Today I am leaving Victoria BC and heading to Portland. In the morning and early afternoon I'm at home packing. Now I'm on the M.V. Coho Black Ball Ferry Line bound for Port Angeles.
I will ask someone to make eye contact on this ship.
For most of the trip I'm sharing a table with an older man. He's sitting across from me. We haven't exchanged any words or made eye contact since I asked if I could sit with him before the ship departed.
There are many different kinds of people on this ship. All ages, many different ethnicities. I strongly consider asking a child. I think this is a good environment in which to do it. But man, asking a child, approaching a parent and asking them if it's OK if I ask their child to participate in this experiment, makes me nervous.
I think about asking him to make eye contact but then a kid (high school aged) engages him in conversation and I don't have a good opening anymore. He seems more social than I first guessed since he started talking with this kid. The kid goes to the washroom and I could ask the man now, but I don't want to. I decide to go explore the ship.
When I leave the table I thank him for sharing the space with me. "Come again," he says with a smile. Seems to be nicer than I originally thought when I first approached him. Maybe his mood has improved. Or maybe his impression of me has changed now that I shared a table with him and didn't make trouble. (I am assuming maybe he thought I looked like a trouble maker. Who the fuck knows, right?)
I can feel time running out and I just need to pick someone.
I check out the main seating area, cafeteria, and observation deck. In the cafeteria I spy a guy sitting alone at a table using his phone. He is darker skinned, a bit round, and has a moustache. I haven't asked someone who looks like this before and make note of him. The observation deck is too dark to make good eye contact or take a photo, so I rule it out. After making a complete round I decide to return to the guy in the cafeteria.
"Hi," I say as I approach him and sit down at his table, in the chair diagonally opposite him.
"I'm doing an experiment in which I ask a stranger to make eye contact with me every day for 60 seconds."
*pause*
"Is this something you'd be willing to do with me?"
He hesitates a moment, and then:
"No... I don't think so. Not today."
He seems kind of down. He seems unhappy.
"OK," I respond, then tell him that I'm writing about my experiences and ask if I can know is first name so I can use it when I write about this encounter.
He thinks for a moment, shrugs, and nods in approval.
"Mike," he tells me. I introduce myself and shake his hand.
I thank him for his time, wish him a good evening, and leave. I walk to the other side of the cafeteria, out of his line of sight, and sit down to write my notes on the encounter. In my notebook I find the leave-behind I wrote out earlier for today's participant but neglected to give to Mike. I finish my notes and decide to walk back over to Mike and give him the leave-behind even though we didn't make eye contact.
He's focusing on his phone. Leaning over the railing next to his table I say "hey, Mike." He looks up.
"I forgot to give this to you," and I hand him the piece of paper. "It's where i'm documenting my project and you an check it out later if you're interested."
"Thanks," and he smiles just a little.
"Have a good night."