Have you ever noticed when you meet someone new there are two
standard questions they always ask: Where are you from? And what do
you do? From this automatic FAQ interrogation they decide what sort
of person you are, how much money you make and apply all the
cultural clichés they know about your hometown or country. I meet
new people every day and I've come to the conclusion that this line
of questioning is boring and repetitive and not the best way to
make a first impression.
So, I've banned myself from asking these two seemingly harmless
questions and instead I try to dig a little deeper. If someone
volunteers the information on their own, power to them, it
obviously relates to how they want to be perceived but it's amazing
how irrelevant these two facts are in the scheme of things. Most
people don't get to choose where they're from and they're often
travelling because they don't like what they do back home. So why
bring it up?
Instead I ask them what they did today or I might ask about the
bracelet they are wearing or try to hold the whole conversation in
Spanish. I might ask if they want to go for a walk or cook dinner
together - anything to spark up an interesting and engaging
conversation that doesn't pigeon hole them.
If you're up for the challenge give it a go next time you meet
someone new, ask a different question and I guarantee you'll get a
far more interesting and animated answer.