Celina_CP #5 (IE)

For our fourth session in the speaking classes, we got to have a great discussion about some cultural differences regarding behavioral norms. I got to work with two students from Kuwait, and a student from Colombia so it was a very diverse discussion. The questions which ranged from how two people greet each other to how you decline something from someone, let us reflect and compare some huge cultural differences. For Eduardo, in Colombia greetings usually involve kisses on the cheek for women and sometimes men. Strangers usually just shake hands, but sometimes women who have mutual friends will kiss each other on the cheek. For Essra, women in Kuwait usually kiss each other on the cheeks sometimes two or three times. But women in Kuwait do not shake hands with men they are meeting, they simply nod and smile as a greeting. For Saned, men in Kuwait will shake hands or kiss cheeks or if they are very good friends they will do a special nose kiss which our little group had a good laugh about when Saned tried to show us what it looked like with Eduardo.
I explained to them that in the U.S. you rarely kiss each other on the cheek as a greeting, only sometimes with family members. Instead we offer hugs or simple hand shakes when greeting friends or strangers. This was very strange for them because they thought simply giving a hug didn't seem as loving or affectionate. I had never really thought about it like that before, I think we mostly just hug in the U.S. because we value personal space quite a bit and a kiss would really hinder on our "personal bubble".
Another very interesting thing we discussed was the concept that in both Latin America and the Middle East it is not culturally appropriate to refuse something when it is offered to you. This was really odd for me to understand because in the U.S. if someone offers you something you don't want you can always just politely refuse it and decline the offer. But for my new friends, they said they would never refuse something offered to them, even if they truly did not want it. This was a valuable lesson for me to learn as I now understand the expected protocol for being offered something!
Overall I think this was a really eye-opening lesson for all of us, as we got a chance to share not only our personal cultures but our opinions about them as well.