On page 417 of Chapter 11 we are introduced to the idea of proxemics - the study of personal space. Here in the Midwest, and in America abroad, we are generally pretty "cold" (no pun intended to the weather lately); Minnesota nice doesn't necessarily mean Minnesotans don't have personal space issues. A classic example is if a full table of 4, 5, or even 6 chairs only has one person sitting at it, you would be hard pressed to find someone else (a total stranger) sitting at that same table too. Only in extenuating circumstances could you find this. I found the idea of the personal bubble to be nonexistent in the 3.5 months I lived and studied in Brazil this past semester.
Brazilians have little or no sense of personal bubble. In the culture it is not only not considered rude to look people in the eyes while walking down the street, but it is also an expected politeness. While I lived there among the Brazilians I found most conversations to invade my bubble. If they were a stranger it was kept at an uncomfortable 3 feet; if they knew me more personally it could get as close as 1.5 feet (considered by the textbook as "intimate distance"). This took me some time to get used to, but given my awkward grasp on the language (Portuguese) the loss of my personal bubble caused minimal stress to me after a period of adjustment.
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