It's been just over a month since I moved back here and I still do not have the casual social interaction thing down yet. Maybe I never did in the first place, but there are times I feel I am really awkward. What the hell am I talking about? Here's an example. The other day I went to an auto parts store to get some kind of oil absorbing oil pan so that Shiro could change the oil in the car. I went in and talked to the guy behind the counter and first of all he didn't really know what I was after so I tried explaining it again. He told me what they carried and after a quick call back home I realized it wasn't what I was after. The guy was nice and told me another shop in town probably carried it. I must have come across as too apologetic about not dropping my cash in this guy's store because he ended up telling me it's ok if I didn't buy anything.
The post office is another situation I am slowly getting used to. "Going postal" is a term now used that pretty well maps to the Japanese kireru. It's when someone goes off and gets crazy and violent. Well, the Dover post office is nothing like that. They are always happy, always friendly, cracking jokes and chatting while still giving great service. Yesterday I went to mail out some packages to Japan and Marty (gotta love those nametags) says to me, "Hey, you're awfully quiet today. What's the matter?" My answer was that I have a cold, which is true, but the real answer is that I'm not used to postal workers offering conversation and human interaction. I am used to "Irasshaimase", "hyaku-ju en desu", and"arigato gozaimashita"-- interaction complete. It may take me a little while to get up to speed in trading wise cracks with Marty. It seems reacculturization is in the details.

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Photo of Bolt at Kelley's Row courtesy of the WHEB (The Rock Station) website.