This is interesting.
It’s totally the opposite in the U.S.
Listen to my story, then tell me what it’s like in your country.
OBSERVATIONS
Last week, I ran into one of my neighbors in the elevator.
I said “Hello” (in Czech).
He looked at me like I had just run over his dog.
Monday morning, I went to see the doctor.
As I sat in the waiting room, I observed the locals.
When a patient walked into the room, he or she said “Hello” to the entire room.
A few patients would mumble, “Hello” back to him.
When a patient left the waiting room, he or she said “Goodbye” to the entire room.
A few of the remaining patients would mumble “Goodbye” back.
So, friendly to strangers in the doctor’s office, but not to neighbors in your building…
In the US, it’s the opposite: you say “Hello” to your neighbors, but not to a room full of strangers.
What about in your country?
Is it the same everywhere in the world?
Is the US the oddball?
Cheers,
Mr. Vig
This is up to the person – if you are nice and polite guy, you will behave on that mainer everywhere. Of course it is not need to be such polite person with those rude and arrogant with everyone. It depends…
Hi there! In my city, in both cases, people say hello and goodbye. I think that it is cultural and a wsy to be respectful. Obviously, there are ugly people who never say hello.
It is polite to greet strangers when arriving and leaving. And familiar roommates of course. We also greet each other when walking, for example, in the forest.
In Denmark: Sometimes we say hello and sometimes we just smile when we meet our nebours or if we are passing by on the street or places, where there is narrow circumstances.
I always say hello when I go into a sauna, the doctor surgery or other places where people are waiting. Often I get back “hello” and sometimes we get a conversation afterwards especially in sauna.
Perhaps at doctors people are thinking about their illness. The most of them sitting there are old.
When I say hello and look at them smiling, I often get back a smile. But not always.
I am 76. Something happens on the faces of elderly people. They look a little bit angry because of the corners of the mouths are dropping down. It is difficult to smile. Almost everything is dropping down when we get older. The energi we had is now week.
It doesn’t concern me when I don’t get back a hello. My own hello is importent to me. It picks me up.
But if you go to Pyrenees, people always say hello. That I like. I was there quite alone. Saying hello, looking at people and I was sure, they could tell about where they met me, if I suddenly disappeared. There’s a great risk of falling down.
I survived.