Chit chat with a hard hat...

It is so rare when a stranger strikes up a conversation with me in Japan, that it always catches me off guard. The grand majority are certainly polite and kind, but its not often you bump into outgoing, warm folks.

Today as I was leaving school, a older fellow working on the contruction team at my new school stopped me to say hello and chat. The only contact we had had before was an exchange of bows yesterday as he directed me around the pavers and dumptrucks and out of the parking lot. Today, with a big grin on his face, he asked me if classes were over for the day, where I was headed, where I was from, and complimented me on my Japanese. We then parried back and forth the usual "no my Japanese is not good/yes its excellent/no really its quite poor/I assure you, you speak quite well" routine that is the norm here when someone compliments you, until he finally said "well my Japanese is quite poor as well, it is too difficult even for Japanese people".

That put a big smile on my face and he went back to his duties of directing traffic.