GREETINGS
Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog!
I will use this opportunity to share one difference between Americans and Italians each week from my experience living in both countries.
The first difference I will talk to you about is how people greet each other. In Italy we usually kiss twice on the cheeks, hug each other, or shake hands (not too often, or at least not with those that we know well). How close you are to a person is another factor that usually dictates how you greet other peoople, but in general, hugging and kissing represent the most common ways to do so. Meanwhile, in the United States I have learned that there is no kissing at all (that is considered creepy), but people would rather wave from 1 meter away or just shake hands (which is creepy to me).
Experience#1: I was talking to a couple of American friends, and my Italian teammate came up to us, and I kissed him twice on the cheeks. I looked over the couple of friends that I was talking too, and their faces were almost shocked (I wish I had a picture or were able to describe them in detail), just because I randomly kissed this guy.
Their expressions were really funny! Then they asked me questions and told them that where I live, kissing each other is a normal way to greet another person.
Experience #2: I became friend with an American, and we used to go to the gym almost every day at the same time without even knowing it, until we met each a few more times. My friend usually worked out with another friend, so the first time that I saw them together, I hugged the one that I knew first, then her friend. However, when we met each other again around campus a few days later, my friend told me that her friend thought it was weird that I hugged her without even knowing her, which on the other hand, sounded strange to me.
I did it because according to what I am used to, on this occasion it wasn't polite to not greet them the same way, so I did not even think about it because acting that way is just in my nature.
I understand that Americans have different habits and ways to connect with others, so I respect it and do not judge them in any way. But I just wanted to highlight how we both consider “odd” things that we are not familiar with, as well as the importance to comprehend and adapt to other cultures.
See you next time!
I think it’s amazing that you're highlighting the differences in cultures between Italy and the United States. Not long ago, I had a few friends visiting from Latin America, and they also greet people by kissing them on the cheek. When they did this with me, it caught me by surprise at first. However, I’ve become accustomed to it whenever they come to visit now.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about your experience with greetings. It's not something I normally think about but with your perspective that is different from mine it pointed out how even simple things that we do every day and may not take the time to consider are all connected to the cultures we were raised, which can differ on so many levels.I strongly agree with your closing statement. Being able to acknowledge and understand these differences with an open mind is extremely important.
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