Chapter 3: Meeting New People
The last Saturday of January 2019 was cold when I met my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri at their apartment in Shadyside. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Would you like some cobb salad for lunch? I made plenty for everyone." "Of course, Sarah," I replied. "I'm hungry." We all sat down at the table to eat lunch. "Volunteering for that slumber party last weekend was fun," Henri admitted. "It sure was," James agreed. "Can we do it again?" "That's good," I agreed with everybody, "because Jenna wants us to volunteer for 3 more slumber parties together: the Sweet Swap on February 16, the Luck and Charms Party on March 9, and the Sleepaway Glamp on April 13." "What all does she want us to do?" Sarah asked. "Probably the same thing every time- help out with the recipes, favors, and decorations," I told my friends. I took a bite of my cobb salad. "There is another important benefit of volunteering that I forgot to mention," I stated. "What is that, Angel?" James asked. "Meeting new people, of course," I stated. "Oh, right," Sarah agreed. "We are very like-minded people." "We sure are," I agreed. "And, where did you guys meet some of your other like-minded friends besides me?" "I met some of my old friends Cindy, Peter, and John purchasing my new car at the car dealer," James replied. "I met my current boyfriend, Robert when he was working at Pizza Hut in Cheswick," Sarah replied. "That is where we went for dinner on James's birthday right after we bought James's car," I remembered. "What about you, Henri? Who do you remember meeting during your childhood?" "I met Thomas in school, when he remarked on my all-black outfit," Henri replied. "And, Sarah and James were wearing all black that day, too," I remembered. I took a sip of beer. "Hey, you three are wearing all black today, too," I happily noticed. "Are you guys still going to volunteer at the winter shelter tonight?" I asked. "Yes, we are, and you can come with us if you want," Sarah offered. "I would love to," I agreed. "You can also meet people through church, which is where we all met each other for the first time. Are there any other places where we can meet new people that you guys can think of?" "I don't know, at conventions, maybe," Henri replied. "You can meet people through your neighborhood, especially at events like sporting events," James replied. "I have met all of you guys through social groups," I stated. I paused for a moment. "Sarah, do you remember how you have met some of your other best friends besides me, like Carly, Alex, Jenna, Jill, and even the Mifflin siblings?" I asked my best friend. "Through you, of course," Sarah replied. "You got it, Sarah!" I happily exclaimed. "Now, what are some things that you guys would include in an initial introduction?" "A greeting, like 'Hello', 'Hi,' or 'Good morning,' and a handshake, but not all of the time," Henri replied. "Your name, and how you are related to them or whoever you are introducing," Sarah replied. "An example would be something like, 'I am James's younger stepsister', or 'I am your best friend,' like how I introduced myself at the car dealer." "You could state your title or position if necessary, and in work situations this might be appropriate, but I stated that I was one of Thomas's high school students when I introduced myself at Henri's school," James replied. "Do not forget to acknowledge, 'It is nice to meet you.'" "You also had to use initial conversation etiquette," I told my friends. "Do you remember what it is?" "Well, we had to get their attention by saying hello and using eye contact and body language, find a common interest to start the conversation, like the color of our clothes, take turns in the conversation, introduce ourselves and ask them their names, keep our volumes at an appropriate level, show we are paying attention with our bodies, and discuss appropriate topics," Sarah replied. "However, we did not just assume they were paying attention, like how we could tell they were listening, talk about something only relevant to us, whether this was something we did and how others reacted, filibuster, since that was considered dominating the conversation, ignore their uninterest, like how we could tell someone was uninterested and what we did, get too personal or ask their name, play 20 Questions or interview them, discuss hot topics, or be afraid," Henri chimed in. "James, what do you do and what don't you do when you wanted to exchange info with somebody else?" I asked my male friend. "I asked if it would be alright to get their contact information, such as their phone number, Facebook, or e-mail, shared my information and let them put it in their phone, explained why I wanted their number, texted and added them while we were together to ensure I had the information correct, but I did not try to force them to share if they were unwilling, did not ask for really personal information, such as my address, and I did not share my information, either," James replied. "Your address is 507 Shady Avenue," I pointed out. "At the intersection of Fifth and Shady Avenues." "You wouldn't want to share that with anybody else besides people we know well and are close with, Angel," Sarah told me. "I know that now, since we all agree not to do that," I agreed. Later that day, we went to volunteer at the Winter Shelter in downtown Pittsburgh. I made some baby potatoes with arugula pesto to serve, as well as more glasses of beer. "Can we go get some ice cream after this?" I asked my friends. "Not today, but maybe next time, since it is getting late," Sarah told me. "Okay then," I agreed. After we were done volunteering, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"