When I learned about personal space I thought about how that
affected my own perceptions abroad of the people.
In Africa, I found the people so amazingly warm and
hospitable. People would immediately treat you like a close
friend. I didn’t have to wait any obligatory amount of
time to get close to someone. People would immediately be
open about their personal lives and confide in you like a
close friend. It was so different from my experience in
France where people had been very polite and there was firm
rituals to observe in order not to offend anyone. The people
I met had been very kind but I felt that I had to be very
careful when talking to people.
In the US I feel that there’s a careful line to
observe as well. It makes people uncomfortable to talk about
things that are too personal right away or ask too probing
of questions. It makes me very sad that people have to hide
the best and the worst of themselves until someone takes the
time to get to know them.
I think there’s an international difference in
personal space, one that is not just physical but
emotional.
One Comment on “Hospitality and Personal Space”
Comments are closed.
Honestly, I am finding it hard to start conversation with the Americans. I assume people avoid talking to ‘strangers’. What would you suggest me to do to make friends? How do people initiate friendships in your country? I feel almost wasted as I have not made new friends here since I came a month ago. Dr. Bill and Ivy are the only people I have known so far :p