I went to Redifer again this week with the intention of breaking social norms, as per my new occupation. I picked up my food (Indian this week!) and scouted out for a table I could sit at. I saw three different options.
Then I sat down by myself at an empty table.
You’d think this would get easier, week-by-week. You’d think by the eighth week, any social hesitance would be gone and I’d be viewing everyone like a potential conversation instead of a stranger. You’d think I’d have found my courage.
Pictured: Not Me
Nope. Feeling slightly ashamed but socially gratified in my solitude, I ate my lunch. I ate it, and took to to the tray disposal area, and set it on the conveyer belt. Because I was finished.
Or not. On my way out I saw a demo table giving out glasses of sparkling grape punch. I took one, sat down at my table for a few seconds, and then sat down with a girl(!) named Madison and commenced the long-awaited interview.
Madison is a freshman, majoring in Business. She’s in the Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations [club], which she took a little while to explain to me. Basically, a group of students gets a local client for whom they do their consulting thing. Just from the title I can tell it’s way more important than any club I’m in.
Anyway, Madison’s also in the honors college, which means she’s taking 137H as well. I asked her what her passion blog was. Every blogging week, Madison focuses on a certain aspect of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and then talks about a certain place in our world that’s violating this aspect. It sounds really fascinating, and potentially very depressing.
If you want to check it out, here’s a link to one of her recent posts: http://sites.psu.edu/mmiller/2012/11/06/freedom-ethics-or-both/
Madison’s also in the Leadership Jumpstart program, which never fails to make me think of those little Jumpstart not-quite-video-game games.
Time not so well spent.
Like I’m sure it is with the rest of us, the Homework Monster makes a habit of munching on Madison’s leftover free time. There’s nothing really exciting about homework, but we talked about it a little bit anyway. Madison’s favorite class is her Environmental Science class… there, now your burning desire to know her favorite class has been satisfied. Quenched.
Speaking of which, the sparkling grape juice… punch… liquid-drink was pretty good. I’m not sure what exactly it was, but that’s often the case with the food I eat.
I end with a big “thank you” to Madison for not automatically labeling me as a creep. Seems as if I’m not limited to male interviewees.
See you all next week!
Well, I totally forgive you for feeling anti-social because I feel the same way all the time! You should do a self-reflection on what you would say in an interview like the ones you do for other people as your last blog post. Wouldn’t that be pretty symbolic? Yeah, anyways, good post!
I must have played every single one of the those jump start games. And by played, I mean beat a minimum of 20 times. This was just one computer series that meets this truth.
Have I mentioned how much I love your passion blog? Well, there. I do. I also agree with Sam: I also thought it would get gradually easier to sit down with random strangers, especially after doing it for so long. But…good to know!
Haha Caleb I’m quite proud that you went and interviewed a girl, and I’m sure after talking to you, she doesn’t find you as a creep! Also, Madison is making me feel like my time is very poorly utilized and that I should go join a club. Also, her passion blog sounds very educational and smart; it almost makes mine sound too trivial. Thank the lord you told me her favorite class too! I was just dying to know. Keep branching out and meeting new people!
I’m proud of you for sitting with a girl! You go, Caleb. You’re ratio could still use some work though… what is it, 8:1?
And I have to admit I am surprised that it hasn’t gotten easier to go sit with random people. I understand that it might still be uncomfortable every time, but I would think that you would get used to that uncomfortable feeling. Anyway, I expect the next blog (for our last blogging week), to be spectacularly awkward and uncomfortable. Gotta go out with a bang!