8 Comments

  1. Audrey
    June 10, 2012 @ 9:57 am

    Hehe, very true. It seems most of my conversations abroad start that way… 🙂 And then locals will ask you a whole different set of questions. Here in Korea it’s appropriate to ask your age and whether or not you’re seeing someone…haha.

  2. Edna
    June 8, 2012 @ 10:45 pm

    This is so true! I have to admit, sometimes when I’m tired I avoid talking to new people when I’m out because I don’t feel like going through this old spiel yet again.

    • Andrew
      June 10, 2012 @ 4:38 pm

      Ha.. Yeah it can definitely get repetitive, but so is “normal” small talk. What do you do? What car do you drive? Did you see the latest movie?

  3. Ryan Sales
    June 5, 2012 @ 1:51 pm

    Here in the Philippines, the question you are almost guaranteed to get asked is “What foods have you tried?” I think it’s a childish delight to see how deep down the rabbit hole you have gone when it comes to some of the more “interesting” local fare!

    • Andrew
      June 7, 2012 @ 10:48 am

      That is one that doesn’t come up very often here. I guess German food is so “normal” compared to where most people come from that it isn’t a point. I like the idea of finding out how deep people have gotten. It does seem like that is the point of who conversation.

  4. Sanda Ionescu
    June 5, 2012 @ 9:25 am

    And maybe I should stop pressing buttons before I am ready to post something…
    Anyway, as I was saying when I was so rudely interruped, I have been asked all of these questions and they all give me far more trouble than they should (and make me a lot too verbose for normal icebreaker conversation):
    1. Well, my parents are from… but I grew up mainly in… then I moved to…. now I am…
    2. Since August 2011, but I was here once before, about 4 years ago, so…
    3. My husband’s job, but I am also… and actually…
    5. Not sure how long we are going to stay… depends…
    6. (in my case French) I speak some, but not as fluently as I would like, and I seem to have reached a plateau where I no longer make great progress
    7. Depends on the day, the hour, the weather, the environment, the mood, the paperwork I’ve had to deal with in the morning…

    • Andrew
      June 7, 2012 @ 10:49 am

      Being verbose is not such a bad thing, but it means the conversation goes faster and further than just small talk.

  5. Sanda Ionescu
    June 5, 2012 @ 9:19 am

    I am sure I have asked all of these questions in my time (and been asked