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.
I am from Georgia and I can say that in my country works as in U.S.
But right now I live in Italy and it looks like they are as Czech.
and it was strange also for me at the beginning 🫣😊
Hello.
I am from Türkiye.
We are muslim.
Stranger or neighbor, when we go to somewhere we can say selamun aleykum.
Goodbye.
Me too. I’m catholic and italian man. I say: Pace a te.
Excellent explanation, thanks!
In Bulgaria it’s the same as in Czech. But when you are in mountain everyone greetings each other.
Hi, I also live in Prague and we greet each other with neighbors in the elevator, in the waiting room, or for example on the train in the compartment. It’s about people.
I can just talk for myself. I say hello to the neighbour I know. I say Hello if Im enter a quite room at the dentist if few people looking at me when I enter. Good bye.,.. No, I dont say that because the person I said hello is now gone and new one is sitting there. When I am out for a walk along the river and meet people also out for a walk , I say often Hello ,but today when I walked with a friend I didn’t say Hello, because we talked so much. Haha ….it depends on the situation. But my friend said she say ,Hello ,to everyone even if she dont know them when she is walking, So ..Yes, its individual
Quiet….
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In my country (Romania) people say Hello in lift, in waiting room at doctor, on montein when have meet, even if we meet strangers
In my country people like chatting but to say hello depends on the person, I mean, I always say hello or good morning when I arrive to my job but my boss never say it. When someone enters in a waiting room says hello but in the elevator depends on the age, young people sometimes are mute.