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Why I hate to schmoose
Sep. 2nd, 2005 02:17 pmAs I was reminded last night at the Hillel social, I hate to schmoose.
What's new is, now I know why — when I walk away from my first conversation with someone, I want to know why I can expect to speak with them again. Where a person is from doesn't answer this, unless they are from my neighborhood and remember fondly the same restaurants. What a person is studying doesn't answer this, unless they are going to be in my classes, in which case I will get to know them in class, and don't need to beforehand. Only the prospect of shared interests and projects serves this purpose, and while I imagine most people at the Hillel social did have one thing in common, the Jewish community at Brandeis University is too large and diffuse to serve in toto as a social nexus for someone like me. I eagerly await the Activities Fair on Sunday, which I imagine will be much more useful in this regard.
What's new is, now I know why — when I walk away from my first conversation with someone, I want to know why I can expect to speak with them again. Where a person is from doesn't answer this, unless they are from my neighborhood and remember fondly the same restaurants. What a person is studying doesn't answer this, unless they are going to be in my classes, in which case I will get to know them in class, and don't need to beforehand. Only the prospect of shared interests and projects serves this purpose, and while I imagine most people at the Hillel social did have one thing in common, the Jewish community at Brandeis University is too large and diffuse to serve in toto as a social nexus for someone like me. I eagerly await the Activities Fair on Sunday, which I imagine will be much more useful in this regard.
