thank you for sharing you experience, @mayb

eye contact on the street is always an interesting thing. it can be interpreted so many ways. i'd say in philadelphia (where i grew up), it could also be interpreted in an even more negative way. almost a sign of aggression... in montreal (where i lived before berlin), i would almost say that it is more likely to actually be an invitation.

around last fall, i actually started making a conscious effort to smile more in public in order to make myself more open to people as well (even without direct eye contact) because i think i might look a little "unapproachable" when i don't smile. and it's great when someone smiles back.

i guess if we ever cross paths, there will be smiles all over the place then. :)