Rob Walker's The Art of Noticing is one of my favourite newsletters. It encourages us to look intently, ask questions, and observe the world around us. Now he has teamed up with the Iridescent Ordinary newsletter for the Chit Chat Challenge.
For the next 10 days, between 23 April and 2 May, the challenge is to have a conversation with a stranger - to say hello, to ask a question, to make a connection.
I'm no stranger to speaking to strangers in public. I did 3 projects where I approached people in London and asked them to draw maps (Draw the World, EuroRevision, crowdsourced continents). So, this seems like a fun challenge for me.
I'm going to add an update to this blog each day, reporting on what conversations I do or do not have. I'll be travelling for at least some of the days during this challenge, which should make for an interesting element.
Thursday
Soon after arriving in Basel, I walked along the promenade by the Rhine River, where there were lots of people enjoying a sunny evening. People were reading, having a drink, picnicking, listening to music, playing cards, drawing, playing table tennis. Some were even swimming. These were the kinds of activities that I did not want to interrupt. At one point, I sat on a bench next to a man who was reading. I was just about to ask him a question, until I noticed he was only three pages from the end of his book.
The chat:
I sat on a bench, and asked the guy sitting next to me where the border was. Across the river was Switzerland and were we in Germany now or still Switzerland? He explained that the border is a little bit further up the river and further away from the city. Then he gave me some recommendations about museums to visit in Basel and a bakery, where you can buy a coffee and a chocolate croissant. You can sit by the river, eating it and feel like a king!
Friday
As I looked around the Basel Historical Museum, a young French-speaking guy asked me a question about a model of the city. Answering his question, I pointed out an 800-year-old painting of the city.
The museum's labels are in German, so we spoke about which languages we could speak. When I mentioned Irish, he lit up, asking if I knew Peaky Blinders and the actor (Cillian Murphy). I replied that Cillian is from the same city as me and has the same surname - he could be my cousin. The guy then spoke about something from TikTok about Irish people meeting British people, standing with their hands by their sides and not wanting to shake hands with the queen. I've no idea what that is, if it's real, from Peaky Blinders or TikTok or what!
Saturday and Sunday - no chats :(
Monday
A small chat today. I was in a store. The two women working there were talking to each other in a language I didn't recognise. When I was paying, I asked (in German) what language she was speaking. 'German,' she replied, looking confused. 'Ah, with your colleague?' 'Oh, Hungarian'. Which is why I didn't recognise it! I paid and then said thank you in Hungarian, one of the handful of words I know. She smiled!
Tuesday
The closest I got to a chat today was to lend a pen to a train conductor who needed one.
Wednesday
I spoke to a couple while looking at a baroque altar in a museum. They encouraged me to read the interactive sign, but didn't speak a lot of English (and my German failed me in the moment), so not a very long chat.
Later, as I was checking out of my hotel, I noticed a small bag left hanging from a chair in the lobby. I pointed it out to the man working there, and he ran off to find the guest in the train station nearby. He came back a few minutes later, saying he'd found him. A productive and helpful chat :)
Thursday
A brief chat with a receptionist as I checked into a hotel. The desk she worked behind was very wide, and she was quite short - so we had a little chat about that, how she stepped out from behind the desk to help people.
Friday
A brief chat about a membership card I have, as I visited a museum. It has a sticker with yellow text on a silver background that makes it hard to read.
Saturday - nothing! :(
Observations
Today's digital technology means you don't need to ask people questions. The answer is seconds away. We can also have 'conversations' with groups of friends that are far away, at the touch of a button. We can send things we see to people who are maybe on the other side of the world, and enjoy their reactions. That's really cool in some ways, while also maybe taking us out of the moment, the time and place.
It struck me that you have to find the right moment to initiate a chat. And that I didn't really want to disturb someone and impose myself on them.
*maybe - let's see how I get on!
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