get invested in something that won't work? (Protip: if you feel like you really have to force it, like you're stressed the whole time and they don't seem to care and they don't want to talk to you about anything either, it's probably not working, so cut your losses and get out quick.)

Is that bigoted? Yeah. But I don't have a better idea.

For me it's been less about having the exact same interests and more about (a) compatible personalities and (b) we're both willing to hear about the other person's interests. Are you a curious person? It's easier to meet people (especially other autistic people who might like infodumping too) if you are. If not can you try to be curious? Even if you don't meet people life's more fun that way.

Notice both of those are give and take. I mean, let's say those people from high school DID want to be friends with you. Were they really that interesting? Did you want to be friends with THEM or did you just want any friend? If they don't really interest you don't try to make friends with them cause that's not what you want anyway.

Also how comfortable are you with yourself when you're alone? The more comfortable you are the less nervous you'll be around others cause it won't be as scary if they know what you're really like.

If your school's anything like mine it'll be easier to tell who might be autistic/generally "weird" than high school, people are less scared to be themselves. Also how many kids did your high school have, maybe a couple thousand? Wikipedia says UCI has 36 thousand students. Wayyyyy more chances there. (It also means you probably won't get bullied for having no friends, random people don't know things like that in college).

I agree with what Misery said about people being less social (no one talks to the kid next to them unless they already knew each other for example), but they might be more social in clubs or special events, and there've gotta be a TON at a rich Cali school that size. I mean there's literally a dorm named Middle Earth apparently. But I don't think just going to an event will help, you have to be part of it. Then people have to interact with you. I hosted a game at a campus gaming night back in April. It was scary putting myself out there and it was 9 hours in but I met people that way.

I will say when I go out to look for friends it doesn't work. I fall ass-backwards into it every time. I know that's not helpful but I think that might just be how it is, you know?

 

[SRSAutistic]

I'm still figuring this out too, so the rest of you please, please, PLEASE tell me if I'm wrong about anything, but I'm also the only other regular close to your age IIRC (I'm a college junior this year) so I figured I should weigh in.

I just stopped trying to make friends who didn't "seem" like they might be autistic. I was 19, sophomore year and I realized I'd been beating my head against the same wall for seven years. Nothing against neurotypical people but trying to make friends with them has never worked for me and I don't think it ever will. Our personality types are not going to be compatible. So why get invested in something that won't work? (Protip: if you feel like you really have to force it, like you're stressed the whole time and they don't seem to care and they don't want to talk to you about anything either, it's probably not working, so cut your losses and get out quick.)

Is that bigoted? Yeah. But I don't have a better idea.

For me it's been less about having the exact same interests and more about (a) compatible personalities and (b) we're both willing to hear about the other person's interests. Are you a curious person? It's easier to meet people (especially other autistic people who might like infodumping too) if you are. If not can you try to be curious? Even if you don't meet people life's more fun that way.

Notice both of those are give and take. I mean, let's say those people from high school DID want to be friends with you. Were they really that interesting? Did you want to be friends with THEM or did you just want any friend? If they don't really interest you don't try to make friends with them cause that's not what you want anyway.

If your school's anything like mine it'll be easier to tell who might be autistic/generally "weird" than high school, people are less scared to be themselves. Also how many kids did your high school have, maybe a couple thousand? Wikipedia says UCI has 36 thousand students. Wayyyyy more chances there. (It also means you probably won't get bullied for having no friends, random people don't know things like that in college).

I agree with what Misery said about people being less social (no one talks to the kid next to them unless they already knew each other for example), but they might be more social in clubs or special events, and there've gotta be a TON at a rich Cali school that size. I mean there's literally a dorm named Middle Earth apparently. But I don't think just going to an event will help, you have to be part of it. Then people have to interact with you. I hosted a game at a campus gaming night back in April. It was scary putting myself out there and it was 9 hours in but I met people that way.

I will say when I go out to look for friends it doesn't work. I fall ass-backwards into it every time. I know that's not helpful but I think that might just be how it is, you know?

Hi @Qoyote,

Yes, I have the same problem with trying to make NT friends. I have nothing against NTs, and my high school (Etiwanda High School) had nearly 4000 students. I could not make any friends during high school, and I was bullied as a result of trying to be my authentic autistic self instead of trying to pass as NT.

I am glad that I joined AF on 29th May. It is a huge relief that I can interact with other autistic people online. I know that Autscape is held every year, and next year, if COVID-19 will not be a pandemic, I will attend in hopes of making some autistic friends.

Regards,

SRSAutistic

 

[Tom]

I learn lots of things from nature, especially ants. So... Rub antennas. If they smell like they are from same colony try and strike up a conversation. Mention you are going for a coffee and see if they want to go. I know for a fact ants drink coffee btw. If they don't smell like they are from the same colony, snip off their head. This is your turf bud.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I made friends pretty late in life, late 20s and 30s. I was just myself with quirky hobbies like fossil collection and nuclear weapons, but I also enjoyed outdoor recreation and from that I made long lasting friends and met my spouse. You need to like yourself and recognize the entire you as possessing value. High school through college i really did not have friends. I did not even know I am autistic until 60. Yet I was able to change my attitude when at my loneliest and overcome the isolation I felt.

 

[Progster]

You don't have to have shared hobbies to make friends or have something to talk about. What can work equally well is having shared experiences. Things like watching a movie together, going for a walk or to an event or activity of some kind, where the conversation can focus on the activity. I would avoid situations where the socialising is based round talking alone, having it based round a shared activity is much easier.

 

[Fino]

Being a good listener helps. People love to talk about themselves and their problems.

 

[VictorR]

To add to Misery's excellent commentary, I get upset when I feel like I'm being forced to do something, (such as responding or commenting on a thread because the OP specifically asked for responses) and am more likely to walk away without responding. People like freedom, flexibility, and having options. People do not like being "boxed in". Saying "please" does not make the request any less imposing / offensive. (sorry for my blunt language)

As for making friends with shared interests, that's where the internet really comes in. There's sites and/or forums for virtually everything. And if there isn't? Create your own. I joined a bunch of forums in a special interest as a kid in the late 1990s, and even built my own site with basic HTML where I wrote some articles that people would sometimes email me about. While still a teenager, I became a moderator, and was corresponding with people around the world, exchanging postcards and packages, and also met some of the forum members.

One of the important things about special interests is to share. It's one thing to start a discussion about something, but much better if you can prompt a discussion with some commentary. So you want to talk about time zones? How about discussing some interesting facts to spark discussion? Like British Columbia primarily uses the Pacific time zone, but the Peace River area is one exception that (which is east of the Rockies and is geographically akin to Northern Alberta) follows Mountain time. (there's other exceptions as well, that's just one example). And illustrate with photos or graphics. They get more attention than just a wall of text. Misery's post is a great example of that.

As for chess, it's possible to make friends - but that depends on your approach and if you're able to approach things light-heartedly, like talking about games where you made epic blunders, or, in a casual game, trying to create ridicious positions, like having a tripled pawn. There's also chess variants which offer a very different gameplay experience - "nuclear chess" being one that's great for casual play.

If you're looking for potential electives in college, I'm going to suggest something in theatre or storytelling. Either will likely help you improve your general communication skills and better connect with others and become more "well-rounded."

 

[Owliet]

Now, in September 2022, I will be attending University of California Irvine (UCI) in Computer Engineering. Since I have a special interest in computers and the battery health (performance) of electronic devices, I hope that I will be able to make friends. I really hope that I will not get bullied for having no friends.

If there’s a club that is computers at your university, see about joining it.
University is a lot Different than high school because those who attend are often those who want to take higher education. I didn’t have friends in my first year at university and often kept to myself during lectures, it’s not really a place to be bullied at.

1. How can I make friends when my special interests are significantly different from NT hobbies?

As mentioned in the previous sentence. Join clubs that interest you but also try new things too that interest you. Don’t be entirely against other hobbies because you may find that you like them too. As I mentioned on another thread about going to university, you should try everything that interests you at least once. I was never into the going out to nightclubs and getting drunk. That sounded like hell to me, so I did more “quieter” ones. Consequently, I met others who were on the spectrum this way. But I also made friends with some introvertEd NTs (they exist too).

How can I, a high-functioning autistic, make friends in university?

As mentioned above. Also, if someone invites you to join them for a coffee or something, don’t say no. I made that mistake and ended up spending my birthday alone watching YouTube videos. I was surprised that someone wanted to spend time with me and they didn’t really get why I said no.

 

[Forest Cat]

1. How can I make friends when my special interests are significantly different from NT hobbies?

2. I know that we autistics sometimes can make NT friends. All of the suggestions that I read online on other websites include: find people with similar interests, find social groups online, and other 'tips'. I have tried all of these suggestions/tips and they do not work. I have already mentioned my special interests in this post and in other threads. How can I, a high-functioning autistic, make friends in university?

Kindly please reply with your experiences.

I think it could help to show interest in things other people are interested in too. Ask questions and listen to what people say. Try to learn more about people. And just be friendly and polite.

 

[SRSAutistic]

Well, here's a question: Have you tried varying up your approach? No, no no... I mean, have you *REALLY* tried?

It's so, so easy for us to look at a big mountain of boxes of all different shapes and sizes, with who knows what inside, open exactly two of them to get a thing we're after, and then, while leaving the other 5000 alone, we declare "but I already tried opening them".

I guarantee you: You can look further and harder for these people and these groups.

Lemme show you something:

View attachment 83580

I took that photo just now, these things are all over the place. Did you know, there's an entire giant hobby (and community) around the Rubik's Cube, and all the things that spawned from it? I've been into this for a few years now and the original 3x3 cube is now too easy, which is the case for many who are into this.

Now, did you expect someone with that specific interest to come into this topic and respond to that specific part of your post? Probably not. People are unpredictable, as are their interests. And you never know where someone with a specific set of interests might be hiding.

And sometimes, even if you dont match interests, well, you might find that others are still at least intrigued. Usually if I show someone one of those puzzles they're like "oh wow, you can actually solve that?" and then that can lead to a conversation about who knows what.

But, here's the thing, you gotta learn to be less... "static", in the way that you communicate with people. I'm not sure that's the right word, but it's the word I'm gonna use because I just woke up and havent had my meal yet.

For instance, when posting here (or absolutely anywhere online) you dont need to specifically ask people to respond to your thread. That request serves no actual function. It's a forum: merely posting the thread IS the request. People will respond if they A: are interested, and B: actually have something to say. If they dont, they wont. No amount of extra requests in the post will get them to do it if they otherwise wouldnt.

If you go into IRL conversations doing that, it'd drive people absolutely up the wall. Nobody goes up to someone, asks a question, and then immediately follows it with "please answer that question". Seriously, people would get REALLY irritated with you if you tried that IRL.

And learning stuff like that is important if you want to meet and/or engage with others. Being more freeform and less static/stilted when talking is gonna be a big help.

Also: Context. Dont go into college with the expectation or great need of meeting friends. Keep in mind, always: That's NOT what college is for. You're there to learn and get a degree or whatever, that's the literal point. And others know this too.

It can vary from one college to another, in terms of just how students will act and all, of course. I went to college, both a "business" college and then later some classes at a community one, and nobody at either was social. Why? It wasnt because of anything I did or didnt do... they were just there to perform the specific function that classes in general are meant for. They werent there to make friends. They were there to learn. And heck, they were there to learn AT GREAT EXPENSE. It costed them big money to do it at all. OF COURSE they werent interested in making friends. They were interested in getting their money's worth out of the function college is meant to do.

So, wouldnt it have been pretty silly for me to get all agitated not just at them, but at myself, for not making any friends in a setting where making friends isnt even close to the actual point?

That's part of why people might tell you to go looking for different groups and whatnot... you're not necessarily going to find anyone in a setting that you're already in, and in fact that setting may not naturally be at all conductive to the idea of making friends. And yes, I know: Technically it CAN happen in college. But that's not the point, and you should not at all expect others to be focused on it, nor should you get frustrated if they appear not interested while in such a setting.


Speaking of settings... why not try to make friends with people here? This forum/site? Did ya try that one? And no, occasional posts/questions on the forum here aint gonna cut it. Dont expect friends to gravitate towards you. You're gonna have to put in real effort if you want to meet anyone.

But also... dont get frustrated when it doesnt happen. Making friends isnt easy and it isnt something where there's some magic solution any of us can give. There's no manual, no guide, no list of special tricks.

I think that's about all I wanted to say here. Look, I've been through this one myself. And it aint easy. But it's something tons of people go through, even NTs.

Just dont give up, but also dont obsess over it or expect a place that isnt truly about making friends to be about making friends.

I hope that all made sense. As I said I just got up and aint entirely mentally here yet, so I apologize if some of that was a bit rambly.

Hi @Misery,

I have really tried these approaches, but everyone seemed to be interested in Fortnite, Minecraft, and other games which I do not play. The only games I play are chess, Clash of Clans, Jetpack Joyride, Hill Climb Racing, Temple Run 2, and Subway Surfers. No one else is interested in these games besides me.

I can definitely agree about the Rubik's Cube interest. In 7th grade (Year 8), I learnt how to solve the Rubik's Cube from one of my classmates, but I could not make friends with him. No one was interested in the Rubik's Cube besides me. I still have an interest in the Rubik's Cube, and I know how to solve the 2x2 and 3x3 Rubik's Cubes, and the Pyraminx (triangle-shaped version of the Rubik's Cube). My best time on the 3x3 is 49 seconds.

As for making friends on this forum, I will make the effort to find friends and start conversations with them.

Regards,

SRSAutistic

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

In University I used to go on about things that I liked, Mushrooms, with dorm mates and guessed that nobody heard me. Too boring.

Then one day, somebody had found two Giant Puffballs and so came to see me to identify them. They were huge and in perfect shape. I went on about how good they were. Our dorm had a small kitchen and soon I was making up tempura fried puffball and somebody brought out some dip. We had an impromptu party as more people heard about what was cooking: All because one person remembered my interest in Mushrooms. It was tiring for me (socially) and people all chipped in to clean up. As hard as it was, I enjoyed the experience. That began my liking other people and, unfortunately, my isolation began to be replaced by loneliness.

 

[Dadamen]

My special interest I had at the beginning of 1st year of high school actually helped me make new friends. It was our Croatian national soccer team that had extraordinary 2nd place in world cup that summer. So, other boys were interested in it and didn't find that interest strange (girls were another story, they were bored with me talking about it). But, instead into growing into lasting friendships, it just collapsed as soon as I started to hang out with them outside of school. At the end, I have better relationships with these girls I was annoying then.

 

[Dadamen]

In University I used to go on about things that I liked, Mushrooms, with dorm mates and guessed that nobody heard me. Too boring.

Then one day, somebody had found two Giant Puffballs and so came to see me to identify them. They were huge and in perfect shape. I went on about how good they were. Our dorm had a small kitchen and soon I was making up tempura fried puffball and somebody brought out some dip. We had an impromptu party as more people heard about what was cooking: All because one person remembered my interest in Mushrooms. It was tiring for me (socially) and people all chipped in to clean up. As hard as it was, I enjoyed the experience. That began my liking other people and, unfortunately, my isolation began to be replaced by loneliness.

Mushrooms were never my "special" interest, but I have some interest in them, actually I like all biology. A lot grow in my garden and I wonder if they are edible or not. May I send you pictures next time I see them. Now I don't have any because we are expiriencing summer drought and mushrooms need water. When autumn rains start they will grow.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Mushrooms were never my "special" interest, but I have some interest in them, actually I like all biology. A lot grow in my garden and I wonder if they are edible or not. May I send you pictures next time I see them. Now I don't have any because we are expiriencing summer drought and mushrooms need water. When autumn rains start they will grow.

That would be fine. I worked for a year on a team putting in a biosimilar facility in the old Pliva chemical manufacturing site North of Zagreb. I enjoyed Zagreb and the people tremendously. My spouse's mother is from Croatia, and my spouse and I vacationed in Dubrovnik (before Game of Thrones) and we also sea kayaked there. Plitviče Lakes was great, as well as the roast lamb at a nearby restaurant. I liked so much of the cuisine. Zagorska juha that I had in Krapina, Mlinci made with duck fat. I would like to get back. An absolutely fascinating and welcoming country. One evening before Christmas I was making my way to Ban Jelačić square and a streetcar passed me with Santa Claus and Elves dancing inside.

 

[Dadamen]

That would be fine. I worked for a year on a team putting in a biosimilar facility in the old Pliva chemical manufacturing site North of Zagreb. I enjoyed Zagreb and the people tremendously. My spouse's mother is from Croatia, and my spouse and I vacationed in Dubrovnik (before Game of Thrones) and we also sea kayaked there. Plitviče Lakes was great, as well as the roast lamb at a nearby restaurant. I liked so much of the cuisine. Zagorska juha that I had in Krapina, Mlinci made with duck fat. I would like to get back. An absolutely fascinating and welcoming country. One evening before Christmas I was making my way to Ban Jelačić square and a streetcar passed me with Santa Claus and Elves dancing inside.

Yes, Plitvice Lakes and Dubrovnik really are beuatiful places. I was in Dubrovnik in winter and iz was great, while in summer it is very crowded. But I don't really like Zagreb in christmas time brecause it is very crowded then. I actually don't go to center very often because I live on the perifery.