Yeah, judging from all the great and helpful answers given here, it obviously is very different from person to person. I don't think I know him well enough yet where it would be comfortable (for either of us) if I asked about it, but if we continue to study together throughout our 2+ year-long program, I will when I feel like the time is right. In the meantime I'll just try to be as respectful as possible. Silly question, but can you give some examples of what you mean when you say "act normal"? I am a pretty outgoing person in general and comfortable in social situations, but sometimes I get a bit of social anxiety with certain things--like I feel really weird maintaining eye contact with *anyone* for too long, even my best friend or my fiancé! Long silences make me uncomfortable too, so I end up getting really fidgety--playing with my jewelry or something. Is it better to stay focused on him while he's trying to speak, or to casually do something else in a respectful way (for example, taking notes like I mentioned)?