How Should I Greet You?

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How would you greet a stranger when you meet in another country? With a wave? A kiss? A hug? What is the most appropriate answer? The answer varies within different cultures. Different cultures reacts differently to each gestures because of the different emotions associated with the gestures you make. A greeting can also be a tradition practice within the culture. It is important to know when to apply the appropriate greeting because using the wrong greeting can sometimes be considered offensive. When traveling to another country with different cultures, you should research the greeting etiquette so that you will know how to properly greet others in different cultures.

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I think that the different ways of greeting people is very interesting. Certain cultures are all about physical touch while others are violated if someone is touching them too much. My dad is very conservative and when he was kissed on the cheek by a European man upon being introduced, he was very offended. I agree with you that when visiting another country, you should research their culture first.

What's "right" and "wrong" to do when you are in the midst of a totally different culture can be the most frustrating thing in the world to experience. But at the same time, it is what makes humans unique, that we can come up with all different types of culture and stand out from one another. The key to embracing yourself is to embrace the world around you. Being open minded can only expand your knowledge, even if it means making a fool out of yourself every once in a while.

I remember the first time I took a trip to France for school and I was so nervous about meeting my host family because we had all been told about the "bise" (the kiss on the cheek). On the train ride into town, all of us were slightly freaking out about how do we know when to give the "bise", are they going to start it?, do we start it? what's going to happen? It was the longest train ride in my life but the aftermath was so unimpressive. We got off the train and our host families greeted us, gave us a kiss and that was it. It's still an odd thing to see between friends because here we give our friends hugs but over there, you give a "bise" and you never quite get used to someone you are meeting for the first time giving you a kiss. I think a good rule of thumb is to learn beforehand what the culture of the country you are going to is so you don't offend anyone.

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This page contains a single entry by leex5770 published on January 23, 2012 9:49 PM.

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