I have found it very hard to make real friends here. I am usually very open and friendly to others but, in my experience thus far, this seems to be backfiring. With locals this has meant that I am constantly being asked for favors (usally money, other times suggestions that I take them to Europe or the USA, and most often being proposed marriage). With expats, especially males, well, there is the thought that I need to "hook up" with someone since there are not many expats around. Thus, the main interest expressed at the end of the day is wanting to get involved. Even in meeting an expat for an emotional relationship, it seems like all male expats I have met here are either running away from something back home, want to sleep around, or are complete liars about having wives back home (have had a few of these experiences already). Note that I am expressing this only from the experiences that I have had and am not referring to all expats (I would be crazy to generalize that way, plus it would depress me too much to think that way). Then there are the expats on the road that dare not even look at you or give a friendly smile. It feels very lonesome here often times.