Monday, August 11, 2008

Three things.

I was talking to a man at work today who has lived in three different countries. One thing he said has stuck with me and made me ponder. He said that Americans were much friendlier than Canadians. Now I used to think that strangers talk to me, but I now realise that I talk to strangers all. the. time. Allthetime.

Does that make me a little more American.

Second thing, the man has been here for a few short days, and I was talking to him on the phone at lunchtime and he was totally brushing me off. "Yeah, yeah, OK, like bye"...I called him on it, asking if he had an important meeting or something. Turns out he was making popcorn.

Oh, OK honey. Better focus on that popcorn. *wink*(He's a man, the man is. A man who lived alone for two months. Cooking popcorn and talking at the same time....naaauuuaaaa.)

By the same token, he is at the perfect stage of jet lag, he woke up 45 minutes before me; by the time I got upstairs, the kids' lunches were made, and so was my tea. Piping hot.

Now how good is that? Need to focus on the popcorn honey? No problem AT all.

4 comments:

Beth said...

Talking to strangers doesn't make you a little more American - it just means you're a friendly and outgoing Canadian.

And I can totally relate to the vital importance of the timing and popping of popcorn!

elPadawan said...

I was talking to strangers while still living in Paris. Doesn't make me more Canadian, or more American, I think. It doesn't make me more Parisian, that's for sure. Just makes me more me, then, I guess ;).

And you *are* friendly and outgoing, no matter what country you are from or have been to :p

oreneta said...

Beth, I am glad you can relate to the timing on popcorn....I thought it was an interesting observation about Canadian's and Americans...I guess we're a little more reserved???

elPadawan, well, thank you very much...I think we're both pretty friendly and outgoing...it's nice being that way I think. No?

kate said...

I'm American and I never talk to strangers. My husband is always trying to get me to talk to other Americans when we encounter them out and about (which isn't very often) but I hardly ever do, unless it seems likely that they live near us and we would be likely to ever see them again, and if they are likely to be people I might have something in common with. Actually the only other Americans I've met in the past few years by going up to talk to strangers have been evangelical missionaries, which doesn't mean that we have nothing in common, but it still can be a pretty huge difference to overcome.

I occasionally make small talk with regular (i.e. non-American) strangers, but my MIL does it constantly, and she's Spanish.