I'm at AurorA, an event inspired by Burning Man, and I figure this is the perfect place to restart Let's Make Eye Contact.
Honestly I've been nervous about doing it here in Argentina. My Spanish isn't very good, and I've been scared to get vulnerable and be uncomfortable by approaching for LMEC interactions where a language and cultural barrier is very likely to be present. The fear in my mind has held me back from jumping into LMEC here in Buenos Aires.
But a festival, especially one where the Burning Man ethos is present, makes it easier.
One of my campmates, Josefin, inspires me to start today. During the conversations we've had I've really enjoyed her eye contact. She's very present, and her eyes are inviting, especially when she's smiling. I want to experience eye contact with her it in a more focused way without the distraction of words.
First I need to replace the battery in my timer and reboot it after almost two months of non-use. Adrian, another campmate, gives me a battery. After I fix the timer I ask him to make eye contact with me. He's game, so we sit down in the grass and do it.
Next I return to Josefin, invite her to participate in the experiment, and she consents. After the timer beeps we talk for a while about eye contact.
Later in the day I ask Nicole to make eye contact with me. She's so cute and I really enjoy the occasional eye contact we've had here at the festival. But she usually has sunglasses on, so I don't get to see her eyes much, and I'd like to see them more. I've also never asked anyone to participate in this exercise with their face painted. I ask her and she agrees to do it.
Now that I've asked three campmates, all of whom speak English, my next step is to take this practice out into the AurorA community and invite participants who are strangers and who may not speak English well.