I am an American and have lived in Europe (Northern Europe) for over four years. I don’t fear awkward silences anymore either, but, what I do miss is an easy go

I am an American and have lived in Europe (Northern Europe) for over four years. I don’t fear awkward silences anymore either, but, what I do miss is an easy going relationship with conversation. It seems to me as if Europeans can be socially awkward and I am not sure if I will ever entirely warm up to the idea of “the culture of comfortable silence.” Perhaps a balance between insentient chattering and enforced silence would be nice. I believe conversation is an art, it is important, and it is part of what makes us human.