Vacation! Hooray! Now I just need to meet some girls...

[Nicknames? Bah.]

Okay, so currently I'm on a vacation (or "Holiday", as they say here) in the wonderfully urban city of London. Now, admittedly, this did not turn out to be the best time to be in London, what with the bombings and such, but I am not concerned on that matter as to my own personal safety, nor is that the focus of this topic.

 

Fisrt off, just so you get an accurate picture of things, I think I'm a bit younger than most who frequent this site. However, you guys seem to know what you're talking about, so I thought I could come to you for some advice on the matter, if only because I find myself a bit stumped and there's no one else to seek advice from (except maybe other sites such as this).

 

So I'm here in London on vacation for about two weeks with my dad and older sister. I'm 15, my sister is in mid-twenties, and my dad is, well... old. Now, I love my dad and sister, they're genuinely fun people to be around, but naturally, being a very social teenage boy, I find myself with the desire to seek out a group of companions, both male and female. Normally this would not be too much of a problem for me, as I'm a pretty outgoing guy, unafraid to spark up a conversation even with a complete stranger (though it can be a bit intimidating without a group of current friends to serve as backup). The problem here is, being in a foreign country, my dad and older sister are uncharacteristically protective of me. I don't fault them in the least for it, on the contrary I understand their protectiveness completely. This is my first time traveling abroad, and I know many bad things can happen when you are careless and far away from home (not from experience, thankfully). Nevertheless, a little group of... ahem... Londonese friends here would improve my vacation experience greatly.

 

I've seen some younger kids hanging around the corner near the hotel I'm staying at. I could probably strike up a conversation with one of them (who would, hopefully, invite me to hang out with the rest of his/her group of friends) if I could be out of the hotel away from my family for awhile. I mean, I suppose I could strike up a conversation with my dad and sister nearby, but, well... having your father and older sister around tends to kill off any possible conversation. Not to mention after we were out of earshot, my dad and sister would both probably speak disapprovingly of me "talking to random people". Also, in general, when we're outside of the hotel, we're usually walking to some destination, and stopping to talk to someone would probably slow us down more than my family would like.

 

So... to condense this into a simple one-sentence question:

 

How can I get around the nearly constant presence of my family in order to socialize with other kids my age?

[loony]

Maybe you could just tell them: "Hey, there's this group of kids hanging out there at the corner of the street. They're about my age. Would you mind if I talked to them a little bit?" I don't think that your Dad or your sister would really mind if you want to talk with people your age. If you have chosen kids who look like gang members then I would understand though if you would not get permission... Go and get to know them and maybe introduce them to your family. If they see them and see that these are nice kids then I don't think they will mind if you spend some time with your new friends.

 

Keep things in the open and don't sneak away behind your family's back, if you do they will not trust anymore. They will also believe that your new friends are involved and have a bad influence on you. That's why introducing them to your Dad and sister is not a bad idea. Keep them informed. If you want to go out alone with them, make plans and stick to them. Tell them when you will be at a certain location and be there. Set up certain times to call your family to make sure you're ok. If you can show them you're reliable and trustworthy, they will have less problem to let you do your own thing once in a while. Take a map with you. Make sure you know where your hotel is and how to get there. Etc.

 

You seem to be a pretty sensible for your age and you speak the same language there, so it shouldn't be such a problem if there is any trouble, you will be able to get help.

[Nicknames? Bah.]

Wow. I should've thought of that.

 

Luckily, most Londonese people don't know how to dress like "gang members". The closest they can come is the glossy metal jewelry stuff commonly found at stores like Hot Topic. Silly London kids.

 

Thanks for the advice. I suppose that was a bit of an obvious answer, but sometimes I guess in the midst of searching for a brilliant, profound answer we tend to miss the obvious, practical ones.

 

I'll give it a try, and I'll try to keep this thread updated in the event that anything further develops, though I doubt too many people care about me and my problems. That's okay, I understand. Honestly, I don't care about most of your problems either :-D

[loony]

Originally posted by Nicknames? Bah.

I'll give it a try, and I'll try to keep this thread updated in the event that anything further develops, though I doubt too many people care about me and my problems. That's okay, I understand. Honestly, I don't care about most of your problems either :-D

Go home to mom and dad before I smack your butt. Where is the respect for elderly people nowadays...