To Talk or Not to Talk

     American culture is truly unique. For me, who grew up in Slovakia, this change was not the easiest. In my previous blogs, I shared my personal experience with the first shocks, positive aspects and the different cuisine of the American culture. How important is talking in a culture? How different it can be? In today's blog, I will focus on small talk and how different communication is in Slovakia compared to the United States.

High school students having a shared small talk, Ohio

    In the United States, small talks are as ordinary as drinking water, not in Slovakia. Americans do not have any problem talking to anybody. Stopping a random person on the street and complimenting their outfit. Screaming at somebody, "How are you?" and then not waiting for a reply. The American culture is a culture of "just say something." If Slovaks do not have anything important to say or ask, they will not say anything. There is no reason to ask somebody how they are doing if you do not want to hear how their day has been. 

    Slovaks do not give random comments or compliments. Why? Because we do not care. But if we do, then get ready for a three-hour-long conversation about various topics covering pretty much everything. The Slovak people, naturally, like to talk, have a conversation, learn from each other, gossip and always have fun. The Slovak culture is a culture of "if you say something, make it important."

    The downside of not engaging in small talk may be a lack of friends, new acquaintances or general skills for interactions with people. On the other hand, the downside of engaging in small talk may be an indirect insult, misunderstanding, or wasting someone's time with unnecessary talking. There are some possible risks of either scenario or choice. Even though I have experience with both, I cannot say which I like more or which one is a better way of interacting with people. Both of these have something to it. 

    Every time I choose to talk to somebody, I am trying to make the conversation useful, important, funny or engaging. I enjoy talking to people, but it is very important to me that the person I am talking to enjoys it at least as much as I do. Sometimes it is not possible, but an honest compliment can light up somebody's day.

    I would love to hear about your experiences! Do you like small talk? Is talking to strangers easy for you? Why is it important to talk to other people for you?