As a Canadian, I will say we often say Im sorry, as excuse me. So someone may pass you closely on the bus and say, sorry. They mean excuse me, and are not proffessing fault in some way or seeking forgiveness. Stranger, I trevelled the southern US during my runaway and wayward youth I found every single person to be kind and/or courteous. When I mentioned this later to an American woman, she said any of the kindness or generousity I received, would be percived as suspect by other Americans. I fund cultural differences and perceptions facinating.