Talking to Strangers

By Austin Christ

Some of the greatest highlights of the entire trip for me were the people I met along the way. I consider myself to be quite extroverted, especially when it comes to meeting people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. London was an excellent place to do so, as it is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, and, lucky for me, everyone speaks English. Throughout the week, I met several people in pubs, our hotel, and, surprisingly, bathrooms. Londoners are typically somewhat reserved when in public or going about their day, however there are certain environments in which it is culturally and socially acceptable to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

Our first night there, Camden and I stayed up late in the Strathmore lobby to watch KU play Texas in the Big XII tournament. It was a crushing loss, but one that we hardly even watched, as I was preoccupied with a conversation about politics with two fellows from Scotland, while Camden explained the semantics of basketball to a family from Wales. The next night, Camden and I met Oliver and Reuben, a father and son from Germany, in the public hotel bathroom. It eventually became a running joke that Cam and I would go to the bathroom together to strike up a conversation with someone, and surprisingly, it worked. We would talk about sports, politics, and even the city itself. Public restrooms seem to be one of the few places where it is acceptable to talk to strangers, much unlike the culture of the US.

The other primary setting for conversion, much like the US, was pubs, specifically when standing at the bar. If people are sitting at a table away from the bar, don’t try to talk to them. But if they’re up at the front having a drink, they’re fair game. At the pubs I had the pleasure of meeting Robert from Liverpool, who thinks rugby is the greatest sport in the world, Oskar from Stockholm, who works as a consultant in New York, and Noah, a London-local with a hatred for Spanish soccer teams. These conversations taught me some of the intricacies of British social culture and small talk, a lesson that can only be truly attained through experience.