Talking to Strangers is focused around the idea that through conversation and interaction with strangers, we can learn about different perspectives, broaden our understanding of the world, and ultimately build connections. A key goal of this project is to promote a culture of openness and curiosity while building community and meaningful relationships among people of all walks of life.
"My perfect day would be going down to the bay with a fishing rod, pre-dawn. Hopefully catching a taker, cooking it on the beach and staying there. Putting a tent out, having a fire on the stones, cooking what I catch, and sleeping out under the stars. There are such beautiful, bright stars in Great Barrier; it is my favorite place."
"...losing my parents is my biggest fear in my life.”
"I would just make the most of the day. I would get outside as soon as possible, go see as much as I can..."
"I would love to do something. But healthwise, there are a lot of things I cannot do. Here, I cannot see you at all. My peripheral vision on my left hand side is gone. I am quite used to it, I have to walk carefully otherwise I will crash into something."
“The biggest turning point was when I met my husband. I already had a small child of 5 years old and I felt lost a bit, the father was not so nice to us, kind of egoist. Things turned out to be really good after that point. I was 26.”
“There are 8 billion people here. You could date a million people in the next 50 years of your life and still not be happy.”
“You're not gonna learn nothin here, girl!”
"I haven’t been out of New Zealand. I had it all booked and because of Covid, I couldn’t go."
“...the first day we spent in our car when we were living in it because everything went wrong. It was good, you remember everything in the details.”
“My biggest fear is the dangerous animals that we have in Australia.”
“My perfect day is hiking all day in the mountains to a beautiful lake and then camping.”
“I am working on a graphic story as a hobby. I would like to finish up that. I am a software engineer and I started it because I wanted to learn more about designing the front end stuff...”
“If I won the lottery, I would buy a house, pay off my car, and open up my own shop, a bike shop. And just live easy for a while…”
“I wish I was a little less nervous sometimes. I struggle with anxiety and I always have, when it comes to talking to new people or big groups of people. I do not know what to say all of the time and I am trying to get better with that.”
“Fashion is a language for me. I use it to communicate how I feel, what I am thinking, and make a statement. I get a lot of harassment though..."
“I think a lot about religion. I am Catholic by birth, but not necessarily raised Catholic. I was baptized and went to church as a child, but I hated it. Eventually we stopped going...”
“There are a lot of bad things that I have been through. Most recently, experiencing my dad having a heart attack. It was a really hard time for me and my family. I had to reflect a lot on that and my complex relationship with my father…”
“...hopefully you have made friends in the new city and you are pushing yourself to go outside of your apartment and not sitting home alone everyday.”
“I do not know if there is one thing I want to achieve, but I just want whatever life I am in, I just want to be a good friend and someone that people go to…”
“I am in a bit of a scuffle with one of the organizations I am involved in, so that has been challenging. Navigating narrative and learning what is worth investing my energy in and pushing back on.”
“I have pretty much lived here my whole life…I own this place and I opened it up 16 years ago.”
“I was playing a lot of music and doing a lot of fun stuff. I look back on those memories very fondly. I play guitar, bass, drums, and piano. I haven’t played in a few years though. I was in a couple bands and we played around. It was one of the most fun times of my life.”
“I don’t know, I do not really remember my childhood…”
“The way that I perceived things as a child, just the way I viewed things in such an innocent way is something that I remember and miss.”
“It all got uprooted, but I am so grateful now that I moved. Just realizing that some things are hard, but they are worth it.”
“I thought that is where I needed to be, but I am here now and I can't imagine being anywhere else and I am so thankful for that feeling.”