Friendly US citizens

People here are so friendly and approachable. They are easy to talk with and very helpful.

Three days ago, when I was waiting at the bus stop, suddenly a guy (looks nerdy with a pair of thick glasses) turned his head over me and said: "yo, how ya do'in?". Of course, that was how we started our conversation and continued doing so until the bus came, instead of awkwardly staring into the void and be quiet.

That also reminds me of half a week ago, when an old woman started a conversation with me at the bus stop by the same way. People just did that to me naturally and the frequency was high enough for me to begin to think about it. It seems like people here are more friendly than in Vietnam. I haven't even seen anyone here that did not smile when they saw me on the road.

Back in Vietnam, if we are waiting at a public place, we do not talk to each other. Our eyes always try to find a way to avoid looking at the people who sit/stand next to us. We were told by our parents that we should not talk with strangers, because they might trick us, or something bad might happen. That is Asian culture, not just Vietnamese. That is why I always do not know what to say when a stranger starts talking to me, maybe it needs practice, or may be there is a recipe for it. I do not know. The only thing I know that I am starting to adapt into this new environment. Hope everything will go well.

Still, one of the things I always want to know is how to start a conversation smoothly. From my own experience, usually, people will ask other with the question: "hey, how are you doing?" or its variances. My answer is always: "Fine, how about you?". After that, we would start talking about something that appears in our mind. However, I never know if that kind of start is appropriate enough or is there any alternative. It seems like I have to take more time sitting at the bus stop to learn this from people.

Fun fact: if you are in Vietnam, and if when you accidentally look into the eyes of a girl in front of you, then she smiles to you, I can say things are going pretty serious. That means she knows you and is into you. Sadly, the same thing does not apply to people in the United State, because if so, there must be around three hundreds girls want me already. Sadly.