Meeting new people en masse is, I find, a strange and disorienting experience. At NYU, the effect is intensified by the fact that I am thousands of miles away from home, stuck in the middle of a teeming metropolis.
Striking up conversations is easy. At this point, I am a master at quickly and efficiently extracting such facts as a person's undergraduate institution, hometown, area of study, what he or she has done since graduation, and so forth. People here are from all walks of life and originate from all over the United States, so it is usually interesting to hear their story.
Sometimes, regrettably, I find that I simply do not have any overlapping interest with the other person. And, honestly, after talking to so many people in the last few days, I find that it is becoming way too easy to be disinterested in the standard fare that is served up with every introduction. Avoiding the awkwardness that comes when the conversation screeches to a halt is enough to keep me blabbing, though.
Lucky for me, I've met a good number of people, some of whom are very cool. But whether or not I am making any connections that will evolve into real friendships remains unclear. My one hope is that all this effort yields results because it's left me weary and exhausted - and I've got reading to do.
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2 comments:
try not to compare the new people you meet with lina and i. that would make it impossible for you to have new friends
I know, Sylvie. Thanks a lot.
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