I love having conversations with strangers.
Though once you start a conversation, you aren't really strangers anymore!
...maybe I need to clarify that statement.
I talk to strangers within certain bounds of "
strangeness".
I wouldn't talk to someone who gave off a creepy vibe.
But I mean, here, the social circles I roam in are safe.
All I have to do is strike up a conversation.
...which sometimes takes guts...
but I've found that once the ball is rolling, things get off splendidly.
As Bill Murray said (in What About Bob):
You know, I treat people as if they were telephones; if I meet
somebody I think doesn’t likes me I say I’m Bob, this one is temporarily
out of order. You know, don’t break the connection, just hang up and
try again!
...I'm not quite that persistent, though.
Today, in Nairobi, we were in the store, stocking up on things that couldn't be found in Buje, but there was trouble with the payment method. While Melli went off to sort it out, I made conversation with the bagging guy.
This I learned in 5 minutes:
He is married. He wants to be a teacher, and he has a baby on the way. He is somewhat satisfied with his job, though it could pay better. He was also very kind! The line for the customer service was long, so he offered to let me sit behind one of the check-out counters.
...people in the states would NEVER let that happen. I told him I'd scan some people out, so we didn't have to pay for the groceries. He just laughed and went back to work.
I met a Mr. W who works with an NGO that sells small-time farmer's milk -- they get better wages for the farmers.
Then, I talked with a Mr. and Mrs. M, from London, England (What accents! So cool). They foster 9 street boys, and had fantastic anecdotes about life in Africa.
I met an Australian/New Zealand-ite couple who were scoping out Africa as a place to serve. We swapped stories of what it was like, and what we thought of everything.
I met a missionary accountant who told me about Venezuela.
I met some pre-med students. They were so fun! We watched Lion King. It was fantastic.
I've met two dear ladies who had computer issues (separately) and I was able to help them! Praise God, because I am no IT person. They are both missionaries with AIM.
I met a church team of Uni students....
And oh so many more. It has been awesome.
When one takes the time and effort to be friendly, it's amazing what encouragement and joy can come of it! I have found myself to be extremely chatty as of late. When you're where people don't speak your mother tongue, you start to get all of these stories pent up. Blogging helps, but it's great to verbally communicate.
This trip is helping relieve some of my introverted-quiet tendencies.
It is so freeing to just
talk to people.
I have been refreshed by fellowship and some down time, but I am quite excited to get back to Burundi!
