The South of the North

I'm sitting in Josh's apartment in Indiana now. My only adventure thus far today was the little Starbucks a block or two away. It's nothing earth shattering. It's just a normal, busy, Starbucks. What blew my mind, was how obnoxiously friendly the people were there. I guess I have re-acclimated myself to Boston again to the point that I no longer know how to make polite conversation with complete strangers unless it is farmers market related. (And that's because it's my JOB to be friendly and extroverted)

An older gentleman enjoying his breakfast at a table tried to have a friendly conversation with me and I stared at him completely dumbfounded. What has happened to me? Have the charms of the South worn off so completely in the few months that I have been gone that it's startling again to have people I don't know try to interact with me?!

That makes me a little sad about living in New England. Obviously they are very different cultures and cannot accurately be compared, but after 4.5 years I had finally grown accustomed to people holding doors, greeting me, and even striking up random conversation. It only took me 3 months without this constant social stimulus to become a calloused, slightly hermitesque, brash yankee again. I obviously need a change of scenery...