I'm currently en route to Kolkata, India and am already enjoying every minute. On the plane ride to Dubai I was seated next to a family who were from Kolkata. They didn't speak much English and I don't speak much Bengali but I've been teaching myself Bengali in preparation for this trip so we were still able to communicate, at least a little bit.
And I feel if you're willing to put yourself out there and laugh at yourself, at the mistakes you are inevitably going to make learning a new language and are invested in being a good listener, barriers immediately drop and it becomes much easier to speak with someone. Especially if you prioritize being able to laugh at yourself:)
I believe there is a deeply seated desire to understand, to learn about, to respect and to find some common ground with anyone we meet.
And the family I was seated next to were traveling with their 6 month old daughter. I believe children and babies always create an immediate connection between people, no matter where you're from, what your background is, what your beliefs are... Plus, many times, children aren't afraid to ask you what your name is, to reach out to touch your hair, to touch your hand. When do we become afraid to create connections like that?
Right now as I'm writing this in the Dubai airport on one side of me is a family speaking Mandarin and sisters on my other side are speaking Hindi, dressed in gorgeous traditional saris. One has a brilliant, red diamond pattern and her sister's is a green fern pattern with gold accents. Both are beautifully and artfully wrapped around their bodies in a way that allows them to pull them up and over their head as well.
Already the myriad of languages and people is genuinely fascinating.