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It's weird. Who the hell talks to random people on the bus or train?
I live in an American city, and I use the bus. Strangers are always talking to each other.. I've ridden on buses in about 100 countries, people are people.
One of my favorite moments in my life came on a bus riding out into the Chaco in Paraguay. A young man got on the bus carrying a guitar and sat down. After a few miles, an old gaucho went over and hesitantly asked if he could look at the guitar. Sure, why not. The gaucho knowingly plucked a few strings and looked it over, and sat down in the seat across the aisle and played a few chords, and then started to very quietly, almost under his breath, sing along. It went on for about an hour of his repertoire, every passenger on the bus totally spellbound as darkness fell, some of them weeping, listening to this old man playing the guitar and quietly singing to himself, maybe unaware that others could hear him..
We are warned from a young age in Britain not to to talk to strangers or to go home with people who we don't now. Indeed just last week a beautiful Swedish Au pair wanted me to come back to her apartment, but luckily I remembered all those public information films I had seen as a child and promptly told her no.
I don´t think she was swedish.
Swedes are cold, shy and doesn´t like to talk to strangers.
I personally don't get city people who don't speak to people. I don't mean saying hello to everyone you see down the street but like if you are in a queue and say hello or something like 'oh this queue is so long' then I don't see whats wrong with that.
I thought it was normal for people to talk to each other like that. I'm from the south in the US, and though we don't always strike up a conversation, it happens right often. That's how you meet people.
I've traveled a lot and have lived in a lot of different places, and have found most people are friendly and talkative. A lot of them even in places where they have reputations of being unfriendly. People are people from what I've seen so far. Most of them are friendly, though not all.
There was one country that the people were not very friendly as a whole, it just wasn't in there dna. That or their extreme hatred of all americans, and truthfully it was probably that. But they weren't a whole lot better to each other. Lol Oh well. The immigrants there were wonderful though. Was glad to go back to the states and southern hospitality.
I said in a post above that "people are people", meaning that basically, people everywhere have a gregarious streak and a willingness to socialize with others with some friendly spirit of welcoming.
But there is one place that stood out in my mind where I found that people were particularly kind and gentle and patient with others, even people below their station without being condescending. There was a tolerance and respect for strangers, and a recognition of their dignity. Iran.
I said in a post above that "people are people", meaning that basically, people everywhere have a gregarious streak and a willingness to socialize with others with some friendly spirit of welcoming.
But there is one place that stood out in my mind where I found that people were particularly kind and gentle and patient with others, even people below their station without being condescending. There was a tolerance and respect for strangers, and a recognition of their dignity. Iran.
I've heard that about Iran, and I'd like to visit. But I've also heard some of the men can be too friendly if you know what I mean...
People just ignore each other in public transportation, most are busy with a book or a smartphone, maybe some old woman strikes up a conversation here and there, but it's rare.
I live in an American city, and I use the bus. Strangers are always talking to each other.. I've ridden on buses in about 100 countries, people are people.
One of my favorite moments in my life came on a bus riding out into the Chaco in Paraguay. A young man got on the bus carrying a guitar and sat down. After a few miles, an old gaucho went over and hesitantly asked if he could look at the guitar. Sure, why not. The gaucho knowingly plucked a few strings and looked it over, and sat down in the seat across the aisle and played a few chords, and then started to very quietly, almost under his breath, sing along. It went on for about an hour of his repertoire, every passenger on the bus totally spellbound as darkness fell, some of them weeping, listening to this old man playing the guitar and quietly singing to himself, maybe unaware that others could hear him..
An elderly lady started talking to me at a bus stop recently, about her son who is in hospital. I talked with her for a few minutes while we waited for the bus, even though I didn't really want to. We went out separate ways on the bus, of course.
I am pretty gregarious and talk a lot, but don't like random chitchat with strangers on public transport.
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