Today I was on a deadline. Since I was not going to have any spare time in the evening, I needed to find a sympathetic soul in my lunch break - a daunting task, given the fact that everybody else in the city was going to spend that exact same time actually having lunch. I got lucky nearby the university: Dominik had a look of stunned disbelief when I explained my project to him, but was up for a short chat.Dominik did not talk much about himself, but rather wanted to know more about my motivation for Meet a Stranger a Day; as it turns out he has found a different, excellent way to get to know people - he's a couch surfer. For those of you not familiar with the concept of couch surfing: couch surfers all over the world offer to provide you with a roof and a bed in their home for a few nights, under the condition that you will do the same for others (edit: Dominik has emailed me to correct this - there is no such condition. See also my shiny new couch surfer profile). It's a concept that enriches the life of both the host and the guest; whoever offers a couch can meet people (and make friends) from all over the world without all the hassle of actually traveling - and in return, the traveler is a guest more than a tourist.
Dominik was not very comfortable with being on camera, and seemed to grow more and more self-conscious. We decided to wrap it up after 16 photographs, of which I've selected the third.
My thanks go to Dominik, for his spontaneity and goodwill.
Camera-shy.
Fascinating project. Lovely descriptions of weather and of reasons for your choice of photo. Why is the photo of yourself so poor? Do you not want to be recognised? I agree with Laura that some info regarding the subjects would be good, eg., where are they from? Do they live in Zurich or are they tourists? Name two things they like / dislike about Zurich. But then maybe that is another project! Marion
ReplyDeleteAm I famous now?
ReplyDeleteMarion: thanks for your comment! The photo of myself is actually highly significant and of immeasurable artistic value ;)
ReplyDeleteBut in all seriousness: while you can't see my face in this photo, it will tell you at least 4 things about me, if you know how to read it...
Concerning the amount of detailed information I publish about my vis-à-vis: there are two main reason's why I won't.
1. Privacy concerns - the internet is a huge, uncontrolled place, and once posted, information is essentially impossible to remove. I believe that the responsible thing is to err on the side of caution, and release as little private information as possible.
2. What this blog is about - I write about my experiences with meeting strangers. But I won't let you meet them with me - you'll have to go out and meet your own...
Dominik: not yet, but I'm working on it ;)