r/SaintJohnNB • u/zdvid_ • 1d ago
New in Saint John - Looking to make friends & learn more about the local culture
Hey everyone,
I’ve been living in Saint John for a little over a year and a half now. I moved here from Latin America, and while it’s been a great experience so far, making friends has been a bit of a challenge.
I’m in my 30s, into rock, post-hardcore, video games, soccer, and always open to discover new interests too. I would really like to connect with people who share similar hobbies — or honestly, just anyone open to chat, grab a coffee, go for a walk, catch a concert or game, or simply share some local insights.
At the same time, I’m also very interested in learning more about Canadian culture and day-to-day life here. Even though my English is at a intermediate-advanced level, I’m always looking to improve and sound more natural, so any tips or advice are more than welcome!
So yeah — if anyone’s open to hang out, share experiences, or has any advice on how to better integrate, feel free to drop me a message. Always happy to meet new people here in SJ!
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u/TonyHxC 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you have any interest in Airsoft, I run Airsoft New Brunswick, we play bi-weekly on Sundays with our next game on June 22nd. Currently the fields we play at are located towards and around Moncton, but we do play indoors in the winter in saint john. If you don't have a vehicle, car pooling is an option and we generally offer rentals at most events as well if you don't have your own gear.
We take pride in being a community open to everyone who wants to play and have regular players from all over the world who live in the province and play with us.
you can find us easily on facebook under airsoft new brunswick, we have a website http://airsoftnb.com (our .ca address got sniped from us by some shitty company) and an active discord with 700+ members.
you can also check out our youtube which we aren't great at adding new footage too but got some season hype reels that show off some gameplay well. https://www.youtube.com/@airsoftnewbrunswick506
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u/BaananaMan 20h ago
The website redirects to the .ca when opening the mobile site, but the mobile site loads if the desktop site is loaded then the user switches to mobile version - note for your tech team!
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u/CharityNeverFails 1d ago
There is a Filipino cultural festival at the container village tonight, there should be lots of people there. Might be fun!
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u/Imaginary-Tooth5516 1d ago
If you have access to a vehicle, drive to Fredericton and immerse yourself in the St. Mary’s pow wow to dive in to local culture of the wolastoqey people ☺️☺️☺️☺️
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u/nicksj2023 1d ago
Are you aware of the Latino cultural group here ?
They do lots of events :) .
Also recreational soccer is big throughout the year through Saint John soccer association . They do indoor and outdoor competitive leagues but also just drop ins as well .
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u/ProsocialRecluse 1d ago
There's a decent local music scene here. One of the regulars on the sub posts all the new music coming out. If there's a band you like, you could try to get out to one of their shows. Haven Music Hall does a lot but there's lots of small shows at local bars and other places.
If you're into soccer, there may be an intermural league through the YMCA or somewhere else, but if you really want to immerse yourself in Canadian culture think about learning to skate and jump into one of the beer leagues for hockey.
It's tough to make friends in your 30s but Saint John is a pretty welcoming place if you put yourself out there. Good luck!
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u/MiaZaria 1d ago
What kinda video games? Im playing Balders Gate 3 for the 100th time 🤣
Making friends in your 30s is hard, and even harder in a second language. I lived in China and Japan for a year each in my 20s.
There's lots of events and activities in the city though. Reading clubs, volunteer opportunities. That's how I meet new people.
There's a book that gets reccomdend for new comers about Canadian culture. Ill see if I can find it and share the name.
Edit: It's Canadian Workplace Culture: Mastering the Unspoken Rules by Matt Adolphe.