Are there any, nowadays? Are they age-specific? Gender-specific? I mean things like who calls whom when and how long you wait before calling back and all that stuff that I've always understood to matter to Americans, from film and literature and listening to friends. At what point can you ask which personal questions? And so on. When I was a teenager and young adult overseas, I was in francophone places where dating rules were basically n/a, as people went out in groups, and couples formed and dissolved without all the hoohaw (as I perceived it) of American dating. So culturally, Americans are "not my tribe" and I feel as if I don't now the steps of my own species' mating dance....

As those of you who know me will surmise, I've gone from being Bummed (thanks in no small part to some of you!) to wondering how to go about what is next. I've never been a single adult in the US before... any information on the appropriate tribal rituals would be very much appreciated!