One thing about America is people are so much more … what?

Friendly?

Open?

Unreserved?

All of the above?

I don’t know if ‘friendly’ is really it. ‘Open’ has its limits. I’m going with ‘unreserved.’

My mother lives across the street from a shopping center, where I have to cross an expansive parking lot to get to the bus stop. 

Yesterday a middle-aged woman unlocking her car door turned around and looked at me to say “I was trying to get into the wrong black car!”

This morning an elderly woman driving slowly by in an SUV waved me over. She said walked with a cane, which she pointed out, and asked me to put a letter in the mailbox for her. I obliged (it was back a ways but not far).

Then I was waiting for the light to change so I could cross a vast intersection for the bus. There was another woman waiting who said “I can’t believe XYZ lost his job!” 

“Who?” I said.

“XYZ,” she said, sweeping her arm to indicate a bunch of political signs in the grass promoting whomever. I guessed there was an election because someone had had to resign.

“I didn’t even know he was in trouble,” she said. “I liked him.”

I shrugged, pretending I knew what the hell she was talking about.  

“Oh well,” she said, “I’m a republican so I couldn’t vote anyway.”

I didn’t pursue this since I had no idea of the circumstances, whether she was poorly informed or if it was a democratic primary or what. 

Anyway, in the past few years I have found it rather a relief that in Germany no one addresses you on the street, no one says hello or even nods when you pass each other. Long ago it used to disturb me, but lately I’ve been kind of glad not to have to share any space or to perk up for some stranger.

And still, being is America is refreshing. People like to talk.

(Plus, I bought books.)