“Are you from Vancouver?”
It’s not the question you’d normally expect at a Wine & Pizza Bar in Arizona. I was sitting there, waiting for my friend to join me when this really nice woman walked up to me and asked, “Are you from Vancouver?”
If this was a one-time occurrence, perhaps I would have responded with some form of surprise or a look of confusion, but the question was actually one I had heard quite a bit ever since I returned from the Olympics. Just before boarding my flight home to Phoenix from Vancouver, I was lucky enough to find one of the popular Team Canada hoodies which I now wear fairly regularly during my travels. I think it’s a cool looking sweatshirt (one of the major reasons I purchased it), but I’ve also discovered it has an incredible ability to start up a conversation.
“No, I was just at the Olympics. I love the city though. Are you from there?”
“Yes, my husband and I live there.”
“What part?”
“Richmond.”
“Oh, I attended a concert out there…”
I’ve had similar conversations like this with several people. During my first week or two after the Olympics, I seemed to only sit next to Canadians on flights and in boarding areas. They’d see my sweatshirt, and we’d start talking about the country as a whole. Apparently a bunch of Canadians spend their winters here in Phoenix, and so I’ve also had this same conversation walking around town. If the person isn’t Canadian, they are at least familiar with the design and the conversation turns into some discussion about the Olympics and what it felt like to be there. Almost always the conversation expands to other interests, pursuits, hopes, and anecdotes. I’ve really met some incredibly nice people simply because I happen to be wearing a sweatshirt that boldly says “CANADA” across the front.
This isn’t the first time I’ve had an article of clothing I like to call “ice breaker attire.” In high school I regularly wore one of two shirts to events. One said “i am a nerd” the other “Mumblypeg: It’s Not What You Think It Is.” People would read this shirts and start talking with me. First about the shirt and later about life in general. I forgot how much I enjoyed these interactions until I found this Canada sweatshirt.
I’m starting to realize that when I put on a piece of “ice breaker attire,” I’m open to who I might meet that day. It’s my own nonverbal cue (in a VERY basic sense) that opens me up to new interactions. There are times when I go through my day or my time on the road purposefully isolated. I consume my time by looking things up on my iPhone or diving into my latest book or DVD, but when I where my Canada sweatshirt, I know–at least for now–that isolation won’t be a possibility that day. Someone is going to ask me a question, and I look forward to that conversation.
My friend eventually arrived and we were in the middle of a nice conversation of our own when I had a pleasant interruption.
“Just wanted to say goodbye,” the women said with her husband at her side. “We really hope you have a chance to visit Vancouver again. It was very nice to meet you.”
“It was nice to meet you as well.”
And it was.
2 Comments