I’m a retired nomad living in various countries around the world for the past 3 years. My connection with strangers is crucial to my sense of community since I have no permanent home and now travel solo. I can honestly say that being able to connect with strangers is essential to my mental health and well-being. I vividly recall talking to a lady, an artist, while waiting for the bus in Lisbon, Portugal for almost an hour. As an architect, our love of art and design formed the basis of our connection. Her having had an architect father reinforced the connection. Neither one of us spoke the other’s language proficiently but somehow we both felt understood and appreciated. I came away from that interaction realizing how positive connections can be me made and sustained even under difficult circumstances of language as a perceived barrier. All it required was willingness and a little effort.
ORIGINAL COMMENT