An absolutely charming difference in Iceland is the lack of apologies. People scoot past each other without a word, even bump into each other (maybe with a quick "fyrirgefðu" -- "forgive") but there is NO *I* am sorry -- Let's break this down. First of all, they rarely talk about themselves. So no "I" -- well not rarely but MUCH LESS THAN Americans! They do talk about others. Gossip is rampant lore in Iceland. I think I met the lone Icelander who does not gossip ;) And in a small town of 91 people where I lived for the first two years and also another university town of 200 where I moved for the final four months there, gossip quickly becomes legend and lore. Just think of the child's game "Telephone" where one whispers to the next person and the word changes as it goes from ear to ear! Now consider if someone does the walk of shame or their unneutered cat gets pregnant or the bishop gets locked in the bathroom at the beer club?! (true stories, btw) -- well it's actually hilarious -- because they turn it into a skit and perform it at the annual feast of disgusting foods / skit-talent show at the end of winter ("Þorrablót") and when I returned to the US for a quick check on my son, the first American I saw apologized when I was exiting the bathroom and opened the door to see her entering. "Oh, SORRY!" she said. I stopped and said, "For what? For coming into the bathroom? For EXISTING in this same time-space that I am about to occupy? Release yourself from shame, woman! You have done nothing wrong!" She ... looked at me as though I was crazy ;) I am, now -- thank goodness. I have been living in a dream for 28 months!