>Raleigh, NC and currenlty reside in the
college town of Elon, NC. Many people from
New England are attracted to this particular
college, and they often seemed surprised at
the beginning of the year when they observed
how other students would exchange greetings
with people they didn't know, hold doors open
for others and other such actions that seem
so ordinary to me.
>

Such behavior is minimal in my school, but it
does occur. One person held a door open for
me in New York City, so there certainly are
exceptions. I also approached a man in
Central Park to asked if I could pet his sweet
old cocker spaniel, and we chatted about her
temperment for a few minutes while she
basked in the attention. There was also a
young man at the St. Paddy's Day parade who
called out "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" to me, and
I yelled it back at him heartily. I savored those
moments.

> It was emotionally draining to walk through
all the apathy and mental separation that
made the streets feel empty.
>

Exactly. We're country folk. I imagine I'd have
no idea what this post was going on about if I
had been raised in the city all my life.

*grin*

Regards,
Dagmar