"I’ve made a terrible mistake."

Oh, this is bad.

In general, I’m not the type of lady who wears jewelry. I’ll even admit to sneering at the jewelry commercials that air near Christmas, Valentine’s, or Mothers’ Day because they imply that all women love and need jewelry. This woman gets on just fine without it. Mind you, I have some special pieces from family members… but on a day to day basis, no.

Now, I’m not a fan of jewelry in general… but I hate rings in particular. I don’t want an engagement ring or a wedding band. And I’m pretty firm on that. I know this is weird… but I don’t even like touching rings. Someone’s finger has been in that. And trying on each others’ rings… shudder.

So what was I thinking?

Greetings are a big deal over here. In the US you shake someone’s hand when you meet them the first time. Here, you shake someone’s hand every day. Every day. And you make it a point to go all around the room shaking hands. It’s a bit unnatural for me but I’m trying to make an effort. So during midday break I realized that I had not greeted one of the teachers. I walked up to her to shake and very casually complimented her ring in an attempt to be extra friendly. Um. She took it off her finger and put it on mine. “Oh you like? You take. It’s gift. Gift so you think of me.” Um.

This is the point where I mention how gaudy the jewelry is here. I mean, really.

Lesson learned. Genuine compliments only.

xo, jill