The strangers project - Alex Chueh

Eavesdrop at a Harvard Square coffee shop, and you might find yourself becoming curious. You’ll see tables dotted with books that would break a pinky toe if they fell from a high-top. Here, new ideas are taking shape in dozens of different languages. If you’ve been in this scene recently, you’ve probably seen me in a cozy nook, engrossed in conversation with someone I just met. I talk to a new stranger every day. Over the last 500-plus days, this endeavor has transformed my worldview. I’ve borne witness to a remarkable cross-section of humanity, forged connections I’d thought unimaginable, and learned enough fun facts to make the Jeopardy! test legitimately enticing. Soon, I’ll reflect on the conversations themselves. This piece focuses on two questions: why did I start, and why am I still going? The origin story “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I paused a beat. I’d come to watch a sunset, not start a conversation; I associated dreamy early winter evenings with placid solitude. A previous versio

Eavesdrop at a Harvard Square coffee shop, and you might find yourself becoming curious. You’ll see tables dotted with books that would break a pinky toe if they fell from a high-top. Here, new ideas are taking shape in dozens of different languages. If you’ve been in this scene recently, you’ve probably seen me in a cozy nook, engrossed in conversation with someone I just met. I talk to a new stranger every day. Over the last 500-plus days, this endeavor has transformed my worldview. I’ve borne witness to a remarkable cross-section of humanity, forged connections I’d thought unimaginable, and