Ginger Thoughts: Conversation with a stranger

I will occasionally buy myself lunch at the school cafeteria in the Student Union Building. I typically wake up at 5 AM, 3 days a week, so I find myself having difficulty mustering the will to make myself food. I'm fortunate enough, however, that on most days, my mom is willing to pack an extra lunch while she makes one for my younger sister. This was not one of those days. So I went into the caf, bought myself some Chinese noodles and picked a seat at an empty two-seater table. Five minutes in I was joined by a young man who was looking for a place to sit. I was thinking for a long time whether to start a conversation with him, seeing as we were both alone. Well, I though. I never reach out to anyone at school. So I thought I should.

Johan is 18 and he's a freshman this year at the U of BS (bending spoons). He came here straight from high school graduation because he wanted to escape the suburbs of Philadelphia so badly. So he ventured here on his own because even thought his mother bawled her eyes out as she begged him to stay, he felt that it was time for him to face the world and become a man. As if university showcases the reality of "the world" I remarked bitterly. Thankfully he laughed rather than getting offended by what I said.Instead, he just asked about what I was doing here. I debated about what kind of information I should disclose to this hopeful freshman... I decided to tell him the truth. I told him that I came to UBS because at my school, that is just what everyone did, even if they didn't know what they wanted from it. I thought for so long that in order to be a decent human being I had to get a university level education, and soon enough I actually made myself believe that this was what I wanted. I paused then - the biggest flaw about me is that I always have to have the last word, even when I know I shouldn't say it. I felt ashamed, and I quickly apologized for sounding so jaded. But he laughed and he was relieved to hear that in the end, I'm glad that I ended up here. Before we could continue though, a friend of mine spotted my head amidst the sea of people, cutting my conversation with Johan short. Anyways, we exchanged goodbyes, and as soon as I arose from my seat, we became strangers again. I wonder til now what had allowed two strangers to talk so openly, sharing our past and future expectations. Maybe it was the bustling noise around us, creating a private sanctuary; we felt like we could say anything and not be heard by anyone else.



Or maybe it was the fact that this wasn't real.



To be honest, I thought that it would be so cool to talk to a complete stranger, but I kept stalling and in the end both of us ate in silence, occupied by our phones (I actually am writing this as he sits across from me - metaaaaaaaaaaa). But I feel like maybe this is the way it could have gone down in an alternate universe.

one of my favourite images

On a side note that is sorta relevant, today my 14 year old sister really surprised me. We were on the bus listening to Death Cab when out of the blue she said to me that she thinks that we are all born into this world, all meant to do something different, but we just end up doing what everyone else is doing... sometimes her wisdom scares me.