...there are squirrels in my head...

I find myself a little offended by the suggestion that being friendly and hospitable is a strictly southern trait. As a born and bread northerner, I have never had any trouble making eye contact, or connections, or starting up conversations with strangers or anyone else. It happens all the time in fact. In Philly even. In New York City. Even in London, where I am told that people DO NOT SPEAK to each other - and that from a Londoner. But maybe I am odd. I have found that being open and empathetic has granted me more positive opportunities than negative encounters, so I do not fear people as a general rule.