I don't go up to strangers and start talking to them, but if a stranger were to talk to me I'm not that nervous about it. I might get annoyed if they continue to have a long conversation with me sometimes because I usually want to be more or less alone. I don't think I'm truly introverted though because I feel drained when I'm away from people for even a day. Weekends are pretty difficult for me sometimes.

When I talk to strangers, I'm likely not going to see them again. If I make a mistake talking with someone I have more in common with (say a fellow grad student for example), it could make my career more difficult. I know I have a personality that most people wouldn't like, so I've learned to hide more and more of it over the years. I don't really know how to be like other people.

I'm afraid to talk to my colleagues casually. I'm not sure what we'd talk about as I have different life experiences. If we're talking about academics, then it's better. Although, I seem to have unpopular opinions so I'd have to stick with facts rather than pedagogy etc. I'm not sure about talking about my thesis…I can't imagine anyone would care or be the least bit interested, so I'm probably not going to talk about it.