Don't wave for me, Argentina...

The Golden Rule of living abroad is to keep quiet about your host country's drawbacks (especially when speaking to its natives).

But sometimes one just can't help it.

The seed of my discontent was planted two months ago when I was grocery shopping. Near the checkout line I recognized the video store guy who I've rented videos from pretty much weekly for the last two years and who's always ready to give me a good-natured German lesson. We're not buddies, but we're definitely friendly.

Back to the checkout line: when video man looked my way I waved and damned if he didn't jerk his head the other way! He did it so quick I was worried he'd hurt himself.

His turn of the head was a clear shun, and when I asked him about it the next week, he said he hadn't recognized me. Yeah, right, I thought, and lined his pockets some more.

The shun would be no biggie if it were just an isolated case. He's just a provincial-town video store man, right?

But then, last month on my way to the institute where I teach, I was waiting at a red light when a young researcher (who I've taught and even partied with) walked by with a group of his colleagues.

He looked in my car, this kid, we made eye contact, and I waved at him.

But guess what? He gave me the sourpuss face and kept walking.

I honestly don't know what prompted his reaction, because when I later asked him about it, he said he didn't remember the situation. Yeah, right, I thought, and gave him extra homework.

And then last week as Jarmila and I were walking home after work, one of her colleagues was coming the other direction on his bike. When we were about 20 feet away, I said his name and hello, and he looked right at me as he rode by without greeting.

So what the hell is it about this country's social customs?

Three possible explanations for my shunnings:

1. Germans don't wave to strangers.

2. Germans don't wave to foreigners.

or

3. Germans don't wave to Jim.

Frankly, none of them sit quite right with me.