I was never any good at chatting up girls; could rarely think of a stunning one-line to hook their interest in a loud pub or heaving club.
It is not a skill which age has honed, I can tell you.
65 days in, and trying to initiate a conversation with a stranger at a cafe, or fellow guest at the hostel, has worn me down .. but I am still persevering!
When you speak with a 'lad' you will be told that the key to chat up lines is that you subject enough women to it, and by the lad-law-of-averages one of them will respond well. Apparently no matter how bad the line, it will still work eventually - maybe 1 in 100 instead of 1 in 5 for a 'good' one.
So I have embraced a '1 in 10' rule, as that seems to be my average success rate with starting a conversation with complete random strangers.
This is all new territory for me, this extrovert, out going, chatty persona.
When it works I enjoy the moment. It's nice to hear your own language now and again, and even nicer to speak it!
