As someone who has lived for fairly long periods in a country that is not mine, this is exactly the sort of thing I seek to avoid. I try to hang out with the people from the region, not people who I already can speak to in a familiar language. I try to absorb the local cultural contrasts and not try to shoehorn them into my own. ("Tell me again what the traditional Garistan Christmas cake is? " -- Maybe they don't celebrate Christmas? Could it just be possible that they belong to another culture / religion?)

Always sticking with your own lot and never completely opening up to a new culture (in my opinion) isolates you and makes you look standoffish.