In Costa Rica, friends greet friends with a handshake and an exuberant calling of their name. If you're female, it is proper to squeal and slightly jump up and down. Males give each other a hearty handshake and only deepen their voice.
OK - got that; but I live in a multi-cultural community. We have Germans, Belgiums, French Canadians, and others. The ex-pat Europeans do this kiss-your-cheek thing. They grab your shoulders and move in for a kiss on each cheek. If they don't like you, they go in for the fake air kiss. If they are particularly fond of you, you may get each cheek really kissed AND a kissy sound - "mmmmwawwww."
I'm from the south - we just grap you by the shoulders, pull you in close and sqeeze the life out of you like a boa constrictor (called a hug). However, I have noted that not all areas of the United States (like our ex-pat New Yorkers) are comfortable with this greeting.
So, first my mind has to determine where you're from to figure out the proper greeting. And I thought all I had to do was learn Spanish.
Yow! Culture!
ReplyDeleteSoutherners (like all folk) have some bad habits, but general friendliness and happy greetings aren't among them. I have several friends who moved away from the USA and they all have had to endure little culture shocks. But they all seem to be happy that they made the adventure.