Thank you for opening up to us and being vulnerable. Please do try to take care of yourself and try to nudge yourself to venture out a bit. Not all people are judgmental/bad. You deserve human connection (besides only from your wife).

You owe it to yourself to learn the language. Since you read so much, pick up a book in that language. I’m sure you could find a good suggestion for beginners.

Yeah you need to start learning the language of your new country, learn it well and the locals will accept you

I read bc I enjoy it and it simply makes my life and personality better.

Sorry about your social anxiety. Think you should try to step out from your comfort zone. Gonto the gym, have a dancing lesson idk. Many ppl read bc they want to escape and thats fine too… but think you should try to make your life better even if its hard

I think it’s incredible that people don’t think of reading as an escape… It’s just as much of an escape as watching TV or movies or playing video games… Maybe a little less brain damagey, but still an escape.

I read because it’s fun. I read fiction because it allows me to get inside another person’s life and experience new things, even if vicariously. I read non-fiction because I’m curious about stuff.

I grew up in a small community. Most of us “readers” definitely used reading to escape that existence. I found that reading sometimes prompts me into further interests. Is there a library near you where you could start a reading group to discuss the books you enjoy? You mention a language barrier, so that may be challenging. But you might be able to advertise it as giving other people a chance to speak your language. In fact, I wonder if there are groups, companies, or organizations near you who could use a native English speaker as a resource for their members to practice speaking with.

I read because it feels more fulfilling than watching TV. I also wanna write my own book one day and I think reading is a great way to help your writing skills.

I work a graveyard hours job and reading helps to pass time if we aren’t busy so I only read during that time. Most of my fellow humans just play on their phones but I’m prehistoric so that’s why I read.

The same here. My English isn’t good enough to charm Brits to become my friends. Time has faded away old acquaintances, and distance has taken them away. I no longer have any friends, and I’m losing interest in talking to or meeting new people. So reading is the greatest option in this scenario. You are not by yourself. Being your own buddy is not a bad thing; it is a stage in life that teaches you valuable lessons.

As someone who was horrendously bullied for years; I’d suggest doing things for yourself, and start brushing off people’s comments. It starts by taking care of your body. It sounds like you’re taking care of your mind fairly well; books are an excellent escape. Go to the gym. Walk/jog in nature. Build yourself up. You deserve it, and you’re much better than people pin you as. The damage bullying has done will never go away, but you can become much stronger from it.

I went from extrovert to introvert and turned to books. Life change for the better.

I have found that a language barrier can work in your favor. It prevents you from being familiar with a culture. So when you do explore the culture everything seems very novel and exotic, quite the opposite of boring. When you don’t know the language you will always be mystified. Mind you, you might be limited to pop music and subtitled films. I have been studying Spanish for two years and I still cannot read anything more sophisticated than a children’s book.

I know you didn’t ask for advice, but your language skills will improve if you go out and interact. I know it depends where you are, but in some places where you’re clearly a foreigner you actually aren’t being “seen” the way you would be at home, people just assume you’re a tourist (and also assume you’ll get things wrong). As a shy person when I moved to Asia I actually found that liberating. It might also be worth looking to see if there’s an expat group from your own country, or a language group that wants to practice English in exchange for offering lessons in the local language.

I am a librarian’s daughter and I read for a lot of different reasons: pleasure, escapism, to lose myself in the empathetic experience of being someone different from me, to educate myself about new things I wouldn’t know otherwise, to feel terror in a way that’s safe, to feel less alone, or to have a conversation with who I used to be when I reread a book. All the reasons! Depends on the book :)

I think all readers like that escapism. Immersing yourself in a new world and everything else ceasing to matter for those few hours.

But do yourself a favour - put yourself out there. Try new things. Learn the local language. See the world. Not many people are lucky enough to move across the world and experience a different culture. Be the hero of your own story.