Hello?

Growing up, it was drilled into my head that when someone was coming over to your house, or if you were going to someone elses home, you needed to greet them. Always. If they were Latino, then it would be with a kiss, and for everybody else, a handshake or just a "Hi how are you". When it would be time to go, no matter how many people are there you say good bye to everyone. And I mean EVERYBODY. This process would and still can take a long time. But it was and still is the polite thing to do right?!?!. This is not even a question in the latin community. I know that i have to say hello and goodbye period. I do find that when I am at non latino events that people come and go and most of the time not even saying hello or goodbye. I find this so odd and sometimes even rude. Recently I was at a baby shower where I was having a great conversation with someone...who I would say is a friend, and when there was a silent moment in the conversation she got up. I thought maybe she was getting more food, or going to the bathroom. Next thing I knew she was out the door. Didn't say goodbye to me or even more importantly the host. I would say this person is very friendly and probably just needed to go home, so she left. I just sometimes take it a little too personally, maybe because I am trying so hard to fit in here and make friends, that when things like that happen, I think "how rude" and they probably don't think to say goodbye to that crazy Ana girl, or even whoever the host is. Sometimes I just hear my mothers voice in my head saying " You're not animals, so don't be rude and come say hello/goodbye" ( It's alot funnier in Spanish!) so maybe it's so stuck in my head that anything outside of that is just weird when maybe it really isn't? Who knows...just know if you dont say hi or bye, then i think you're an animal! :)