So I started college a couple of days ago at a university with 40,000 students. Prior to this, I spent 3 years isolated from the rest of humanity with the exception of my mom and grandmother. I had no friends and rarely talked to other people. I only realized how bad it was when I found out that it wasn’t normal to remember literally EVERY person that you have come in contact with even years afterwards. I realized I remembered people so well because there were such few people to remember since I rarely met people. This made each person such a big part of my life, while on the other hand, I was just a small fragment of theirs, as they probably met thousands of people in the time span that I meet only a handful. So coming from being isolated for so long, I wanted to start approaching to catch up, among other reasons. My goal really is just to talk to every girl I find pretty in my school. And that may be hundreds or even thousands. I want to have a wide pool to pick from when I eventually want a partner to settle down with . I thought this would be as simple as approaching every girl I see who I find pretty. But after what just happened, I started questioning my abilities. So me and this girl were both sitting down on benches next to each other and enjoying the beautiful day. We hadn’t exchanged a word yet but we were aware of each other’s presence. A guy came up to her, introduced himself and said that he was just looking to meet new people. They talked for a little bit and then he left. Then a girl came up to her and invited her to a bible study. They chatted and then eventually that girl left as well. So the girl who was sitting next to me turned to me and said “do people normally come up to you like that here?” It was her first day so she didn’t really know. I also had a feeling that she didn’t just want an answer to that question, she wanted to start a conversation. Just the way it was framed was as if me and her were on a team against the “outsiders” and she looked to me to gain insight. I was surprised when she asked me that because I never expect people to ask me anything. She was also very pretty. So I went on to answer her question all nervous and went on an entire tangent for 1 whole minute and made a stuttering mess saying nonsense and made myself look like an idiot. Without fully answering the question I quit of embarrassment and just stopped talking and stared into the distance. She chuckled and did the same. I don’t know what her chuckle meant. I think it could have been out of awkwardness, or maybe she just thought it was funny. Anyways we sat there for another 15 minutes not saying anything until her friends came and she left with them. This really sucks because this girl seemed so interesting and it’s so rare you find someone else who just likes to sit and enjoy nature. And she’s not even from America which makes her more interesting. I ruined a moment that could have lead to a great friendship or even more. I thought of bringing up the moment again if I ever see her, but I’m not sure if I can salvage this.