Interesting story.
Having had many similar encounters, I've had the same reflective thoughts.
Sometimes it's not easy to feel out a situation, but with time, focus, and calmness, one gets better at anything.
I'm pretty introverted myself, so judging a situation to be a threat when it isn't is something I'm always working on.
It is something that has to be worked on isn't it. Good luck with the working on it!
Thanks (:
I spent a good part of my life (some 20 years) travelling the world, mostly in the far east. When you subject yourself to new and foreign cultures, you are automatically on the defensive - that is human nature. It is a fear of the unknown. And not until you have spent enough time among a particular culture, will you begin to feel comfortable. The only real culture I ever felt totally safe in was Japan.