Jax Attax

I met a very cool Italian guy at the bar of the restaurant where I had dinner last night.  As someone who is never hit on, much less spoken to under these circumstances, I was a little surprised to be able to converse with someone so comfortably.  Mind you, this was not a pick-up.  We chatted about his home country, which I have visited and fell in LOVE with, as well as the country of my family’s heritage, Cuba.  He had been to Havana with friends and so we chatted about his experiences and his perception of the situation there (politically and culturally speaking).  It got me thinking that I have a history of connecting easily with people from other countries.  I don’t know if this is because they are somehow more outgoing or perhaps immune to the “unapproachable shield” that I am constantly accused of sporting.  When I look back on the friends I have made through the years, I see a diverse group with representatives from various parts of Africa, China, India, Poland, Saudi Arabia, the UK and more . . . Do I project a certain aura of interest that allows me instant entry to the international social club?  I have always had a fascination with different cultures.  However, I was born and raised as an American, so I never thought of myself as “ethnic” until others started to refer to me as such.  I’m not sure I fully understand the phenomenon, but it seems to happen organically and definitely bears further investigation!