After studying cross-cultural studies, I have come to the conclusion that all people in the world have the same values or ethics. Although we are all a bit different in expressing our respect to others, we all have the same principles for respecting others. Therefore, to begin a conversation with someone in any culture, we have to show our respect to him/her. You may begin with a nice smile. If he or she smiles at you too it means that he/she wants to talk to you.
Some of my friends say that Indonesians have a different way of starting a conversation. We usually begin by asking someone’s name, age or job, while western people begin with an expression like ‘Nice weather we’ve been having lately isn’t it!’ To some extent this may be true, but in my opinion, most of us do not feel comfortable when someone new talks to us by directly asking personal questions.