I thought it might be fun to write a little post about how different cultures greet you. First of all, I have met hundreds of new people and I am not good with names so I have had a lot of moments when I needed to humbly apologize and tell them I have no idea what their name is. That being said, even if I know the name of the person, I never quite know what to expect when I go in for a greeting. I am friends with so many people from so many different cultures that it has almost become a guessing game for me. Do I hug them, high 5 them, pound them, give them a “bro hug”, kiss them, or do I just awkwardly walk up and say “Hey.” I if you go for the kiss on the cheek during a greeting, is it just one kiss or one kiss for each cheek? This may seem like not a big deal, but it definitely can be. You should have seen my face the first time one of my Norwegian friends kissed me on the cheek before I left. I probably looked like a “middle schooler” who just had his first kiss. I was slightly confused and thought to myself “Wow that was bold.” I quickly figured out the whole kiss on the cheek thing, but it definitely gave me a laugh. There are so many options which can definitely lead to some very funny moments. For example, some cultures do not acknowledge the “bro hug.” It is kind of awkward when you turn a handshake into a half hug…. But ultimately, I don’t care because these moments are fun. Whenever I feel like I do something wrong I simply respond by saying “sorry, I am American” and then they laugh and we move on. Or when in doubt just give them a huge smile. :)
DREW KLEIMAN IS AWESOME!!!!
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