I came home smelling of freshly watered gardens, someone else's perfume and old books. I thought it was an interesting scent that briefly became a part of my many idiosyncrasies, alongside with my new found capability of making friends.
Under most circumstance, I will not strike a conversation with the person sitting next to me, regardless in lectures or tutorials, unless forced to. I might sound very unfriendly or arrogant but to tell the truth, a lava of words is threatening to spill out from my mouth.
I am interested in knowing people. I am interested in listening to what others have got to say. But when words are being confined by certain mechanisms, it is impossible to do so.
One can never gain knowledge from others if the only words that one could utter are silent.
Strangely enough, today, I have managed to say "hi" to the person sitting next to me, make eye contact, ask for their name, introduced myself, etc etc.
Making eye contact and trying to not stutter too much, are two of the hardest things I can never seem to accomplish last year. This year, marks a certain change in the self.
Perhaps, I have programmed myself - or to put it in layman terms - forced myself, to do these two things.
It could also be somewhat related to taking trams. Rivulets of conversations have been flowing into my ears, allowing me to vicariously learn the art of conversation without having to consult whatsoever specialist.
While this may be trivial for most of you, for me, it a personal achievement. I know this post sounds egocentric, but which one of you have not experienced awkwardness? Which one of you was not shy?
In my opinion, one should not be shy about being shy. It is part of our nature and also, part of our nature, is to overcome this tiny hurdle, which allows us to do great things in the future.
