Social Behavior

So, you know those awkward moments where people are sitting together and no one's saying anything? Well, those awkward moments don't exist here. People can just sit for hours and not say a thing and it's okay. You can go over someone's house just to take a nap and that would be okay. Today, a woman came over, greeted, and she just sat in the shade. She looked obviously sad, she was sniffling, her eyes were glassy and she had her hand under her chin, but no one talked to her to see what was on her mind. I noticed that, in this culture, no one really talks about themselves, they talk about others. I'm still trying to figure out what the "small talk" is around here. I guess that will come with time. And, whenever me and my sisters go to visit their friends, no one introduces me and if the friend asks about me, they don't talk to me at all, they only direct their questions to my sisters. At first, I thought that maybe they don't talk to me because they don't think I can speak the language, but if I ask about themselves, they don't return the courtesy. I'm wondering, how do people really get to know each other when there isn't much private space? How does one build that trust? What is the definition of a true friend here? I ask these questions because to me, it seems like everyone is friends with everyone, but that's not possible! Everyone's house is open to anyone who comes to watch television or to charge their phones and everyone is invited to partake in whatever is being drunk or eaten at the time. Things seem very open here, but the people themselves seem fairly private.