Come talk to strangers in Chicago! People here are friendly and you can always find someone to talk to on a bus or on the 'el' But i don't know if you would consider Chicagoans strange enough to be strangers... i noticed in an article that you grew up in Champaign? I went to school at U of I, and my sister is currently a junior there. Actually, I'm going down there this saturday to visit. Ummm... I'll ask around if there are strangers here that will talk with you ;-)
I talk to strangers all the time in New York. You used to live here, you should know that! I don't know where you are now but if you come back to New York, I guarantee you will find strangers to talk to:) I just got into a long conversation with someone at Grand Central Station's Starbucks the other day.
Take the bus. For real. I used to get kinda down about not talking to strangers since I wasn't traveling, but just taking the bus fixes that. Right away. Sometimes, strange strangers talk to you more than you'd like. :)
Hey I was just looking at your slideshow for Kermanshah and I think that the man at the newspaper kiosk thought you were Kurdish because so many Kurds have that light-european look. They're a stubborn, yet endearing people. I've been to one of the famous bakeries in the city of Kermanshah, I don't know if you went but it's called "Shemshad" and it was delicious. I'd never had vanilla ice cream with carrot juice and although it sounded like crap (excuse my french) at first, it was DEEEE-licious!
Also, I have to thank you so much for your comment. It was lovely and I was under the same spell while I lived there. Once you realize your own "democratically-westernized" spirit can be chained by the inklings of a tyrant you start thinking as if you too have to be a tyrant. It's probably something that the Prince would have understood but me and other common normal (but special!) people would think.
I once felt like a burning rage was going to make me cuss someone out for being mean to a beggar then one day I passed one by in the same manner. It's not what you can't grow out of but it does seem demoralizing when you think about what you've done.
"How did that happen to me?"
I can't wait to read through some more of your blog... I haven't checked up on my favorite writers since last year almost so I didn't even know you came back until now! haha :)
Thanks for all these great comments! My problem is that I am currently in Amsterdam, my Dutch sucks, and I don't seem to be a stranger magnet anymore.
I ride public transport a lot, but the Dutch don't seem to talk much to each other.
The last time a stranger spoke to me and K, he was drunk off his ass, demanded 20 euros, told us he loved us, threw a cookie at Kamran, threatened to bomb us, and told us he was Einstein.
Beja, It is so true. BTW: I also tell people that I left my heart in Tehran (I know you wrote "soul")...
6 comments:
Come talk to strangers in Chicago! People here are friendly and you can always find someone to talk to on a bus or on the 'el' But i don't know if you would consider Chicagoans strange enough to be strangers... i noticed in an article that you grew up in Champaign? I went to school at U of I, and my sister is currently a junior there. Actually, I'm going down there this saturday to visit. Ummm... I'll ask around if there are strangers here that will talk with you ;-)
I talk to strangers all the time in New York. You used to live here, you should know that! I don't know where you are now but if you come back to New York, I guarantee you will find strangers to talk to:) I just got into a long conversation with someone at Grand Central Station's Starbucks the other day.
What!!?? You don't know stranger danger? Outrageous!
Take the bus. For real. I used to get kinda down about not talking to strangers since I wasn't traveling, but just taking the bus fixes that. Right away. Sometimes, strange strangers talk to you more than you'd like. :)
Hey I was just looking at your slideshow for Kermanshah and I think that the man at the newspaper kiosk thought you were Kurdish because so many Kurds have that light-european look. They're a stubborn, yet endearing people. I've been to one of the famous bakeries in the city of Kermanshah, I don't know if you went but it's called "Shemshad" and it was delicious. I'd never had vanilla ice cream with carrot juice and although it sounded like crap (excuse my french) at first, it was DEEEE-licious!
Also, I have to thank you so much for your comment. It was lovely and I was under the same spell while I lived there. Once you realize your own "democratically-westernized" spirit can be chained by the inklings of a tyrant you start thinking as if you too have to be a tyrant. It's probably something that the Prince would have understood but me and other common normal (but special!) people would think.
I once felt like a burning rage was going to make me cuss someone out for being mean to a beggar then one day I passed one by in the same manner. It's not what you can't grow out of but it does seem demoralizing when you think about what you've done.
"How did that happen to me?"
I can't wait to read through some more of your blog... I haven't checked up on my favorite writers since last year almost so I didn't even know you came back until now!
haha :)
Thanks for all these great comments! My problem is that I am currently in Amsterdam, my Dutch sucks, and I don't seem to be a stranger magnet anymore.
I ride public transport a lot, but the Dutch don't seem to talk much to each other.
The last time a stranger spoke to me and K, he was drunk off his ass, demanded 20 euros, told us he loved us, threw a cookie at Kamran, threatened to bomb us, and told us he was Einstein.
Beja, It is so true. BTW: I also tell people that I left my heart in Tehran (I know you wrote "soul")...
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