Little things of interest

Funny how a person notices little things in a new culture. People say "Hiya" when we meet on the pavement (sidewalk), and a man will often nod, but not like we nod on the Canadian prairies. (I remember a hilarious essay on the varieties of hand-waving you will likely encounter in Saskatchewan as you meet someone in a pickup truck, but when walking, people nod.) We do a quick down-then-up nod that seems to say, "Yes, I acknowledge you as a fellow traveller. I agree that it's a good day, but we could use some rain . . ." Here in Ireland, the nod is more a wry twist of the head that makes me think of, "Ach, yes, things are tough, so they are, but we'll make the best of it, so we will!" I haven't got the hang of it yet, so I don't dare return it. Maybe by the time we return to Canada. Then all the people I meet on streets in Saskatchewan will wonder, "What does he mean by that?"