Celina_CP #6 (IE)

      For our final session in the intercultural exchange we began work on our poster projects. My project group was composed of two students from Kuwait, one student from Colombia, and myself. At first, we had a really difficult time figuring out what to make our presentation about. It was hard to please everyone and find something we all had some interest in. We brainstormed some ideas and decided it would be best if we just stuck with differing greetings for opposite genders in our countries. For Colombians, it is typical just to shake hands with a person of the opposite gender when meeting them for the first time. But each time after that it is acceptable to give a kiss on the cheek. This differed a lot from the other two cultures. In Kuwait, physical contact between male and females is NOT allowed so that was a huge difference between both Colombian and American customs. I explained to my group that it is fairly typical to just shake hands with someone of the opposite gender if you are meeting them for the first time, but if it is a friend or family member a hug is offered. They thought this was strange, because a hug is a lot of physical contact. I explained to them the different kinds of hugs we have too, such as the side hug for someone you don't really like. After we discussed our topic more, we started to work on our poster board. I think overall, our poster and presentation went really well and we each learned some valuable skills about cultural customs.