(no subject)

[xaara]

I was homeschooled until fifth grade. I went to Italian middle school. The two experiences were often very isolating; the only people I knew for more than a year or two at a time were my brother and sister. And while I don't regret my educational choices at all, they've meant I've always thought of myself as a socially awkward person. Not so much in the sense that I don't know how to conduct myself in social situations, but that I often avoid social situations because I'm much more comfortable with one or two other people and only absolutely comfortable with my siblings.

Except, for some reason, people are comfortable with me. They'll tell me their life stories at bus stops or narrate the entire arc of a relationship gone wrong within the first few days of our acquaintanceship or confide that the two years they spent in jail were the most difficult, most dangerous, and most important years of their lives. I've always found this strange, because I don't tend to offer up a lot in return. I'm "difficult to get to know," and it's not necessarily because I'm deep or mysterious; it's just that I don't let other people get to know me very often.

I love it, though. I love people's stories. I love it when random people talk to me. I love making tiny connections with strangers I meet crossing the street or walking past a bar entrance while the regulars are outside shivering and smoking and trading lies that become more and more blatant with each exchange. People are endlessly interesting.