I Have This Illusion

During this month that I'm spending in Germany before I head off to college, I'm noticing that I hold a couple illusions about my life...some more interesting than others, of course. There's the illusion that I'm completely reliant on my parents; the one that I can't multitask; and the one about how Germany is supposed to function so much better than Sicily. But the one that actually catches my attention the most presented its illusion-status to me while I was riding on the tram. (I'm becoming quite the avid tram rider; public transportation is the bomb in Deutschland). The illusion is that the only reason I'm not having spur-of-the-moment conversations/making friends as I ride the tram is because of my lack of language skills. Admittedly, though, I don't speak German so that does present a slight problem. But, if that were the only problem, then I would make tons of friends during my various trips in America that put me on a bus/train/plane because I really am curious about people and their lives. People watching is one of a favorite traveling pastimes.

Alas, making friends as I travel doesn't happen. And I take lots of trips that land me inside a bus/train/plane, sitting beside someone that I don't know. So what's the big draw back, if not the lack of being able to communicate? I mean, I like to think that I have interesting things to say and I know I'm good about being interested in what people are saying to me...so what's the big deal about striking up conversations with people? 

My theory is this: people put on a defensive attitude while traveling, and seem super unapproachable. Think about it. When you go to the airport, how many people bury themselves in a book/laptop/newspaper/ereader/mp3 device? How approachable is someone when their nose is hidden in some form of self-entertainment? Trains are very similar to that, and bus-riders seem completely distant because bus rides are usually very short and very boring (at least, city bus rides). And I'm really timid when people don't look friendly; that little almost-glare that I get when I meet someone's gaze walking the opposite direction as me in an airport gives me chills. I'm always thinking, "What did I do to you?" So I tend to avoid people because it's easier and I've come up with the safety net of "I don't talk to people because I don't know what to say."

My goal to dispense with this illusion (and hopefully the safety net) is to be more approachable and, maybe, approach some more people. Considering how wrapped up people are in their own lives, I'm not entirely sure how this will work out but no one can say I didn't try.