Popping the Bubble
Talking to strangers is hard for me. As someone without gallons of charisma at my disposal, I often find myself hesitant to introduce myself to new people. I didn’t realize the extent of this problem of mine until coming to Dartmouth. Even with two terms under my belt I still don’t know most of my freshmen class.
I should have predicted the challenges I would face in my latest assignment for Dartbeat—to find Hanover residents and talk to them briefly about the town and life in the Upper Valley in general. By briefly I mean ask them two or three short questions and take a quick picture of them. However, it did not take long for me to run into obstacles.
At first I could tell that I was not doing something right. I could feel myself hesitating in my behavior and in my quivering voice. I had perched myself at a nice table in Starbucks, thinking I could talk to one of the baristas—they are so friendly, after all. Or maybe someone like me, who is sitting by themselves on their computers listening to music or trying to do some work But for some reason I just couldn’t muster up the courage to sit down at their table and talk to them for five seconds. I think this is so because I told myself, in the back of my head, that I wouldn’t want to be approached by a stranger in my peaceful independent Starbucks hour.
Yet after a few attempts at “popping the bubble,” I also began to see that perhaps it wasn’t 100 percent my fault. Three different employees for companies that shall remain anonymous turned me down because it violated company policy to talk to me. Yes, I introduced myself as a writer for Dartbeat, the online blog complementing Dartmouth’s school newspaper, but I also introduced myself as a regular person. I understand the company policies that prevent employees from damaging reputations and potentially losing sales as a result. But for a simple story that is trying to strengthen the bridge between Dartmouth, Hanover and the Upper Valley communities, why can’t I talk to employees as people too? What does this say about the increasing influences corporations have in our lives?
My struggle to talk to strangers in one of the friendliest towns in one of the friendliest states ultimately says much more about myself than about anything else. I come from a big city on the West Coast, and I am bombarded all the time by strangers on my streets—homeless people, activists, lemonade stand vendors, you name it—yet I still feel comfortable addressing these strangers’ requests. I feel so supported as a Dartmouth student, but trying to talk to regular Hanover-ites has shown me I may not be as comfortable as I think Hanover is an incredibly wonderful town that I am still trying to get to know; hopefully it will be easier for me to approach locals once I feel more connected to the place.
Forcing myself to talk to strangers is not the best way to make me feel more comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone, but this for me is my best attempt at “popping the bubble”.