Bonjour

 

It strikes me every time I am in Belgium. I have been in the country for less than 24 hours and there I see it again. I make an effort to run the stiffness of the night flight out of my legs. It is still fairly cool and I enjoy the greenery, the exuberant summer vegetation. There are others out and about: joggers, walkers, cyclists. I greet ‘good morning!’ Sometimes there is a response, a greeting back or a smile. But very often there is surprise on the face of the recipient of the greeting, sometimes the greeting is ignored and sometimes I even notice a hint of fear, ‘help, what does this one want from me?’

It surprises me. In South Africa -and many other countries I have lived in- people greet each other. You greet a casual passer-by or the lady at the cash register. And if you know the person, like a colleague, that greeting is extended with ‘how are you?’. You do the same if you start a conversation with someone, want to make an appointment or ask in a shop where you can find something. The latter is better left out in Belgium. Sometimes I do it anyway, it's an unconscious habit. The reaction is invariably ‘huh, what do you want?’ - or at least that is my interpretation of the non-verbal message read off the recipient's face.

To me, that simple gesture of a greeting is a way of showing that you recognise the other person as a human being. You feel connected to another person in that brief interaction, even if you don't know that person. No matter where you come from or who you are, you are seen.

I am musing on this while cycling along the Loire. The cycle paths along the Loire are fine and therefore very popular. You meet people all the time. And I greet them. ‘Bonjour!’ as you cross or pass someone. In France, you also get an answer. ‘Bonjour!’ Lovely! It makes you instantly happy. I warmly recommend it.