How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

Okey dokey,

I've been living in Latina for about six weeks now, and this weekend I am officially bored. I live on my own, awaiting a housemate, so I have no-one to talk to at home; my colleagues live in a nearby town so I don't see them at the weekends, and I reckon that even if they lived in Latina, they've lived here so long that they wouldn't be able to think of anything for me to go and see or do (you know how it is once you've been living in a place for a while you stop seeing it properly). My Italian is beginner level.

My week is all about work, so I can't do too much then and I don't mind that, as there's no time to feel bored and I'm usually too tired to do anything anyway! But when it gets to the weekend... I don't know anyone and there's nothing to do (or so it seems to me). I feel like Kim Jong in Team America :(

So does anyone know of any groups in the area, ex-pat or otherwise, that I could join? Does anyone actually live round this way? I'm thinking book clubs, film clubs, dance/exercise, crafts, anything that will get me out of the house and talking to people. Failing that, would anyone be interested in something like the above if I/we could get it organised?

Any help would be much appreciated! :)

P.S. I'm more than willing to get the train outta here and go to Rome!

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

Wow - nobody lives round Rome at all?! I really have moved to the a*se-end of nowhere! :(

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

Hi , I,m afraid there doesn't seem to be much going on in your area, check out pink ladys website there's a few courses going on in Rome if you don't mind jumping a train. I used to have a summer house in Nettuno not far from Latina and the only time I can remember going to Latina was for the Saturday market.

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

There's a Saturday market?! See this is the thing - I don't know where to find the what's on guides (if there even are any) so for all I know I could be missing out on loads of stuff! But I will give that website a go - thank you for your help!
I think I may just have to book hostels in other towns on Saturday nights and go visiting round Italy instead of twiddling my thumbs here - although saying that this weekend is the last one before I have to work three Saturdays in a row! :(

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

I haven't had a proper look at this and you may already have done so but just in case this might help:

http://www.comune.latina.it/index2.php

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

Sorry just checked it out the market which is supposed to be the biggest in Europe!!! is on a Tuesday. It was summer time so everyday seemed like a Saturday:)

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

Thanks TesaRossa :) I have had a look at the website but as my Italian is at level zilch and google translate just gives me gibberish, I'm finding it tricky to make sense of it! I need to ask my colleagues tomorrow to help me with it I think... or maybe my students!

I realised after I replied to giodafa that I should have asked for the actual website address - although I seem to have found some sort of expat women in Italy website which looks interesting - is that the one you were thinking of giodafa?

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

Yep that's the one, I'm sure someone there will be able to help you out

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

If you want to come to Rome for the day I could show you around the sites

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

I live 80 km from Latina, in the hills above Rome.
I think I would be bored there too, why don't you head into the Castelli Romani if you have a car, or by public transport which is more difficult.
See Castel Gandolfo and the Pope's summer residence overlooking Lago Albano, have a walk around the lake, visit the quaint and beautiful Nemi perched on a steep hill overlooking Lago di Nemi, have traditional food in the many renown Frascati restaurants, etc.

Have attached a link
http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/lazio/castelliromani.html

or with Google search, so you can see what each town looks like on this link

http://www.prontocastelli.it/castelgandolfo/

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

Hi Internationalbefsky, I think that website someone mentioned is Pink Italy Forum it looks interesting, try joining a dance class, all the jargon is in english anyway I found. Good luck.

Re: How to make friends and influence people (in Latina!)
 

Aww thank you all for getting back to me - I'll definitely look into all of these things (public transport is my main limitation but I can usually find ways round it!)
Giodafa, thank you for the offer that was very kind of you - I might pop into Rome this weekend to do a bit of Secret Santa Christmas shopping so if you wanted to meet up (if you fancy a bit of shopping or just a coffee or something) that would be lovely - I'll PM you...

Pat M - thanks for the suggestion, I really enjoy dancing but I'm always worried that I won't understand the instructions if I'm at a class in a foreign country! But if you reckon the instructions are generally in ENglish or easy to understand, I will have to give it a go :) I've heard rumours of a salsa classes/clubs round Latina so I'll find out more...

Thank you all again, will let you know how it's going (if you want!) :)